9 days no power during Phal bloom season-start over?

[twinkie]

EEEK! The worst happened. Ice storm and 9 days with no power. Propane heat and too wide of temperature swings totally decimated my open blooming phals who were still pushing out tight buds on the tips.
Does anyone have experience either cutting back green bloom stalks this early in cycle or pumping bloom fert to try and prompt them to give it another go? Barring another hideous storm, I can give them the dip they need in temp and get back up steady.
Every gorgeous bloom just folded, wilted and plopped off over these last days. And some were finally pushing out showstoppers.
Awful.

[Orchidtinkerer]

Hi twinkie,
we were wondering how people were coping without power in America.
Sorry to hear about your orchids, I'd be gutted.
Not sure there is much that can be done. If you are lucky they will still bloom again later on this year.
So you didn't actually lose any? That is the most important really even if a lot of flowers suffered.

[estación seca]

I would not cut the stalks. They will flower again when the plant is ready.

[twinkie]

Originally Posted by Orchidtinkerer

Hi twinkie,
we were wondering how people were coping without power in America.
Sorry to hear about your orchids, I'd be gutted.
Not sure there is much that can be done. If you are lucky they will still bloom again later on this year.
So you didn't actually lose any? That is the most important really even if a lot of flowers suffered.

Yeah it was a bloodbath in here for my orchids. I'm also losing a tropical tree from the vampire levels of light but have the grow light back on now trying to green it up. The orchids do not appear to have suffered in terms of their leaves, it was only the blooms and I believe they did NOT like the propane heat nor the wild temp variations which were easily +- 15 degrees. I had hopes the tiniest tight buds on the tips would weather this but nope, they're also yellowing and dropping. Ugh. They usually lasted far into late Spring, I suppose it's possible they might give it another go if I baby them now.

I was fortunate because I'm a prepper so had back up food, drinking water, hand crank this and that and a gen I'd run a few hours a day to get a hotspot going once the cell tower was back up. Bagged ice to put in the freezer and fridge. Still have a landline which is a lifesaver when cell goes out. I also have a 100 gallon propane tank with gas stove and heater, many smaller tanks. I was cooking for neighbors and also loaned out propane heaters and shared water. I also catch rain water so that came in handy for flushing toilets with bucket brigades between houses.

Many people had their roofs collapse or other structural damage. I got a hunch first night of the storm and felt to move one of my cars and not 3 minutes later a huge limb came down onto another tree to the side of my parking space and uprooted it, tree falling neatly right into the space my car had occupied minutes earlier. I count myself fortunate as I had no structural damage to speak of, just now facing a major mess as basically every tree, shrub, bush etc sustained damage - topped off, split, trunks cracked in two or three, going to take three chainsaws going to tidy the yard, property boundary and forest up.

There are still broken limbs high up waiting for a good wind to bring them down. Those are deadly. Was like a hurricane hit with so many power lines down and trees all over the roads. Huge limbs were cracking all over the valley simultaneously and crashing to the ground, very loud and pretty scary when you're surrounded by tall trees, but the icy frozen wonderland was not without a certain beauty!

---------- Post added at 03:59 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:57 PM ----------

Originally Posted by estación seca

I would not cut the stalks. They will flower again when the plant is ready.

I just hope they put out new stalks and don't try to push blooms off the long stalks present. So sad as I wait all year for this wonderful flowering season during the gloomy winter. They were making mama proud....

[SouthPark]

Good work in how you did your best - eg. heating - to try compensate for the cold.

Definitely ------ don't worry about the blooms. Just focus on stabilising as many orchids as possible. If most or all of them survive - then they can just bloom another day.

[Roberta]

As long as the plants are OK, they'll bloom again... and may send out new side branches on the budless spikes. (Buds are, indeed, fussy about changes of conditions, the plants themselves much more tolerant) "Bloom fertilizer" isn't ... it's just a formulation lower in nitrogen, it won't facilitate blooming. Your goal is just to keep the plants healthy - which it seems you're doing very well. They'll do their thing naturally... if not this season, then next, or some time in between, either on the existing spikes or will send out new ones.

[Leafmite]

Good luck! I hope you do get some more flowers on those spikes. So glad to hear that you are doing fine, otherwise.

[twinkie]

Originally Posted by Roberta

As long as the plants are OK, they'll bloom again... and may send out new side branches on the budless spikes. (Buds are, indeed, fussy about changes of conditions, the plants themselves much more tolerant) "Bloom fertilizer" isn't ... it's just a formulation lower in nitrogen, it won't facilitate blooming. Your goal is just to keep the plants healthy - which it seems you're doing very well. They'll do their thing naturally... if not this season, then next, or some time in between, either on the existing spikes or will send out new ones.

UPDATE!!!
Do these look to you like tiny healthy mittens coming? I have 4 phals who just miiiight be trying to bloom again - I hope!
One is coming off a lower bracket so I think one of them at least is trying for showtime again?! The others have yellowed ends so don't expect them to regenerate at tips unless further down like you said.
I gave them all a nice soft tepid water spray bath yesterday with very weak balanced fert, wiped leaves down and spoke encouragingly... crossing fingers and toes!!

[Roberta]

Those look like the normal end of Phal. spikes that are spent... not likely to bloom. If they do anything at all, they'll start new branches someplace along the spike. But patience... it's only been a few days, while progress with orchids is measured more in months. Just sit back and observe, keep the plants healthy. A healthy plant will eventually produce new spikes - even if you have to wait until this time next year. Patience, patience...

[twinkie]

Originally Posted by Roberta

Those look like the normal end of Phal. spikes that are spent... not likely to bloom. If they do anything at all, they'll start new branches someplace along the spike. But patience... it's only been a few days, while progress with orchids is measured more in months. Just sit back and observe, keep the plants healthy. A healthy plant will eventually produce new spikes - even if you have to wait until this time next year. Patience, patience...

eheheh well I also believed in the tooth fairy until about 10 years old soooo , hope dies hard around here
But I swear some of them are gearing up for something. Some plants have two bloom stalks and one stalk is yellowing and showing signs of dying 1/2" - 1" back already while the other stalk has the green mitten or a lower bract swelling and lifting away more from a green stalk that's showing no signs of dieback - yet.
I'm gonna put my money on a side shoot like you said. I think they're so hardwired to bloom and many were still forming buds/blooms that hopefully they're still feeling the urge eheheh. I'll keep an eye on everyone and if something miraculous occurs will be sure to post a pic update.