How is my orchid doing?

[TZ-Someplace]

Many Phalaenopsis are triggered to put up new blooming spikes by a night drop in temperatures (low 60s, high 50s at night) of about ten degrees for a couple of weeks, which is one reason they might not rebloom for people growing them in a house. The Phalaenopsis factories use this manipulation to produce blooming plants all year round for the plants they send out to grocery stores.

[YetAnotherOrchidNut]

Originally Posted by TZ-Someplace

Many Phalaenopsis are triggered to put up new blooming spikes by a night drop in temperatures (low 60s, high 50s at night) of about ten degrees for a couple of weeks, which is one reason they might not rebloom for people growing them in a house. The Phalaenopsis factories use this manipulation to produce blooming plants all year round for the plants they send out to grocery stores.

To expand on this, phals are divided into at least two groups, warm bloomers, and cool bloomers. Cool bloomers are easier to care for so they are usually used to produce grocery store hybrids. If your plant is producing keikis from the spike without any adverse conditions then is a decent chance it has a specific white phal genetics in it, these plants regularly produce spike keikis (I have one myself).

here_butnot has a useful info sheet on this:

https://herebutnot.com/wordpress/wp-...down-v5web.pdf

He also has a great set of resources on his site that I found super useful:

https://herebutnot.com/a-guide-to-phalaenopsis/

FWIW, I believe that the research that suggests it is a night time drop that triggers blooming has actually been superseded by further research that suggests it is a general temperature drop (day and night) that triggers blooming in cool weather bloomers. There is often a significant difference between day and night and cool weather bloomers don't flower until the daytime also cools. I can try to find a link to the research, but it could take me a while. The subject is somewhat controversial as the "night time temperature drop" meme is quite widely spread.

[samraleigh]

Thanks everybody!

[Mountaineer370]

Originally Posted by RoseSD

Who sells Orchiata Bark at the most economical price?

I have been using Orchiata for a long time and have good luck with it. The last time I bought it, I got it from here:

Orchid Bark and Mix

Although I have also done internet searches to find other sellers and who might have the best price. I've also just searched for it on Amazon and bought from there, too. Prices will vary considerably, and it pays to look around.

For the OP here, based on the photo, I would suggest the large size. I have a number of mature Phals, and that's the best size for them. Be aware the the "small" size is very small and packs too tightly for my liking with my medium to large Phals. Other types of orchids that don't mind a denser medium would be fine with it.

Also, as Roberta mentioned in Post #2 here, I also had trouble getting my Phals to rebloom for the first few years I was growing them. Adding lights left on for around 12 hours a day made a tremendous difference. My lights are not large, super-bright, or numerous. Because of growing my orchids in my kitchen and bedroom, I wanted something that would not clash with the residential decor. If you have a separate "plant room" or an actual greenhouse, then it's not an issue. I also wanted full-spectrum fluorescent bulbs as opposed to LED. The exact lamps I have are not made anymore, but this is the general style:

Amazon.com

[nemesis]

I get it from Kelley's Corner. They carry the ling fiber Sphagnum moss as well.

---------- Post added at 04:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:32 PM ----------

Long Fiber

[samraleigh]

I repotted my orchid last week and everything was good. But devastated to see that the new leaf is cracked at the tip. Is my plant dying?

[estación seca]

You're letting it stay dry for too long a period of time.

[Roberta]

It will certainly survive the cracked leaf. It is a minor issue, but indicates the problem that ES has identified - not frequent enough water. Especially with a fresh repot it will be drying out faster. To get a feel for how often to water - water it well (like under the faucet, so water runs through the pot) Let it drain, then weigh it on a postal scale or kitchen scale. Weigh it again the next day and the next. When the rate of weight loss slows (not much more water to evaporate) it is time to water again. After you do this a few times, you will know how often it needs watering - dependent on YOUR conditions, not something that you can do by the calendar, These want to get close to dry but not completely dry, they want "humid air" around the roots,