Anything I need to do to get my Den to flower (Phal type)

[RosieC]

So my Den (Phal type I think) has a large new growth and I'm hoping that it will spike out the top once it finishes growing.

When I bought it there was a spike out the left hand cane (which was more upright then but has been pushed over by the new one).

The new cane on the right has been growing since December and just seems to keep getting taller.

Is it enough to just let it do it's own thing, or is there something I should do to encourage it to flower?

[cb977]

Hi Rosie :

What lighting do you give it?
Most of my Dens get rather high light here.
Maybe that will help?

[RosieC]

Thanks Sue,

Well it's in the highest light I am able to give here. I have no artificial growing lights and it is in a north-east facing window. (The pic was taken while it was elsewhere being watered).

I hope this bright weather continues

[cb977]

[quiltergal]

Rosie I'm not sure a NE exposure gives enough light to induce flowering. Mine is in a SW window also under lights so it gets very high light. It's blooming for the second time from the same cane right now. You will probably need to find a way to give it brighter light to see it flower.

[RosieC]

Sorry, I said North East and I'm completely confused

It is in a South West facing window.

My house has East and South East windows on one side (which is where my Phals live) and it has West and South West windows on the other side (which is where this Den and a Paph live.

Just now (late afternoon) the sun is coming in straight through the window where the Den sits.

I've not had this Den more than a year yet, so I'm not too worried. I just wanted to check I was doing the right things. We've not had particularly good summers here the last few years, but so far this year it's been pretty bright so

[Claire25]

Hi RosieC-
My very first orchid was a phalaenopsis-type Dendrobium that I purchased in late winter, out of bloom. I didn't know much then about light requirements for Dendros (or for any orchid, for that matter), but I did know that the small, shaded windows of my home did not offer anywhere near enough! So, I put it outside in May on a picnic table in my backyard (I live in Maryland)...where it got FULL SUN from late morning til mid-afternoon...which I now understand is considered to be a lot more light than is necessary...or perhaps even healthy. However, it DID flower for me at the end of that summer...albeit with only four blooms (probably b/c I didn't know to fertilize!) At the end of that summer, the plant itself was suffused with a purple coloration, especially on the margins of its leaves...this is the way that many orchids with colored flowers indicate that they are at the very highest light level they can tolerate. Because your plant looks so lush and healthy, I would certainly not recommend that you park it outside in full sun...it would almost certainly develop scorched leaves if you did so now. But I can tell you that I did not had any luck with getting my current Dendro. to bloom inside on a sunny southwest windowsill last year...it is now outside in full sun, looking good, and I'm hoping for flowers again this fall!

[RosieC]

Thanks for the info Claire,

Mine actually has red tinting on the edges of the leaves, and some on the cane it's self so it sounds like it could be a sign of getting at least reasonable sun.

Well I shall see how it goes as the summer goes on.