Are my phals getting enough light?

[en3rmax]

Hi there OB,

I have recently moved some of my phals closer to the window to make sure they are getting enought light, the phal on the left i've had for almost 2 years now and hasn't spiked in that time, it was in a more shaded position so i've decided to move it closer to the light, the phal on the right did spike in april last year.

Does this position look alright? i've been doing so much reading about phals and light conditions lately and they all point to the same thing the leaf colour, the lighter the better and my phal on the left does have quite dark leaves, it has grown loads of roots and more leaves but just no blooms.

The phal on the left was my first given to me as a gift in easter 09 and is quite special to me, i would love it to spike.

The picture is quite dark as i took it into the light and it was quite bright.

[Paul Mc]

They look really healthy, but there can be several reasons phal's don't bloom. Have you checked the roots lately? How long has it been since they were repoted? Do you fertilize weakly, weekly - which isn't necessarily a big one because I hardly ever fertilize and they always rebloom for me, but just a thought.

Another note, where's the humidity trays for them? I see they are seated in dishes, but there should always be some water there to evaporate up around the plant and aid with humidity. Some people say this doesn't really do that much, and my own testing shows that it doesn't when one plant is by itself. Humidity trays seem to do best when there are large groupings of plants in the same place, but you might try adding water and humidity around them. Just be sure to elevate your pot so it doesn't touch the water and leave the medium/roots to soak up the water (a.k.a. wet feet).

Otherwise, from what I can tell, they look really healthy. It may just be an issue of light and humidity. This would be the time of year you should be seeing spikes. All but one of mine are in spike, and that one is because it was in the Intensive Care Unit last spring and had to rebuild it's root system. I don't expect any blooms from that particular phal this year as a result.

[en3rmax]

Hi Paul Mc,

Thank you very much for the info, the orchid on the left was repotted in march of last year and the phal on the right was repotted about 2 months ago, i use a mix of fir bark, perlite and foam and orchid focus bloom fertilizer, all my supplies were reccomended and brought from Peter White Orchids of the UK.

I'm also going to buy a humidity tray soon too, all the roots are very healthy, the phal on the left grew really long aerial roots out of the top of the pot so i teased them into the medium as i didn't want them to get broke, the roots have also grew through a tiny air vent in the bottom of the pot and continues to grow.

[drone]

I think the purplish tinge on the underside is a more accurate indicator than leaf colour. I have a phal with dark leaves but the underside was all purple n prone to fungus/burn marks etc. It's growing better now that i reduced the sun it gets.

[Orchid126]

Feel the leaves. If they're warm, move the plant back an inch or so. If they're not, move the plant forward an inch or so. When the leaves are finally warm, move the plant back one inch and it will be getting optimum light.

Most phals set their spikes in late fall after two weeks of a 15 degree temperature drop. In late summer the outside temps can go up to 80, then drop at night to 65 which gives the correct temperature drop or something similar. Many phals need this drop in order to bloom. The spikes come in the fall and bloom in the early part of the next year.

[johnblagg]

cooler temps in fall helps quite often....

[camille1585]

I don't think going by the underside color is a good indicator either. Pink bloomed phals tend to have natural reddish/purple undersides anyway. If you're going to go by coloring, it's better to check for purple appearing on the upper side.

If one of them did spike last year it sounds like you've got the light almost right. Increase it a bit more and hopefully you'll get spikes on both this time around. Once you do find the good spot for them, keep an eye on them in the coming months since the sun will be gaining in strength. Hopefully next fall you should see some spikes starting!

As for the humidity trays, I don't think 2 plants is enough to benefit from the group effect. I use trays under a group of humidity loving plants, but not with my phals. They generally do well in lower humidity, and it saves the trouble of cleaning out those trays!

Paul, what humidity increases were you seeing with one plant vs several? Curious to know how much moisture the leaf 'canopy' holds back. I never did any measurements on mine (broke my hygrometer before I could)

[en3rmax]

My phal to the right in the picture set a flower spike in april of last year and bloomed in the july, also the phal on the right tends to change colour through the year, it's leaves are starting to purple in parts and around the edge of the leaf, it's a pink striped plal.

The phal to the left has always just had pure green leaves, the colour of the flowers when i had it was pure white with a pink lip.

Here is the phal on the right after it bloomed last year



Here is the phal on the left when i had it easter 09