Phal re-bloom on same stem..

[JDawggie]

Hi All,

I have a Phal that rebloomed on the same stem, but after the first bud bloomed (smaller flower), the other bud looks like it died....is that normal or did I not do something properly? Meaning are there some sort of special instructions for handling reblooms on the same stem? I figure maybe the plant did not have the energy to rebloom fully? The roots and leaves all look healthy!

Thanks,
jared

[Paul Mc]

Did you just recently purchase this phal? Did you repot it in another medium after purchase? These are just a few things that come to mind.

Generally speaking, when a new orchid comes home with you the new environment sometimes causes bud blast. Taking it out of the current medium and putting it into another, even if it's the same, can sometimes cause bud blast as well.

However, the fact that there are new blooms coming off of the old would suggest that you are doing something right and it's happy. There are many types of phals that do bloom off of the old stalk, but they tend to be a bit smaller. This really depends upon the type it is or bred with.

I would just enjoy the blooms and cut the spike once it has dried and turned brown. Some people do not cut the spikes, again because they rebloom off of the old. This is why generally we wait until it has dried up. However, one of mine never lost the bloom spikes from last year so I experimented. It only has four flowers this year as opposed to a huge spray. This year, regardless of if it dies off or not, I will be cutting the spike back in late summer/early fall.

If you do this while it's green, it's highly recommended to sterilize your equipment beforehand, and then put a light dusting of cinnamon on the cut/wound. The cinnamon will help prevent opportunistic diseases/viruses.

[JDawggie]

Thanks for the reply Paul...Actually I did repot in new medium -- I presumme that was the error. Strange I have repotted before when the plant was in bloom and all was well. I thoguht it was best practice to repot when the plant was blooming?

O well, this is the second bloom for the stem -- like you said I think the overall plant is just fine and healthy, but maybe it did not like the switch if medium!

[Paul Mc]

You should repor after blooms have faded. If the medium was breaking down and retaining moisture, then a switch to a fresh drier medium may be the issue, or from dry to more moist. Keep aneye on the roots and that will tell you if you have a future problem growing.

[RosieC]

It's best not to repot in bloom, although if you need to (roots rotting in existing medium) then you can, but you always risk the flowers. Sometimes they will be fine, but it can disturb them.

[silken]

Normally you wouldn't re-pot an orchid in bloom but rather after blooming or when there is new root growth. But with newly purchased Phals, they quite often don't even skip a beat from a carefully re-potting and it might mean the difference between it living or dying from root rot. So many of them come with a wad of sphag packed firmly in the centre that never dries. If a new phal is potted in this way, I would always at least remove a large portion of the tight wet moss from the roots the minute I get it home.

It may have just lost the bud due to shock or change in environment and potting media. I would just make sure the roots and plant are healthy and cut the stock when it dies off.

[JDawggie]

Thanks everyone...Exactly my experience when buying most of my Phals -- they have a huge ball of moss in the center that never dries...that is why I usually repot after I buy one.

I will see how this one does -- live and learn.

Jared

[Paul Mc]

Honestly, it should be just fine. I actually just bought a mini-phal that was very sickly looking but it was the best of the bunch. There was only one flower left on the stem and the rest had been broken off. I repotted it immediately and started giving it proper care. It is now reblooming for me off of the old spike because it's so happy.

Again, as long as the leaves and the roots (especially the roots) look healthy, you will be absolutely fine and be able to enjoy your phal for years to come!