How long for a spike to form?

[Reeses]

Back in September, I put my two phals outside that I thought were the healthiest and had the energy to bloom. They stayed out for about two weeks, with the temperature dipping into the upper fifties a few times at night, while getting back up to the 70s and 80s during the day.

But here we are, mid-November, and I have seen no signs of spiking on either one. In fact, one started pumping out new roots and a leaf! Which is great...but not the sort of growth I was hoping for!

Is this typical, that I haven't seen spikes yet? If not, were those two weeks enough?

[campchi]

Plants have their own agenda, so don't expect it bloom when it's not ready.

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[estación seca]

Are you sure they're big enough to bloom? If you bought them in bloom, they were probably forced along to flower as early as possible, and it can take them a while to recover and bloom the second time.

[Fairorchids]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Are you sure they're big enough to bloom? If you bought them in bloom, they were probably forced along to flower as early as possible, and it can take them a while to recover and bloom the second time.

It is common for store bought Phals to need 12-18 months to recover, before they can/will bloom again.

[bil]

Originally Posted by Fairorchids

It is common for store bought Phals to need 12-18 months to recover, before they can/will bloom again.

Wow. Good job no one told mine that. All of mine are store bought, and in bloom. Those bought this year are mostly in spike already, and that includes 4 minature phals with the usual butchered roots so they will fit into the eggcup sized pots they sell them in. They are ALL in spike.

The only exceptions are a couple out of half a dozen that were bought in bloom a month or two back, and two purchased in 2014 that as yet aren't showing an obvious spike, but I daren't lift up their rather large leaves to see.

[duet_mimas]

I think I'm lucky, I bought a clearance phal in June and babied it, repotted, watered, air flow, low light because it didn't like too much light. Fertilize... ect. And mid Oct it started to spike from its 2 old spikes. Additionally, it has decided to put out 2 MORE spikes, so apparently I'm doing something right. It didn't get too much of a cooling off period.

And then I got back in Sept as a gift another phal. I waited until it dropped its flowers and then repotted fertilized ect. I noticed within the past week that it is starting another new spike.

[camille1585]

Contrary to popular belief, Phals respond to an overall cooling down, and not specifically to cool nights. The natural temperature change inside a home as the seasons shift from summer to fall and then winter is often more than enough to induce blooms. Mine have not budged from the living room, but because the temeprature (day and night) is about 4-5C cooler than it was in the summer/early fall, I now have spikes on 17 of my 24 Phals. Professional growers apply this cooling period for 4-6 weeks, with spikes generally appearing after 3-4 weeks: Growing the best Phalaenopsis, Part 4

Other things to consider:

*As mentioned above, recently purchased Phals may need a year or so to fully adapt to the less than ideal conditions of a home environment (compared to the greenhouses they grew in)

*The care they recieved the rest of the year will strongly influence their propensity to bloom. Regular fertilizing and sufficient light are key factors, and if these are neglected, spike induction and flower count will be affected.

*Not all Phals will produce spikes at the same time. At my place, spikes appear anywhere from mid october through to January, and I've observed over the years that some Phals are extremely consistent from year to year, while others may be very unpredictable. Younger plants seems especially likely to spike erratically, sometimes very late in the season. Some species are primarily summer bloomers, so if those are strongly present in the background of a hybrid, then they may bloom in spring/summer instead.

[Leafmite]

I agree with everything said above. Some of the Phals I have had in the past have skipped a year and then bloomed faithfully after. Those that are not stimulated by the changes in light to bloom need consistently cooler temperatures. Usually here in Ohio, they will get it naturally due to cooling temperatures when the plants are still outside and then the cooler house temperatures.
Some of the species Phals or 'novelty' Phals are influenced by the changes in light (bellina, violacea). I have a deliciosa and I have no idea what makes it bloom because this year, it went from a warm window to a heated mini-greenhouse under lights and it still set a spike.

[campchi]

Originally Posted by duet_mimas

I think I'm lucky, I bought a clearance phal in June and babied it, repotted, watered, air flow, low light because it didn't like too much light. Fertilize... ect. And mid Oct it started to spike from its 2 old spikes. Additionally, it has decided to put out 2 MORE spikes, so apparently I'm doing something right. It didn't get too much of a cooling off period.



And then I got back in Sept as a gift another phal. I waited until it dropped its flowers and then repotted fertilized ect. I noticed within the past week that it is starting another new spike.

You are one of the few lucky ones

[camille1585]

To be clear, it was never said that recently bought mass produced Phals NEVER bloom in the first year at home, it's just that it's not unusual for it to happen. Good care and excellent conditions that more experienced growers can more often provide probably make the transition to home life much easier on the plant, and so they are more likely to bloom sooner. But for people new to Phals and their care, or who have less than ideal conditions, it probably is more true for them that the Phals take a bit of time to adapt.

I don't buy many mass produced Phals so can't really comment on it, though I do remember that the last 2 bloomed rather quickly, and I do have a phal that sulked for 2 years after buying it.....