Phal sent spike but no bloom

[mook1178]

Hello all

I am very new to orchids and I just found this forum.

I have a Phal that I bought from Home Depot. It has been doing well and sent up a spike after about a year. However that spike never materialized with blooms. IS this a water, light, or nutrient problem?

Thanks again

[SillyKeiki]

It would help if you could provide a picture of the spike in question so that we can see if there is anythign wrong with it. Being a Phal, I doubt it is a lack of light issue, as they require fairly little.

[mook1178]

I will get a pic when I get home after work. I can say that the spike looks healthy, no spots or mushiness. When the spike stopped growing, the orchid began growing a new leaf. So I think it switched back to its vegetative cycle.

[Puja]

Do you fertilise this orchid? Sometimes when it happens with healthy orchids, the cause is either overfertilisation or using a fertilising with the wrong composition, which pushes new growth over blooming and so causes the plant to abort its buds in favour of a new leaf.

[mook1178]

I have actually never fertilized this orchid. That's i thinking it may be nutrients. I just started reading on orchid care the is could of days. I'm planning on getting some fertilizer soon

[Puja]

Originally Posted by mook1178

I have actually never fertilized this orchid. That's i thinking it may be nutrients. I just started reading on orchid care the is could of days. I'm planning on getting some fertilizer soon

Actually, if you have not fertilised it, the problem is highly likely something else. Not fertilising a plant rarely causes issues outside of slowing growth. If a lack of nutrients is the problem then your orchid might not even set buds in the first place, and it is anyway more likely to be a problem of nutrient transport (i.e. with the roots) instead.

It can also be a problem with culture. Sometimes buds drop because of unsuitable humidity or temperature, which is not enough of a problem to cause the plant to expire but provides enough stress for the plant to decide against flowering which costs a lot of resources.
I cannot say for sure, but lighting is rarely a significant factor in an already formed spike failing to bloom unless you have moved the plant to a different spot since the spike started forming.

Can you post pictures of the plant? It is really hard to guess at the problem just from a description.

Edit: Also, could you be more specific with what you mean by "blooms did not materialise" - did the spike produce buds that grew but then yellowed and dropped before they opened, did the spike expire/turn brown before any buds started forming or did the buds form but not swell with growth, etc.?

[Mountaineer370]

Originally Posted by Puja

Edit: Also, could you be more specific with what you mean by "blooms did not materialise" - did the spike produce buds that grew but then yellowed and dropped before they opened, did the spike expire/turn brown before any buds started forming or did the buds form but not swell with growth, etc.?

Originally Posted by mook1178

I will get a pic when I get home after work. I can say that the spike looks healthy, no spots or mushiness. When the spike stopped growing, the orchid began growing a new leaf. So I think it switched back to its vegetative cycle.

I'm wondering the same things Puja asked, although it does sounds like the spike is still green. But did you ever get any buds on it?

Also, how long since this spike first appeared? My Phals can take two or three months from the time I see the first sign of a spike until I start to see buds, and sometimes, it does seem like the growth of the spike has slowed quite a bit. It is also possible for them to be growing a spike and a leaf at the same time.

[mook1178]

I tried posting a URL from imgur with a pic, but the post was denied. Maybe I'm too new of a member.

The spike started about 2 months ago and had not shown any growth for a month. The notes are green still, but blooms have never been produced

[tasha]

When you post pictures it has to be a certain file type. If you try to upload it, at the bottom of the window it tells you what size and file type you can upload!

Tasha

[mook1178]

photo attached. Thank you Tasha. I was trying to upload through a quick reply on my phone.