Free Flowering Phalaenopsis Hybrid

[aussieboy]

I’ve heard of the sweet memory hybrid which flowers all year round. This without the need for temperature variation to induce flower spikes. Can anyone advice which hybrids have the same character?

[Roberta]

I haven't found the need for temperature variation for Phals in general. What I have observed is that light duration can make a big difference. When I first got started with orchids, I had my Phals in a room with excellent morning light - for about 4-5 hours, then the sun shifted and the light was indirect and not very bright. Very little reblooming... then I got some cheap shop lights (daylight florescent bulbs, now daylight full-spectrum LEDs are much more efficient), put on a timer 12 hours a day, and got about 80% reblooming. This was in the house, so not much temperature variation at all. Phals don't need much light intensity, but they do benefit from more hours than nature provides especially in winter.

[Ray]

I think this is not as simple a question as it may seem.

Some phalaenopsis species absolutely require the cool down to initiate a spike, while others do not. The more equatorial their natural range, the less they see temp variations. (Interestingly, it seems that generally, those in the white/pink color range do, while red/yellows don’t.)

Some species tend to bloom, then abort the spikes, while others can retain them for years, frequently reblooming.

Take that info and mash it altogether into complex hybrids and there’s no telling what you might end up with - and there’s also the possibility that one plant from a cross might be free-flowering while a sibling might not.

AND, if that wasn’t enough, many phals will bloom more and last longer if grown in low light, rather than bright.

[aussieboy]

Thanks for those insights. I didnt knew longer exposure to light benefits orchids or at least have effect on their bloom cycle. I thought orchid parentage plays a more vital role in general to the attributes such as their flowering. Much like what has been mentioned by Ray about origin. Taking from experience from a Vanda perpective that any hybrid with significant percentage of Sanderiana will produce huge flowers but less frequent flowering. There must be something similar on the Phalaenopsis world.