Only one phal spiking

[magicatt]

The rest are just sitting there. The one with a spike is six inches long and as thick as a pencil. Its doing great. It is also in bark medium with a plastic pot.

My other phals are in semi-hydro. New leaves, nice roots but not a spike in sight. Not even a bump, nothing, zero.

Should I just move them all back to bark? They are in a south facing window with plenty of sun. 70 degrees in the house during the day, 60 at night.

What am I doing wrong? Why don't they like me?

[quiltergal]

How long have they been in S/H? If you just made the transition this year they could still be adjusting. I had one in S/H that took 2 years to rebloom.

[Orchid Whisperer]

magicatt, have they experienced a temperature change during the year?

Phals often need a drop in temperature (I have heard 10 degrees F) from summer to winter to initiate flower spike formation (both the high and low daily temps dropping this much). I won't say that EVERY Phal requires this but mine spike more reliably after a natural cool-down outside in the fall. Same thing could be achieved indoors with the thermostat, if you are strictly an indoor grower.

[magicatt]

Yes I am strictly indoors. I turn down the thermostat at night. I can't remember when I put them in semi-hydro. Seems more than a year as I recall.

I have glossy new leaves and fat roots so they are presumably happy but the only spike I have is my bark phal.

I don't know what else to do. Humidity perhaps? I do have electric baseboard heat so maybe it is just too dry for them. I would think with the hydro it wouldn't matter as much. I don't know.

[My Green Pets]

It sounds like they are healthy, just taking their time. The temps sound perfect. They'll bloom when they're ready. The more things you change, the further back you could be pushing their bloom date. They like you. They're just showing you who's boss.

[Nexogen]

Maybe not blooming in S/H because it is getting too much nitrogen.