Crying emoji! (lack of success with longtime Phals)

[MartinaM]

I'm even more up north than you and haven't killed any Phals. I only water once a week. No extra light than the east/ southeast window. They flower at least twice a year sometimes more. They are in large bark. Maybe yours stay wet a bit too much. My apartment is at 20°C all the time. All other orchids get supplemental light but not the Phals.

[gingersmommy]

Originally Posted by MartinaM

I'm even more up north than you and haven't killed any Phals. I only water once a week. No extra light than the east/ southeast window. They flower at least twice a year sometimes more. They are in large bark. Maybe yours stay wet a bit too much. My apartment is at 20°C all the time. All other orchids get supplemental light but not the Phals.

Wow, twice a year - that is incredible. My sister has that kind of success. I think I am getting there with the space heater, humidifier, special water (distilled with pH adjusted, mild fertilizer & probiotic), and lamp for extended light time.

I am beginning to name my orchids (as my sister does). My most successful one is "litmus" because I use it as a barometer for the health of the others. It has been growing like a weed. I have 1-2 air roots coming from each of the leaf junctions, and more sprouts in node that I can't yet tell what they are (spike or root). It's in a plastic pot so I can see the roots and when they turn white. Most of the others have a new leaf starting and also root activity. I just know they are doing well and am so excited. It is so gratifying to see them responding.

One question, how long after you do the reduced temps at night for a couple of weeks before a spike begins (assuming it is going to)? If many of them don't bloom this year, that's okay. However, there are two that are doing really well that I feel will bloom.

[MartinaM]

Normally it takes about a month or so. The Phals bloom in Nov. then again in April, normally. This year they are late because of the extremely warm autumn temps. we've had. I water with warmish tap water and add a little fertilizer every two weeks. Nothing special really.
The only other reason that a Phal. won't bloom is if the pot is too large for the plant. After repotting one that was blooming non-stop, it stopped for 1 1/2 years. It didn't like the larger pot. Right now it has two spikes and a keiki but roots all over. It looks really overgrown with roots everywhere but I won't touch it for a while yet. Hope you get a lot of blooms!

[camille1585]

To me the light they gets sounds sufficient, so I tend to think the same as what someone else posted; that you need good roots to support good growth and eventually blooming. Stop watering on a fixed schedule, instead water when the Phals need it, either by monitoring root color if you have clear pots, or with skewers otherwise. My experience with Phals is that they are far more tolerant of being a bit dry than they are of being wet, and I keep them on the drier side in the winter compared to summer. And I agree that repotting should be done no more than every 2-3 years, unless there is a good reason to do it earlier than that. Now that you’ve made changes to your conditions, stop fiddling around with the conditions and the plants and see how they respond in the coming months. It may be a bit late to see blooms this season, but if you see nice root growth, things are on the right track!

I don’t think you need to add artificial light. I am in the Netherlands (so even a bit further north than you) and grow my Phals in similar light conditions: behind south facing windows with short, dim days in the winter. It has not stopped them from blooming, nearly all my Phals are blooming or in spike right now.

[gingersmommy]

Thanks everyone. Okay, I promise to stop fiddling with them - except one question. Should I repot the ones that I know are overpotted (same medium) and then leave them alone after that?

[gingersmommy]

Is it possibly that I have to water my orchids more than once a week? Some of them are in clear plastic pots where I can see the roots. I watered on Sunday and as of yesterday the roots look whitish. In addition, I tossed one orchid last week that only had two leaves. The medium was bone dry and the roots looked like they needed water. I water once a week, same day. They are in some bark with clay balls, white lava rock and just a small amount of moss. Keep a humidifier going pretty high in the room at all times. When I water, I soak all of them for about ten minutes before draining and putting them back. Should I be watering like every five days? They seem very healthy.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by gingersmommy

Is it possibly that I have to water my orchids more than once a week?

Yes. Watering frequency has to be "when they need it", not by the calendar. How much water a plant needs can vary depending on all sorts of factors - the medium, the temperature, the humidity, the plant itself (if it is growing actively it may need more). Observation is key... see what is going on, and respond accordingly. Because orchids do everything slowly (including dying) by the time they show obvious distress it is often too late, so it is vital to make minor adjustments as you go along.

[estación seca]

Depending on the humidity, temperature and health of your plants, you might have to water more often. It's a learning process.

[gingersmommy]

I'm so paranoid about overwatering. I'm going to try every six days and see how that goes.

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by gingersmommy

I'm so paranoid about overwatering. I'm going to try every six days and see how that goes.

As long as you wait for the roots to revert back to white before watering, it's difficult to overwater that way. And when in doubt, wait another day to water. Watering on a fixed schedule does make things easier, often it doesn't necessarily coincide with the plant's needs. At this time of year I'm watering every 5-9 days depending on how sunny it's been, and in the summer it's every 3-4 days. Watering frequency also depends on how large the root mass is. The more roots there are the quicker the plant will take up the water in the medium. I'm not telling you to water at this frequency, but just showing how it can vary throughout the year.