Hello...Just joined! Having flowering problems...

[Pinkeed]

Hello,
I am very interested in learning more about orchids. At this point in time I own several. I have yet to get any to re-flower, but the roots are growing strong on many. I did initially over-water/under-water (the smaller ones) them for a while, but I've gotten much better at it since then. I managed to save most (but not all) of the ones that were affected during this phase.

I tend to prefer the slipper orchids because I like the shape of the flower.

No flowers yet, but new buds/leaves depending on the plant.

Current conditions:
All are on a large antique shelf near windows to a balcony
50-56% humidity
76-79 F
Fertilizer once a month
Watering is once a week in general (sometimes once every other week for larger pots)

I tend to have the hardest time with Masdevallias. I have since learned that if I keep them in case with water in the bottom of a 2nd pot they tend to do better.

[WhiteRabbit]

How long have you had these orchids?

In my limited experience with Paphs, they seem to be slow growers, and smaller and younger plants can be quite some time in-between blooming (a couple of years or more)

[Pinkeed]

Hello!!!!

It varies, most are within the last year or two. I know I had to do some re-pots in November-December. The phals are the newer ones, since out of all the orchid types so far those are the ones I have had the hardest time with (kept over-watering). I only started to get better with them in February or so. I have slippers that have been doing well for longer than that, but no flowering. The one that's doing the best in terms of leaves is a phrag ruby slipper x jason fischer (I think this is the right cross, I'd have to check the tag).

I know I also have a 3 way cattleya cross with a new bulb coming up. I got it for cheap because it only had one flower when I bought it and the owner seemed to think it was done for. Not so!

[Leafmite]

How bright is your light? Does the window face south? Do the orchids get any direct light?
Not receiving enough light is often the reason that healthy, blooming-size plants don't bloom.

[silken]

Welcome to Orchid Board
You have a variety of orchids that have some differing light requirements. You may be able to achieve that on different levels of the shelf, or you may have to move some.

Paphs and Phals are lower light growers. Cattleyas require fairly high light to bloom and Phrags (at least mine) get higher light than my Paphs but definitely not as much as my Cattleyas.
Culture Sheets
Here is a link to the American Orchid Society web page on Orchid culture. There is good basic info on many types of orchids. This will give you an idea of where to start. If you have specific issues, you can find the forums for each type here on Orchid Board and ask about one type in particular. This will get better response to a specific issue.
Many orchids are sold as seedlings and they can take a number of years before they are ready to bloom.

[Pinkeed]

The glass balcony doors face southwest. There are two regular sized windows beside it in a bay window style. The light comes in on an angle that directly hits the wall on the left side (where the orchids are located). I'm not sure how many foot candles at the moment since the light has yet to reach that far at this point in the day(the light sensor doesn't seem to read well without being in sunlight).

Maybe I'm just being too impatient waiting for the flowers...

[estación seca]

Welcome!

As the others mentioned, orchids are much slower growing than most other house plants. But if you can be patient, they reward you!

Paphs (Asian slipper orchids) and Phals generally like bright shade. This means the sun shouldn't shine on them, but they should be near a window.

At your temperatures, the Cattleyas could have sun shining on their leaves all day long, if the air circulation were good enough to carry the heat off the leaves, and keep them at ambient temperature. I set a fan to blow on my orchids when they are getting sun through the window, so the leaves don't overheat and burn.

Phrags (American slipper orchids) generally prefer a lot more water than most other orchids, and more light than other slippers. There is a forum here for those slippers that aren't Paphiopedilums. This includes Phragmipediums. You can get to it via the left menu, Forums, then scroll down to

Cypripedium Alliance - others

A lot of people here grow really great slippers. I'm still at the baby slipper stage.

[Pinkeed]

Looks like I need to go check out the rest of the board. I did plan on moving the shelf back a bit, so hopefully that will help with the lower light orchids.

[wintergirl]

Welcome to OrchidBoard

[No-Pro-mwa]

Welcome to the board.