Mature PB's - how long before it spikes/blooms?

[alaskagirl]

I have a lot of Oncidium type orchids, a few which bloomed this past February (I bought them in spike). All of them have produced lots of new growths, and I'm wondering how long after the pseudobulbs mature will there be spikes?

Also, on a couple of them, where there SHOULD have been a spike (inside the leaf next to the PB), there is new growth instead! What's going on with that??

My growing area...

[masda]

Usually a new growth will produce a spike the next year if your conditions are to the plants liking, However sometimes a flower will be produced on the new growth and sometimes it is best to remove it to allow the plant to mature and produce a stronger stem the next season. Patience is a virtue. Your orchids look healthy enough so hang in there.

[alaskagirl]

Thank you Masda! Guess I'll have to work on my patience. Haha I can't wait though!

[bonsai1504]

my oncidiums produce new growth from where a spike should be all the time. the good thing is, more pseudobulbs=stronger and better flower. not necessarily more but better.

[Bird Song Farm]

Don't really want to change the subject as your onc's look great but that rope hoya is utterly fantastic!
Al

[alaskagirl]

Oh thank you Al!! Yeah, I love it Can't get the sucker to bloom though. Oh well. I bought it a couple years ago at a flea market just outside Orlando. It was maybe 6" long then, it's over 2' now! Doesn't grow as fast as my other hoyas, but it's still a keeper

Back to the orchids-
A bunch of the new growths are just getting big enough to where you can see the PB's down in the middle (if that makes sense). They are kind of flat though. So is the next step that the leaves will spread apart, the PB will get fuller, then it will bloom? I'm definitely still a newbie! Haha.

[D&S Mabel]

Just a thought...

I see on your plant rack that you have slippers, phal. and oncidiums together. You may be getting new growth rather then flower spikes on the oncs because it may be too dark for them. I find that most of my onc. types do best in very bright conditions with a number of them liking direct sunlight for a couple hours each day - and one gets it all day.

Phals and slippers, on the other hand, are typically low light plants.

[wahaj]

I have a rosey sunset in flower right now with 4 spikes. It's 2 of the spikes are on bulbs that were just revealing themselves, one's on a mature growth, and the 4th is on a very strong new growth that hasn't really developed it's bulb yet but has started to swell at the base.

I think the trick is to keep a momentum of growth through the growing period so the acceleratnig growth pushes it into flower.