Keiki - Should I take action?

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by DaytripperEleanor

Thank you, SouthPark! That is hopeful to hear! I have 4 unbloomed Phals now, and I feel like I shouldn't buy another flowered one until I can make at least one of my current buddies spike/flower. I'll keep posting/reading on the board in general to get tips!

A thought if your Phals are growing well but not blooming after a year or so... how many hours of light each day do they get? (They don't like a lot of intensity, but come from an equatorial region where days and nights are about 12 hours each all year) My own experience, when I was starting out with orchids, was similar... and I solved it by supplementing the natural light (maybe 4-5 hours good light then the sun shifted) with lights. This was quite a few years ago when fluorescents were the best I could do, now LEDs are a lot cheaper to run, and produce less heat. You'd want "daylight" type bulbs. I tried it both with the cheapest daylight fluorescent tubes and with grow lights for 3 times the price, and couldn't tell the difference. But by adding supplemental light, 12 hours a day (on a timer) I went from very little reblooming to about 80%. Worth a try...

Here's what my setup evolved into... the spare bedroom became my greenhouse. http://orchidcentral.org/GrowingAreas/indoor.jpg

[DrDawn]

Originally Posted by DaytripperEleanor

I live in California in an apartment, and it's very hot outside now. I have a little shade, but I am still worried the 100 degree dry heat is just too much for her. I have been fertilizing every two weeks since March 23rd, I turn on a fan to cool her temperature at night since June 8th. But maybe she's just not ready in general? I also worry the fan isn't strong enough to drop the temp enough (it's a very tiny fan).

Ah, interesting! So are the Phals inside or out? 100 is hot for them, definitely keep them out of the sun! But if they are inside in AC they are probably just fine. (Its been in the 90s here in Boston but my orchids are all in the AC in my house in an east-facing window with temps in the 70s, and I've got spikes on 6 Phals at the moment). FYI here's a pic of a decent Phal root system on a plant I rescued from the clearance shelf.

I think it depends on how adventurous you are... if you want to check on their healthy more deeply, you could repot one and see the condition of the roots. Usually mine will sprout some new roots above the last set of leaves every year, so you should be able to see if any of those have happened (sometimes people get excited and think they are flower stalks, but roots are a sign of a healthy plant, so still something to be happy about!). A few years without flowering and no noticeable roots in a year or so... I would definitely check on the light levels and then the root system.

But yes, they are slow growers, take your time! And I'm glad to hear you have 4, then once you get your environment figured out, you'll have quite a show!

[charlesf6]

Me thinks that appears to be one happy & healthy "Phal" plant.