Phal. schilleriana Blooming

[jiblylegs]

Two and half months later after the spike began developing again, I finally have a few blooms! Super excited as this is one of my first orchids and is its first bloom after 1.5 years of growing.

[DeaC]

Lovely. Good 4U. At times, orchid growing does nothing for my self confidence. I have a small one mounted which I bought last yr with 1 spike blooming but here I wait. This species is so worth it tho.

[Roberta]

well done! See? Patience pays off. It is a beautiful species.

[Blueszz]

It's beautiful, perfect flowers. I love this species, even when not in flower it's a beauty because of the leaves.

[Maree]

Gorgeous gorgeous!!! Any suggestions to encourage blooms? I've had this for a year and it's the same as when purchased. Thanks ahead of time

[jiblylegs]

Right now, it is blooming with 36(?) flowers. I feel pretty confident with its care. What I do besides the usual winter cooldown is give it a fair bit of light and I rarely let it dry out completely. It’s in like 90%/10% bark/moss so overwatering hasn’t been an issue.

[Maree]

Thank you for your advice and sharing your expertise. How do you do a winter cool down? I have mine in the kitchen where it gets southern exposure and supplemental light 1p-9p. Temp is probably 75-80 during the day and 60s at night. I try to keep the humidity 50-60%. It's only in moss, do you think I should add some bark? Any input greatly appreciated. Melanie

[jiblylegs]

My cool down is 60F for a couple weeks during the coldest weeks of the year. All year it only gets to about 78F during the day.

I don’t think the particular media is as important as finding a setup that works for your conditions providing adequate moisture. Mine is potted in a plastic pot with lots of small holes, but yours is in a basket. The sunlight also probably heats your media up increasing the rate it dries out at. I would first try leaving it where it’s at, but don’t let the moss get crunchy dry. Right when the moss is still soft but feels dry give it a drink, or when the bulk of the roots are halfway green and silver if that makes sense.

Edit: Also, the photoperiod should be 12-14hrs long.

[Louis_W]

Wow, what a gorgeous plant. Well done

[Maree]

That makes great sense, will do. Thank you for taking the time to give me your input. Have a wonderful Sunday.