How to get phaelonpsis orchids to rebloom
 

Hi all,

I’m new here so hopefully you can help me out. We received as a gift 3 orchids in full bloom April last year that lasted until September. At the end of the season I cut the stems down to just above the last node as per expert advice. Now, one of the orchids had grown a new spoke with bulbs while the others that have been getting basically the same treatment have yet to show any signs of new growth aside from new leaves. I water lightly about once every two weeks. Should I be doing something different to encourage new spikes or just be patient?

Thanks for any advice you can provide!

First, Welcome!

The first bit of advice with regard to a recently-acquired Phalaenopsis (or any other orchid for that matter) is to take a look at the roots. Usually, by the time you get it, the medium (sphagnum especially, bark usually) is broken down and airless. So the plant may be growing, but you don't want to wait until you get floppy leaves due to the roots being rotten and not able to take up water. So, time to take the ornamental arrangement apart, get the decorative twigs out of the way, and focus on the plants. Sphagnum can be a great medium (when it is fresh and has lots of air space) but it can be tricky - It can hold too much water, or when it dries out can be difficult to re-wet. Personally, I prefer bark. But whatever you use, remember that fresh medium is going to dry out faster than the old and so will need more frequent watering. Phals want :"humid air" rather than "wet" around the roots. So your watering scheme should let the plant get almost dry but not quite, then water again. And water thoroughly. Let the water run through the pot - that flushes it, and also pulls air into the root zone.

So the repot will help you keep the plants healthy. Then, the next ingredient in getting flowers, is light. Phals don't want bright light, but they need light for enough hours. When I started out with orchids, I used the spare bedroom as my "greenhouse'. There was an east-facing window, and the plants got good morning light for about 4 hours. Then the sun shifted, and the light was very indirect. No flowers... I got some really cheap fluorescent shop lights at Home Depot, put them on a timer 12 hours a day, and started to get about 80% reblooming. So they don't need a lot of intensity, they do need sufficient duration of light.

And then, patience... You can learn a lot from observing your plants. And feel free to ask lots of questions.

At the top of this forum, there is a "sticky" entitled "The Phal Abuse Stops Here". It's full of good ideas and advice from lots of members.

Welcome to the Orchid Board!