General grow question

[leslie_texas]

I have 3 regular phals, 1 vanda strap, 1 cattleya and 2 dendrobium. The phals I bought as far back as almost a yr ago. all of these have yet to grow sticks and rebloom. All they seem to be doing is growing leaves and roots. HOW can I get these to all bloom again? I use Superthrive/water mix every 2 -4 weeks. Am I doing something wrong? Should they be put outside maybe? I keep them in differenet places in windowsills around the house. What is the magic trick to get these to bloom? I live in texas and its hot as all heck outside. In she shade it can reach 89-93 degrees. the humidity is always somewhere between 50-80% outside as well, depending on the time of day. Is that too hot for these to be outside on a table in the shade on my porch?
Thanks, Ya'll!

L

[kspalding]

U are doing everything right. Phals are annual plants that go thru stages. Heating Phase develops foliage and the cooling phase develops spikes and buds/blooms. Just wait til it cools down outside, trust me orchids will teach u patience . Different types have different seasons and some orchids even bloom multiple times a year. Once u know which are what u will have a better understanding of what will come.

---------- Post Merged at 01:47 PM ----------

Sounds like we have similar climates and mine are in foliage phase now too

[Carolla]

What she said! Mine are growing leaves and roots too, they usually start to spike in Jan or Feb after it cools off in the house 10 degrees or so. Then they flower about March and some of them hold flowers for a long time. If you bought them in bloom a year ago, likely they were forced to bloom off cycle in a greenhouse and will go back to the regular cycle this year. Patience is key. Also, I find some of the ones I buy commercially were forced while still pretty small plants and need to grow for a couple of years to get enough resources to bloom again. They are often sold as replacements for cut flowers without the thought people will want to grow them on and rebloom them. Just keep doing what is making them grow well and see about giving them a cool period in the winter. Have fun!

[silverstoli]

From an article on growing Phals:

Next, TEMPERATURE Requirements:
Phals like moderate temps just like you and me. On average Phalaenopsis grow well in temps ranging from 60 degrees F to 85 degrees F. Most homes have a normal temperature around 76 but realize this varies. Some go cooler to around 72 while some keep their home a bit warmer 78. This full range is FINE for growing your phalaenopsis orchid. Something to keep in mind though is that some phals require a temp drop of at least 10 degrees F. to initiate a bloom spike.

The article is here: http://www.rv-orchidworks.com/orchid...th-orchid.html

[78Terp]

I try for a 15 - 20 degree difference and am working on it right now. I leave my ac off during the day and turn it on after I get home from work. The temp gets to about 80 during the day inside and I cool it down to 63 at night. I think I see one phal starting a spike already.

[stateless]

I have some phals outside in Florida and they are ok with proper shade, will probably need more watering than if they are grown inside, everyone gave good advice I would only add to maybe try a balanced fertilizer also, Superthrive is a growth stimulant and people either swear by it or at it, I have read claims of too much causing deformed blooms. I did use Superthrive for awhile, and have never had deformed blooms, but switched to Maxicrop instead because it's cheaper and I have had excellent root growth, but neither product alone provides a balanced meal for an orchid. Good luck

[leslie_texas]

This is all great advice! Yes I use a superthrive/water solution every once in a while to fertilize for sure. Any advice for the vanda and Cattleya? I purchased both in Hawaii. (yes they were in those little bags so its like growing from a baby plant. The vanda is growing a new leaf and the cattleya is just chillin. Interestingly enough also, my intergenic that I flew back from Hawaii (odontoglossum + Brassia + Miltonia) is also growing something new! However I havent quite figured out what it is because the pseudobulbs are so large. Also, the 2 dendrobium's seem to just be hanging out not doing much as well. one of the two just lost their last bloom a few weeks ago. Thank you again everyone for the great advice!

[raybark]

SuperThrive really isn't a fertilizer. Yes, it does have some components that provide some minimal nutritional value, but it is really intended to be a source of synthetic root growth-stimulating hormones. You'd really be better off using a decent, complete fertilizer, at a low dose. (If you feed about every two weeks, I'd recommend about 100 ppm N - just divide 8 by the %N on the label, and the result is the teaspoons per gallon to mix.)

According to a study done by Dr. Y-T Wang while he was at Texas A&M, it is NOT a day/night drop that induces flower spike initiation, it is a couple of weeks of a consistent 10°-15°F reduction in the AVERAGE growing temperature that does it. I tracked the temperature for an entire year to test that, and have written up (and graphed) the results at my website.

Of the full 365 days of temperature tracking, 222 of them displayed day/night temperature variation of 15° or more - and they occurred in every month of the year, but I only saw 2 continuous weeks of reduction in the fall, and sure enough, spikes started a few weeks later.

[Carolla]

Thanks Ray, that is very clear and easy advice. Now I should take notes so I remember it right! A lot of what I rely on is from your research and its been very helpful.

[leslie_texas]

Thank you Ray that is very informative!