Hi,
On June 9th, 2008 I attended a lecture hosted by the Orchid Society of Southern California in Burbank. The speaker was a long time grower by the name of Bob Gordon who has published several books. His topic was "Phalaenopsis Problems and Solutions."
When I told him that several of my phals had finished blooming, he told me to cut their spikes ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE BASE. He and group members assured me that this would have the phal REST and assure that I'd get bigger blooms next year.
I did so. And it has now been 6 months, and the only new growths I have are new leaves. There's no sign of a spike, despite the phals being at an east facing window, and they're a having a cool night temperature, and constant air circulation.
Tonight I read in Liz Johnson's "Easy Orchids:"
"As soon as the flowers die, cut the stem back just above a node, leaving about 10-12 in. of stem. Ofter, a secondary spike, or flower stem, is produced from this node, and new flowers will appear after 2 to 3 months. Do not 'rest' your moth orchid or change its routine.
"Unlike other orchids, the moth orchid does not have an annual rhythm; it may produce flower spikes at any time of the year. Should a large, healthy plant fail to produce a flower spike in a reasonable amount of time (8 to 10 months), reduce the temperature by 10 degrees F for 4 weeks to encourage flowering.
"This procedure does not apply to other types of orchids whose stems are usually cut down near to the base."
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So, who is right? Should I have left MORE of the spike on my phals? Did I make a mistake by chopping down to the base?
And if orchid "experts" are in such disagreement, maybe I should go back to breeding rare tropical fish.
Romulus