Phals does't bloom...

[Elmir]

Hi everybody!
I have a white Phal and she grew 2 spikes, but only one of them bloomed (and even on that one, not all of the buds).
Plus, I received a new phal as a gift in february, and this new one lost almost all its buds.
It looks to me they are not un-healthy (they are all putting on new leaves now), they just didnt bloom....
And now i received a new gift: a Phal litterally covered by buds! Magnificent! I'd like very much to have this one fully blooming....
Any suggestion what it may be that I'm doing wrong?
I keep them:
1. on windowsill, not direct light.
2. watering roughly once a week (I stick a finger in the medium - I think it's bark - to check for humidity),
3. they are in plastic pots with holes in the bottom (some of them have a second pot without holes, but I always let the water drain out for long before re-setting them in the closed pots)
4. I keep the pots on a tray full with clay pieces and water
Can anybody help?....

[Cjcorner]

I love phals...lovely flowers that last a long time. Look around it's area and make sure no airvents are around. Hot or cold drafts blowing on the buds will cause them to blast. Also; you might want to add a little bloom booster fertilizer into their weekly watering. Every fourth week, just use plain water to rinse extra fertilizer salts from the pot. If the problems continue, you may want to check the quality of the water you are using. Usually though, with phals, there is a hot or cold draft causing your grief. Occassionally it is the humidity, but it sounds like you have already thought of that.
Good Luck! I hope we get to see some pictures of your flowers soon.

[Elmir]

Hey Connie, thank you very much for the quick reply!
They are on a windowsill and the window has double-glazing. It's slightly cooler at the window than in the rest of the room, so probably there is a little draft.... Do you think it may be bad enough to cause my problem, even with the double-glazing?...

[Cjcorner]

With double glazing, your plant may not be getting enough sun. And yes, windows are very drafty, allowing for a temperature drop or rise that you may not be aware of. I'm glad to help...when I first came here asking for help with my phals people were always super helpful. Glad I get to pass it along...

[phytochrome]

One thing I have found to be helpful is to mist around the plants for the first week or two when I get them. The plants give out more moisture than they can replace at first and the buds suffer....my own opinion...make sure to spray in the a.m. so the plant dries off fully. I have not lost any buds to date on the phals I have brought home.