How long do Phals stay in bloom?

[xiongmaopanda]

I've had my Phal since Valentine's Day so that is 4 months. When I got it from my boyfriend there were only 2 blooms. One was wilted and soon fell off and the other followed suit soon after. Not a big deal. Since then there were 3 buds. All of them opened. The very first had no problems at all and I loved it. The second one opened up fine but the two petals had slits in them like when you make paper snowflakes. The last one turned slightly brown as a bud but opened none the less. It looks almost normal with minimal damage to one petal and one sepal. The last bud opened sometime in April I believe. I was curious how long they stay in bloom? I love the 3 that I have but I would love to see the whole spike in bloom at once. Do the blooms just fall off? Once they do should I cut the spike back or just let it bloom again from the same spike?

Thank you~!

[fxman]

They will usually last about 12-16 weeks. So it seems you got a good run out of yours. Most would say to cut it back as close to the bottom as possible. Only thing is unless you care for them like a pro you might not see another bloom for a year or so.
Hope this helps

[Ron-NY]

I had a two spiker that bloomed continuously, from one spike or the other, for 3 years. I finally cut one spike so that I would get more vegetative growth. Now I cut off spikes by mid Aug so I get new spikes each year. New spikes have better quality flowers.

[Brutal_Dreamer]

Check out the Orchid library article on phals. It might help you to better understand what they need to rebloom. Best of luck!

Cheers,
BD

[Diane]

I know that a lot of people will leave the phal blooming as long as their are buds of any size or quantity. But I let the spikes do their main flush, and when they get down to just a couple of buds I cut the spike. I agree with Ron, you'll get better spikes and blooms if you give the plant a rest.

[Thachlud]

the easy answer is everyone is right.
A complex hybrid grown in ideal conditions will easily be in bloom for 5 - 6 months. Some species and primaries are continuous bloomers, and some bloom only for 4 - 8 weeks. A plant with good culture does not need to have its spike cut, however it is helpful in under ideal culture environments.

[smartie2000]

my yellow noid has been blooming for years too but it grows leaves and new spikes at the same time.
It depends on genetics.
Flowers with thicker petals and waxier petals will last longer usually.