Flowering Question

Okay, this is a Phalaenopsis (can tell by the name). Please tell us your growing conditions: where you are, where the plant is, what the temps are, etc. Then we can help, and will be glad to do so.

Just as general information, however, Phalaenopsis do not like very sunny locations, and it is quite normal for them to lose old leaves as the new ones grow.

Diana

I live in New Jersey and keep it on the window sill and it gets about 5 or 6 hours a day we have central air condition and it is cool in the house it is in orchid soil which doesn't look like soil but it is orchid soil as per the packaging we use orchid food according to packaging again it looks very healthy but no flowers. Thanks Again

I sometimes wonder if the new dual pane windows aren't the culpret in these plants not flowering. All that low e glass cutting down on the wave lengths of light that allow blooms. Because otherwise, if you are giving it that amount of light (light is usually the limiting factor, poor light = no blooms), you are doing OK as far as I'm concerned. Does it get a 10 degree change in day/night temperature? It wants that too. Otherwise the feeding is OK. If you get really into this hobby we can tweak feeding, but right now, as I say, the limiting factor is light. More light -not direct light - = blooms.

Sometimes these are really forced into bloom at the nursery and require a few years rest before they'll bloom again, too. So that may be why it ain't a blooming fool for you.

K Barrett

What direction is this window facing?

Very high light but no direct sun. The number one reason a Phal would grow but not flower is insufficient light. Bright enough to produce light green leaves that are never warm to the touch. Too dim and you get big dark green leaves, but no flowers.

I often tell people a south facing window just inside the dark shadow line with lots of spill over light is good enough to flower a Phal. A north window would probably be too dim and you would never see flowering. It would get no direct sun at all and never enough ambient light to help it flower. In both the east and west facing window you would probably have to provide some shading from direct sun during the summer months to prevent burning. All this supposes an unobstructed line between sun and leaf surface.

Has it ever bloomed before? It may also still be an immature plant. Some of these large whites get leaf spans like 24 inches across before they bloom. You can expect that in a group of seedlings, some plants will bloom while still quite small, like under 12 inches, and others will grow many years and much larger before flowering even if all other conditions are met. Some may not have what it takes genetically, for whatever reason, to ever bloom. It happens. If you continue to do everything right but never see a flower threaten it with a microwave. This has worked for me.

If you continue to do everything right but never see a

waving pruning shears over mine has worked....

but yes--how long have you had the plant? has it ever bloomed for you? i've got a big white NOID that took a few yrs before it would bloom for me--and it grows lots of leaves. but then, i have a golden peoker daughter that's *always* in bloom--but also only ever had four leaves. that's it, that's all it wants, and it steadfastly refuses to grow more.

--j_a