This is the first phalaenopsis I have owned, so I am not sure if I am treating it the right way for it to flower again. This growing season it has produced two new leaves which are large, shiny and healthy-looking. It has also put out several new roots, like fat silvery snakes with green heads! However, when should I start looking for flower shoots, and from where are they produced, please? It looks like the original flowers grew from below `soil` level but I don`t know if flower stems form higher up as the plant gets bigger.
I recently read they need a "cool" period for a few weeks to initiate blooming. I'm going to leave mine on the porch until the nights are in the high 50s to early 60s ... then it's into the sunroom to await the flowers.
The same article said they wont flower if the temperature is above 82.
They are about five years old. I use a standard indoor plant feed about once a month. They have been repotted twice into a loose mix of garden soil, bark chips and parcel packing polystyrene pieces. Nothing special at all.
I live in the UK and this summer has been mostly very wet and cold, although the conservatory, where I keep the phal (away from direct sun), has been getting pretty warm when the sun has been out, even with all the windows open and the blinds down. Still, some nights the temperature in there has gone down to about
10C, but it hasn`t been sustained. Now, we are enjoying very fine weather and the temperature in the conservatory has been climbing into the high 20sC, with a nightly drop to around 14-17C. It is unlikely to last long, though, and with autumn on the way, I expect the temperature will fall and stay down. Maybe then my phal will get its cooling down. With our weather being so changeable, it seems difficult to maintain a controlled environment in a domestic situation, so I guess it will flower when it`s ready...
I haven`t repotted it yet, and it is growing in very coarse bark. I feed it once a week for three weeks, using a fertiliser with a PPK of 30-30-30, and then give it a flush through with plain water (all rain water at room temperature, BTW) on the fourth week.
Kate, it would probably be a good idea to repot while the weather is still good. The top of the bark may look fine, but it may not be so great down below.
Hallo, Diana Fortunately, the plant is in a transparent pot so I can see the bark. It still looks pretty whole, and the roots that I can see amongst it look healthy too, if rather cramped. I`m a bit worried about re-potting, as all I have been able to get locally is a proprietary orchid mix which feels too fine. I have bought some Hortage to mix with it, and I might try Steve`s idea of using expanded polystyrene. However, I have absolutely no idea of what proportions to use!
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