Re: phalenopsis spiking

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: Don,  Where in CA did you purchase this phal?  I live near San Diego and we have tons of orchid greenhouses near me.  The flower loss is pretty common when you change the environment for a phal.  It may be accustomed to greenhouse living.  Your home has much lower humidity than the plant is accustomed to.  Or it could be something easy.  If the plant is near a gas stove or near ripening fruit or near cut flowers, the flowers will fade and fall.  

: It is OK that you cut off the spike entirely.  If you had cut it above the node, you might have gotten a rebloom, but now you won't.  This (cutting the entire spike off)is actually a "healthier" choice for the plant.  This will allow the plant to start storing sugars for it's next flowering season.  So your next blooming should be spectacular!  

: So to get it to bloom again, there are many things you should do.  However, the most important is to have patience.  This is not like a rose bush.  It will likely be 6 mos before you get another flower spike.  Depends on the type (does it have a plant tag with a specific name on it?) as to exact timing of bloom.  But most phals start spiking winter/spring time.  And then the flowers go on and on for a long time often until summer.  

: So, keep the phal in low orchid light.  About 1 foot from an E window.  More than that and the leaves will sunburn and scald.  Less than that and you will get tons of leaves and roots but no sugars stored and therefore no flowers.  Keep evenly moist but NEVER soggy.  Depending on what material it is planted in, you will have to test to see how often.  Many people put a bamboo skewer into the potting media to check for moistness.  They stay wet longer than you might think and you don't want to overwater as you will rot the roots.  

: Happy growing and I hope you have the patience to keep with this wonderful hobby!  amy

: 
: : I live in Illinois and recently brought back a phal. from California.
: : When I returned the flowers promply faded away and the stem turned brown and dry.
: : I cut it off since it was no longer alive.  
: : My question is; What is the best way to get them to spike again.  I've searched the net, 
: : and there is nothing about completly cutting off the spike.  All the information out there
: : is about "trimming" the spike just below the first node to get them to reflower.  Also, after they
: : reflower, does the spike then get complety cut off, or do those new off shoots get cut just below the 
: : first node again?  
: : Thank you for any help.



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