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.

Many thanks.
Kate

"Kate" wrote in message
...
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.

On Wed, 5 Sep 2007 17:59:56 -0500, "Manelli Family"
wrote:

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.

I have lots of flowers on my Phalaenopsis. They are rarely without
flowers. As soon as one stem drops its flowers another stem develops.
They are kept in a window where there is no direct sun. The
temperature never gets above 70F.

Steve

--
Steve Wolstenholme Neural Planner Software Ltd

EasyNN-plus. The easy way to build neural networks.

http://www.easynn.com

Hi, Kate, & welcome!

Sounds like you have a nice, healthy Phal. If (as I assume) we are talking
about a hybrid, then it should begin to spike in the fall. TMF is correct
about the need for a change in temps. To induce spiking, the plant should
get a few weeks of a range of temps from day time to night time of about
10-15 degrees.

Have you repotted this plant yet? What kind of medium is it in? (Sorry for
the preposition at the end!)

Diana

"Steve Wolstenholme" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 5 Sep 2007 17:59:56 -0500, "Manelli Family"
wrote:

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.

I have lots of flowers on my Phalaenopsis. They are rarely without
flowers. As soon as one stem drops its flowers another stem develops.
They are kept in a window where there is no direct sun. The
temperature never gets above 70F.

Steve

--
Steve Wolstenholme Neural Planner Software Ltd

EasyNN-plus. The easy way to build neural networks.

http://www.easynn.com

"Steve Wolstenholme" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 5 Sep 2007 17:59:56 -0500, "Manelli Family"
wrote:

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.

I have lots of flowers on my Phalaenopsis. They are rarely without
flowers. As soon as one stem drops its flowers another stem develops.
They are kept in a window where there is no direct sun. The
temperature never gets above 70F.

Right! Apparently these are not heat lovers. How old are your phals and what
fertilizer/s are you using? How often do you fert them? I'm using a
variety of ferts including two made for orchids. I'm doing it 1/2 strength
now, once a week on all of the orchids since some are in active growth and
several Dens have spikes.


Steve

--
Steve Wolstenholme Neural Planner Software Ltd

EasyNN-plus. The easy way to build neural networks.

http://www.easynn.com

On Wed, 5 Sep 2007 20:04:50 -0500, "Manelli Family"
wrote:


"Steve Wolstenholme" wrote in message
.. .
On Wed, 5 Sep 2007 17:59:56 -0500, "Manelli Family"
wrote:

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.

I have lots of flowers on my Phalaenopsis. They are rarely without
flowers. As soon as one stem drops its flowers another stem develops.
They are kept in a window where there is no direct sun. The
temperature never gets above 70F.

Right! Apparently these are not heat lovers. How old are your phals and what
fertilizer/s are you using? How often do you fert them? I'm using a
variety of ferts including two made for orchids. I'm doing it 1/2 strength
now, once a week on all of the orchids since some are in active growth and
several Dens have spikes.


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.

Steve
--
Steve Wolstenholme Neural Planner Software Ltd

EasyNN-plus. The easy way to build neural networks.

http://www.easynn.com

"Diana Kulaga" wrote in message
.. .
Hi, Kate, & welcome!

Sounds like you have a nice, healthy Phal. If (as I assume) we are talking
about a hybrid, then it should begin to spike in the fall. TMF is correct
about the need for a change in temps. To induce spiking, the plant should get
a few weeks of a range of temps from day time to night time of about 10-15
degrees.

Have you repotted this plant yet? What kind of medium is it in? (Sorry for the
preposition at the end!)

Diana

"Steve Wolstenholme" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 5 Sep 2007 17:59:56 -0500, "Manelli Family"
wrote:

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.

I have lots of flowers on my Phalaenopsis. They are rarely without
flowers. As soon as one stem drops its flowers another stem develops.
They are kept in a window where there is no direct sun. The
temperature never gets above 70F.

Steve


Thank you for all the responses.

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.

Thanks again.

Kate

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.

Diana

"Kate" wrote in message
...

"Diana Kulaga" wrote in message
.. .
Hi, Kate, & welcome!

Sounds like you have a nice, healthy Phal. If (as I assume) we are
talking about a hybrid, then it should begin to spike in the fall. TMF is
correct about the need for a change in temps. To induce spiking, the
plant should get a few weeks of a range of temps from day time to night
time of about 10-15 degrees.

Have you repotted this plant yet? What kind of medium is it in? (Sorry
for the preposition at the end!)

Diana

"Steve Wolstenholme" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 5 Sep 2007 17:59:56 -0500, "Manelli Family"
wrote:

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.

I have lots of flowers on my Phalaenopsis. They are rarely without
flowers. As soon as one stem drops its flowers another stem develops.
They are kept in a window where there is no direct sun. The
temperature never gets above 70F.

Steve


Thank you for all the responses.

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.

Thanks again.

Kate

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!

Kate

"Diana Kulaga" wrote in message
. ..
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.

Diana

"Kate" wrote in message
...

"Diana Kulaga" wrote in message
.. .
Hi, Kate, & welcome!

Sounds like you have a nice, healthy Phal. If (as I assume) we are talking
about a hybrid, then it should begin to spike in the fall. TMF is correct
about the need for a change in temps. To induce spiking, the plant should
get a few weeks of a range of temps from day time to night time of about
10-15 degrees.

Have you repotted this plant yet? What kind of medium is it in? (Sorry for
the preposition at the end!)

Diana

"Steve Wolstenholme" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 5 Sep 2007 17:59:56 -0500, "Manelli Family"
wrote:

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.

I have lots of flowers on my Phalaenopsis. They are rarely without
flowers. As soon as one stem drops its flowers another stem develops.
They are kept in a window where there is no direct sun. The
temperature never gets above 70F.

Steve


Thank you for all the responses.

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.

Thanks again.

Kate

"Steve Wolstenholme" wrote in message
...

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.

Thanks for the info. I'm using a medium bark orchid mix from Lowe's. So far
so good. I just picked one up by Micacle-Gro and it seems to be finer than
I have ever seen an orchid mix to be.

On Thu, 6 Sep 2007 23:19:43 +0100, "Kate"
wrote:

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!

Kate

I just guess the proportions. In terms of volume the bark chips are
the greatest part while, by weight, it's the garden soil. The
polystyrene bits make the whole mix loose. The roots hold the mix
together rather than the other way around. I try to keep them under
control but sometimes they "climb out" of the pots.

Steve

Kate,

You may have to do some experimentation on the proportions to match the
plants' needs and your growing conditions and watering habits.

You might want to read this:
http://www.firstrays.com/potting_media.htm

--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies. Books, Artwork, and lots of Free Info!


"Kate" wrote in message
...
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!

Kate

"Diana Kulaga" wrote in message
. ..
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.

Diana

"Kate" wrote in message
...

"Diana Kulaga" wrote in message
.. .
Hi, Kate, & welcome!

Sounds like you have a nice, healthy Phal. If (as I assume) we are
talking about a hybrid, then it should begin to spike in the fall. TMF
is correct about the need for a change in temps. To induce spiking, the
plant should get a few weeks of a range of temps from day time to night
time of about 10-15 degrees.

Have you repotted this plant yet? What kind of medium is it in? (Sorry
for the preposition at the end!)

Diana

"Steve Wolstenholme" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 5 Sep 2007 17:59:56 -0500, "Manelli Family"
wrote:

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.

I have lots of flowers on my Phalaenopsis. They are rarely without
flowers. As soon as one stem drops its flowers another stem develops.
They are kept in a window where there is no direct sun. The
temperature never gets above 70F.

Steve


Thank you for all the responses.

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.

Thanks again.

Kate

Thanks for the link, Ray. Some interesting reading there, so I have bookmarked
your site for future reference.
Kate

"Ray B" wrote in message
news:SXaEi.8377$3R5.7821@trnddc05...
Kate,

You may have to do some experimentation on the proportions to match the
plants' needs and your growing conditions and watering habits.

You might want to read this:
http://www.firstrays.com/potting_media.htm

--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies. Books, Artwork, and lots of Free Info!


"Kate" wrote in message
...
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!

Kate

"Diana Kulaga" wrote in message
. ..
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.

Diana

"Kate" wrote in message
...

"Diana Kulaga" wrote in message
.. .
Hi, Kate, & welcome!

Sounds like you have a nice, healthy Phal. If (as I assume) we are talking
about a hybrid, then it should begin to spike in the fall. TMF is correct
about the need for a change in temps. To induce spiking, the plant should
get a few weeks of a range of temps from day time to night time of about
10-15 degrees.

Have you repotted this plant yet? What kind of medium is it in? (Sorry for
the preposition at the end!)

Diana

"Steve Wolstenholme" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 5 Sep 2007 17:59:56 -0500, "Manelli Family"
wrote:

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.

I have lots of flowers on my Phalaenopsis. They are rarely without
flowers. As soon as one stem drops its flowers another stem develops.
They are kept in a window where there is no direct sun. The
temperature never gets above 70F.

Steve


Thank you for all the responses.

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.

Thanks again.

Kate