Wow this forum rocks!

Thanks Judy, I am going to buy fertilizer at lunch today ;-)

I will begin the two week cool nights period immediately.

Cheers!

Hi, Pink Elephant! The Canadian Orchid Congress has an excellent site with helpful culture notes. The link is below.

I keep wooden skewers in my pots to show how wet the medium is. I water when the skewer is nearly dry. My orchids can also tolerate a lot of light, as long as their leaves don't burn in the direct sun. If the leaves get warm to the touch, move them back a bit; otherwise let them drink in the light. They probably won't burn at this time of year in Canada, but when the sun gets stronger, or if you put it outside in the summer, you need to be more careful.

Also, have a look at the FAQ at the top of the forum page. There are a lot of good tips there.

Here is a link that might be useful: C.O.C. Phalaenopsis Culture

The experts above have given you great advice. I learned for those who posted above. I now have been growing orchids for a year and have 12 of them. .. just to recap..

Your orchid needs the basics: light, humidity, food/water

1. Light: Is your orchid sitting on a windowsill? Orchids need light. They don't need too much light, but they need some. What direction does your window face?

2. Watering/Food: The potting medium that your orchid is in is most likely moss. The moss should always be damp- not bone dry and not constantly soaking wet. Water the moss thoroughly in the sink and allow all the excess water to drain out of the bottom. Then a few days later stick your finger way down as far as possible into the moss. Is it damp? You want to water again BEFORE it completely dries out. As far as food- the general rule is to fertilize "weakly, weekly." Give the orchid fertilizer everytime you water it but give it a very low dose. I use Miracle Grow Bloom Booster.

3. Humidity: Orchids like humidity. If your home is dry (which most are) you will want to buy some kind of cheap round tray (at your local plant/hardware store you can buy a 50 cent clear plant tray) then put large rocks in the tray and put the orchid on top of the rocks. Keep a little bit of water in the tray at all times. (Note: the water should not touch the orchid pot) This way the water will evaporate providing the orchid with humidity.

As far as cutting the spike- this was a good idea. Once you get the above conditions right, it will grow another spike. Good Luck!

~Debbie

anyone have experience growing phals mounted on tree bark ?

You might consider the skewer method as Venividi suggests. Get yourself some skewers from the grocery store and trim them down to fit the pot. Leave the skewer there until you think it needs water, then take it out and touch it to your lips, cheek or the back of your hand. If it's nearly dry or dry, water. If it's wet, don't water. How wet or dry the skewer is before you water depends on the type of orchid. I've used this method for over five years and it's foolproof.

I have cut my stem too short and its dry the leaves are still green I live in a apt and have no window for it. I live in GA and its pretty humid here??

You are heading into Autumn and the cool down might cause the plant to start a new flowering spike.

AOS Phalaenopsis notes in the link might help

.AOS Phalaenopsis notes

My concern is the many roots growing in the pot. Two are growing out the pot. My question is should I cut the off the ones growing and stringy. Are they robbing the plant of nutrients? I have had it for nine months, it bloomed beautifully and now a new spike is almost ten inches tall. The leaves are very healthy and I haven't given it any plant food yet. I would appreciate any information regarding cutting off the suckers.

Never complain about too many roots.That is a good sign. Phalaenopsis have roots that tend to be untidy.

They are not suckers. They are aerial roots. Most orchids have them. DON'T cut roots. It would be like cutting off a couple of your toes.

Yikes! Never cut healthy roots!! That is how these plants grow. They are trying to find a tree trunk to attach to.

Phals need cool nights to flower. Growing indoors can create a problem because your temps stay the same. If you have a cool room or a patio to put the plant, that would help initiate spikes. BTW, 'pink' that old spike will never flower again. The plant will produce a new spike. But you need to water so the moss is not 'crunchy' and the plant needs cool nights. If you can do that your plant will make a new spike (or two) and flower.

Jane

Lisa, you are growing your plant without a window? How can you do that? Plants need sunlight to grow and stay alive.

Michael, I wouldn't suggest mounting a Phal in Connecticut because your house will be very dry from the heat. You could grow it that way but you would have to water it every day and provide humidity to the roots. I grew Phals in NY and I had enough problems growing them in pots with humidifiers running all the time. I could not water every day. If you want to try it with one plant, go for it. But I never recommend it for indoor growers in the NE.

Jane

Jane I have 2 Phal mounted and your right they need to be watered every day. I keep them near the humidifier and they are doing good, its a lot of work growing any orchid mounted in NE.

I know, I tried it.

One thing which worked was to sit the mount inside a clay pot which is inside a plastic pot. I would pour a little water in the bottom to increase humidity around the roots. I found the roots would actually seek the water, but I didn't want that as I was going to put the mounts outside in Summer. It helped when I couldn't water every day and kept the mount damp.

I have a few mounties and bare-root mini-vandas that I have to 'get through' the winter here in Ohio. I find a 1-2 gallon pump sprayer and proper placement to be invaluable. I mist my bare-rooters 2-4 times and all mounties at least 1x per day during the winter. Really tough to keep them 'thriving' when we have the fireplace roaring (< 20% humidity in house)... Thankfully, they go outside and do fine with minimal care from May thru Sept/Oct.

Bob

I'm an orchid newbie too. I have one that flowered, then it died (the flower died). I cut it back a couple "notches" and then I thought it was going to bloom again. Now instead of a bloom, I have a whole new plant on the end of that stem. It has 3 leaves on it already and the largest is about 2-3 inches long. No roots at this time. What do I do with that? Just let it keep growing? Will it eventually root? Or do I need to do something else?

Just leave it until it forms roots at least an inch. Then cut it off the stem and pot it.

It suggests that your main plant might be in trouble. If you want, post a picture and tell us how you are growing it and where you grow it.

Jane

Thank you for the response! It probably isn't getting enough humidity from what I am reading above. I will post a picture today. I had 3 orchids -- all different kinds and I potted all 3 of them together in one pot with orchid potting soil. I have it sitting in a Western facing room that gets lots of light, but it is about 12 feet away from a window. I live in the Denver area, so we have very low humidity. I do have another orchid that is in my East facing window about 2 feet away from the window and it bloomed fine. Then the bloom died, I cut it back and it grew a new bloom and has been blooming again for a couple months now. Is it bad to pot more than one orchid together? They are all different kinds.

I also use an orchid fertilizer and per the instructions is says to use it every other week. It is in a black plastic pot with several holes in the bottom. I pull that out once a week and put it in a bucket of water for an hour or so to water it. Also note it is not the one with the bad leaf. I bought that orchid and it already had the shredded leaf.

Putting three phals in the same pot isn't harmful, and they all look healthy. I cut my spikes all the way down when they're done flowering, but leaving them could result in more flowers on the same stem (rarely as big a show as the initial bloom, which I why I cut mine and wait for a new one next year), or possibly, as you've learned, a keiki or baby orchid.

It looks like your leaves are all hydrated, so your watering habit is working for you. The only suggestion I have is to get that temperature swing in the fall. Maybe wherever it currently lives in your home has too much of an even temperature. If you can move it closer to an open window, or possibly put it out on a covered porch at the end of the summer/early autumn for a few weeks, it will really feel the highs and lows. Then, when you take it back in, you may end up with new spikes.

I have two of these orchids, & have had continuous flowering by only cutting the spike back to the point where the previous flowers started. Choose a spot with a healthy looking joint & snip about 2cm down-stem. The spike then sprouts from this point & voila! more flowers. I have had three lots of flowers from the same spike using this method, but have found that once the spike dies or is cut off completely, it takes a while to grow a new spike. I'm new at growing these, but this is my experience so far. I live on the coast in Australia where our temperature is between 15 & 35 degrees Celsius year round. The plants are in a very bright warm room. I keep the plants moist but well drained. Hope this helps :)

I was given a dendrobium and and having trouble with it. New sprout, but current flowers have fallen off. Help

Jody, you have posted at the end of very long Phalaenopsis Thread. Best to start a new thread with a lit bit more info.

Where you are and where are you growing your Dendrobium.

Does the plant have a name tag?

Need help! I got a beautiful phalaenopsis at work and it's great. I bought one at lowes and it was beautiful. However, it was in a non drainage pot and without thinking, I was watering once a week just Ike I do at work with the plant. But I noticed the soil was so wet I cut back on watering to 2 weeks. Finally, I decided to repot. Coworker said I could save it but even from the start straight from the store I noticed my stem was brown. Now my flowers have fallen off. Two are wilted bit I was told to not pick or cut them but to let them naturally fall off. My problem is the stem. It's brown. The stems from where the flowers bloomed were healthy green but now are wilting and looking dry. The leaves are very healthy and leathery and some of my roots are green. Attached are pics. What should I do? I live in southeast Ga and it sits on the table where it gets indirect sunlight. The nodes don't even look like they are even branching out for new buds.

Plant looks in reasonable condition. Plenty of complete culture notes on the net. Here is one set courtesy of the American Orchid Society.

Phalaenopsis notes

Cut the flowering stem off at the base if it has gone brown!

Now for the eternal question. cut down to a node or not where the stem is green?

It is your decision. Sure it might flower from a node but the flowers will be fewer in number than when a new stem grows from the base.

I give different advice at orchid shows, if the purchaser is buying a cheap bunch of flowers I tell them to cut down to a node. Possible long term orchid growers get different advice i.e when the flowers are spent cut the spike off at the base.

Most but not all Phalaenopsis Hybrids will start to grow a new spike when temperatures drop a little in late Autumn. It takes about 110 days to grow before the first bloom opens.

Well I'll take a better photo of the stem to show you. I'm scared to cut it all he way down but if you think it will grow more flowers then maybe I should. How long will it take for the stem to grow back? I just got another orchid from my mom and it's very healthy and I'm so excited to take care of it. Attached is a photo of hers. She cut the stem down but it's very green. That thing sticking up is actually the leaf. My brother gave this to her in November. I pulled the pot out and the roots are very green and healthy. I'm pleased considering she knew nothing about orchids and didn't want to take care if it anymore.

I say cut the stem. Once a spike starts to turn brown and has no more flowers, I cut it at the base. The only time I cut down to a node is if I see a new branch/buds forming. Yes, it might take a while for a new spike to develop, but if the spike is already brown, it won't grow more flower on it and it might actually slow down the process of developing a new spike.

hello!
I cut three of my phal orchid stems (different plants) one now has a keiki, one has a new spike and the other, still has no new growth (photo attached). I decided to prune the "no growth" spike again, in hopes for a keiki or spike. I pruned it above a lower node. My question; is it possible that this spike will not grow and I will need to prune it all the way to the bottom and just wait for an entirely new spike to grow? If so how long should I wait until I cut 'er down? Thanks!

This thread was started in 2009! Perhaps you might get a better response if you started a new thread. But if you do a search for....Cutting Phalaenopsis Flowering spike, you will find thousands of past threads.

Have a look at the orchids in this link. They are Phalaenopsis grown by Open Class Growers. They do not do this cutting to a node business. Once the flowers start to fade they cut the spike off at the base.

Open Class growers = Not newbies.

So you cut down to a node and the orchid blooms again, the flower count will be down.

Will the cut spike bloom, make a keiki, or do nothing? Genetic makeup of the orchid and which species were used in making the hybrid gives different results

Your orchids look very healthy!

Phalaenopsis Hybrids at an orchid society meeting

thank you thank you thank you !!!! I have become the "orchid lady" at work! LOL- I will check out that link! AND THANK YOU SO MUCH!

My cousin's orchid flowered and she did NOTHING to it. She cut the stem down to the bottom. Never fertilized it, just watered twice a month. Better to under water than over water orchids.

I cut the stem too low.. now all I have are the leaves.... would the stem ever grow back?

mpiaf, did you read the notes in the thread? Where you are is important in getting good advice and the thread is ancient. Maybe start a new thread...

Hi I am in Boston, Massachusetts.

Just cut the spike all the way down and it will grow a new spike or spikes, in the Fall. Don’t worry, your plant will be fine if you read culture notes and give it the proper care.

Jane

I have some plants I've had for years...healthy leaves and roots but they NEVER grow a new spike. I have a couple which rebloom on the old spikes - which is like a miracle to me! I'm on the verge of tossing them the non-performing ones.

Little late to this party it seems!

I feel like I'm the outlier here, but I do not fertilize any of my plants and most are reliable bloomers. It's something I've been meaning to get into, but work and my lifestyle barely leaves time for regular waterings as is.

I have a few phals that have done well for me in my climate zone, being outside from June to September, and now they are on a windowsill. In the summer they were only watered when it rained (which was quite a lot to be honest) and I never fertilized, one even had 6+ hours of direct sun. They are all getting ready to bloom again without much attention.

Moral of the story I guess is that everyone's growing conditions are unique, so find what works for you and your plants and roll with it.

My orchid was dying, all leave died, but there are new roots. I cut the extra dead part and only a bit of stem and 2 roots are left. Will it grow? What should I do to keep it alive? Please help

Nothing! A couple of roots is a good sign, but no leaves doesn't sound good. If you are lucky it might grow a new stem from the base of the plant.

Do some research to find out why all the leaves died, read past threads on this site and complete cultivation notes written for where you live in the world.

any ideas on if this will produce a spike? I cut it very low and I only have these beautiful leaves. Thanks Kellie

My leaves are wilted for almost a year , my orchid is in the bark that was recommended by the plant store. Will it come back?

To get advice, You need to give a bit of information... a pic, where you live in the world, where you are growing the orchid and so on

There are some complete cultivation notes put out by the American Orchid Society and the Canadian Orchid congress that are useful. Also read through all the past comments in this long thread.

ok, thanks, I had thought my pic was included, but I guess it didn’t come through. I live in NJ. My orchid is on a table facing west.

I have the exact same problem. Mine have grown new leaves but not a new stem. Mine also have several very long healthy roots growing outside of the pot.

There is the "problem" of where you are in the world! You have to tell the readers where you are in the world! Also, where you are growing the orchid.

See if you can find some complete cultivation notes written for where you live. For example, if you live in Canada, the notes provided by the Canadian orchid Congress are good!

I am in Denver, Colorado and now this has roots. What do you do now?

You have a keiki that can be potted up on its own.

Here’s a video…

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps2PzjzJrfQ

tj

Thank you! Now I wish I could get spikes and flowers again.

This is my orchid with long roots growing outside of pot. And no new flowering stems. It has grown new leaves and lost one leaf that dried out.

I live in Cleveland Ohio area. Orchid sits on this table in front of a window.

If you have a healthy plant which won't flower, you need to research your plant and learn what you need to do. Phals need good light, need a cool down in the fall.

Please join your local Orchid Society or learn online how to grow this plant.

Your leaves look very dark which suggests the plant is not getting enough light. It needs about 6 weeks of cooler temps in the fall to initiate spikes. Give it stronger light and put it in a cool room. Use lamps if you don't have a window in the cooler room. You want at least a 15 degree temp drop over 6 weeks to spur the plant to flower.

Light and temps are your problem.

Jane

Thanks Jane,

I received it as a gift May 2019 actually. I cut the stem off approximately 6 monthes later after it wasn’t reblooming. I haven’t had a new stem since. The new leaves just sprouted about 2-3 months ago. And the outside roots keeps getting longer and longer. It’s been sitting in this same area since I received it.