Mine is inside all the time. They will take it down to 50 degrees outside without any problem. Actually they need exposure to a few cold nights in the fall so they will bloom. I put mine outside for 2 nights when it was 50 degrees and it bloomed! As long as they get bright light I don't see a problem of bringing them inside.

Phal with green spike (no blooms).

Must be heaven to live in Miami and grow Phalaenopsis. Not like here where they are regarded as difficult.
Your only problem might be triggering blooming, most but not all require a bit of a cool down in late autumn/winter to initiate a new blooming spike.
Some detailed information in the link.

Here is a link that might be useful: Blooming Phalaenopsis

Thanks guys.. Yes towards the end of the year it gets a bit cooler, especially at night so my guess is that the drop in temperature will throw a spike. Hopefully!!

I have grown orchids for years, if they are OK leave them alone. I keep mine indoors; in my solarium. They do not need much water so I give them 2 tablespoons water every 2 weeks. They keep their blooms for 4-6 months, only to begin to return 3 months later. They don't like too much direct sun light,mine get 4-5 hours morning sun. fertlize lightly, it can kill. I also have an orchid tree, it is beautiful, it grows in acid soil and needs no care.

janet115, depends on where you live and your growing conditions, pot size, bark/moss, humidity, etc. I have mine in a lean to greenhouse and need to water 4-5" pots every other day during our hot weather. I lost some because I was still watering once a week when the hot weather hit. Learned my lesson, water when they begin to get dry no matter what time of year.

That makes sense. Thanks a lot..

Charles, I live 2 hours north of you. Due to our latitude, we should not give them direct sun. Too strong. Best choice for us on phals is very bright but no direct sun. The further north the more sun they can take. Good luck

Yes I agree, I have them facing west so they do get the hard direct sun, however they are in a corner in my balcony which is shaded and they seem to be happy there. Tomorrow is my watering day, which I have been dilutting about a teaspoon of orchid food, into a gallon of water. I give them a good drink so the excess comes out from the holes in the bottom of my clay pots. So far so good, will keep you all informed on how they do, and send new pics when something new (hopefully a spike), starts to show. Thanks again..

I'm in mid Missouri and here ours start forming spikes late fall and blooming mid winter. I would assume that would be true for you as well but don't have direct experience to confirm that.

Yes I have heard the same. I appreciate the message jbraun. Hopefully they follow your orchids trends. I'm still debating if I can just bring them into my apt with a/c 73 degrees approx during the hours of the night (8 hours). to accelerate the process and then bring them back out early morning. Outside here in Florida (Miami temperatures can reach 95 degrees at this time of the year, so again I don't know if that can shock them.

Charles, we moved to Florida two years ago from NY. Phals spike later in Florida but will bloom around Christmas, or January. A bit later but that is due to the night temps.

Leave them out and when the night temps drop, you will begin to see spikes probably October.

I leave mine outside. We are on the Gulf Coast in Sarasota.

Personally, I would cut off that 1/2 spike and let the plant grow a new leaf. The stronger the plant, the more blooms you will get.

Jane

Thanks Jane...that makes total sense.

it's pink/lilac color and even tho i'm a total foreigner to orchids, from everything i read, i couldn't have picked a better healthier plant. now then -- i live in zone 8 -- el paso -- with HOT HOT HOT sun and extreme UV daily. we also get the kinds of winds that make you understand why the cowboys wore kerchiefs. so i'm guessing the best bet is inside near a window for semi-bright but not direct sun, about 12 hours a day? someone want to help this poor old lady to not let her first moth orchid project die before its time?

i read there's someone on here that waters two tablespoons of water with fertilizer every two weeks. i'd say even tho i've only had mine two days now, that sounds okay. any input from y'all is great. home depot's hugest and healthiest phal, potted in clear plastic inside a nice terra cotta clay pot.

Quite simple really, never, ever put your Phalaenopsis outside. Find that nice spot near a window shaded by a match stick blind or an outside 85% shade-cloth blind or similar. Do not let the plant get too cold during those few snowy winter days and do not over water!
Two Tablespoons of water every two weeks is a bit on the dry side.
Maybe seek more help from local orchid societies.

AC is a bad idea. You can't get it cold enough and the humidity will be too low from the AC. Find a very bright spot with no direct light. In November the temps should drop enough to start the flower process. Jane has got it right. Generally because you live in miami, your best advice will come from those in your zone. That is for all flavors of orchids. The further north you go the more different almost all orchids grow.

Hey Charles I live on the west coast of Florida and I have about 8 phals. I keep mine outside year round on my lanai out of direct sunlight. Every year in late fall (nov-dec for us) when the temps get cooler at night the phals will start to grow new spikes and usually they are in bloom around March - April. At this point your prob best to just let nature take its course and just play the waiting game. I myself do not cut my spikes off until they die and I still have a few stray flowers on my phals today, they will sometimes re - bloom and even sometimes grow new plants off of the spikes so I just leave em be...but that's just me...hope that helps.

Thanks Jimbo,

I have about 7 now all phals like you. They are all growing new roots, and like you say I will let nature take it's course. So did you go through the whole rooting, and new leaf growth? it's a true miracle watching these plants grow. However I am terrified of over watering so I give them a good soak once a week, but I still think they still need more watering per week because of the hot weather (maybe twice). I will post another forum since I have noticed small splits on the leaves towards the tip on the new ones growing. I have read it's because they are dehydrated. I will see what my friends tell me. I am new to this but find the whole process fascinating. Thanks again...

Charles in our climate (south Fl) they could take watering every day. It is all a fine balance between humidity, potting media, growth and light. As you move along and gain experience, you will learn the balance.

If your plants are making roots, leaves, they are growing. They need moisture and fertilizer. If your media is free draining, you can water every day if the mix appears dry.

Your photos show Phals in large bark and they do appear dry. As long as the mix drains, don't worry about watering. You want the growth.

Mine get watered almost every day.

Jane

I agree with jane. What I do with my orchids is spray the surface roots and base of the plant everyday(making sure none gets in the crown) lightly with water , and give em a good soaking when I notice the media is drying up(or put em in the rain). All my phals are in sphag moss though so it is different I know. But yes since yours are in bark more water shouldn't hurt just be careful cause its easy to lose em to root rot which I have done as well...lol

Jejejej you guys are great. Thanks so much for all that great info.

Updated pic taken 5 min ago. although it is at night it shows that the new leaf keeps growing. No signs of new leaves though. any thoughts?

That is normal. Only makes one leaf at a time. The new leaf should be, at least as big as the other leaves. The plant looks a bit wilty and you need to water more. Roots looks good, appears to be green tips.

At least, that's how it appears in the photo.

Jane

You could buy a humidity guage- I found an old one for 50 cents at a yard sale but that was just lucky. With my A/C on it's about 30 and I think it's supposed to be closer to 75.

Yes again I agree with jane with the correct amount of water those wilted leaves should get a little more perk in em I would definitely I crease the amount of times you water it...how often are you watering it? I take a spray bottle and spray mine at the roots (only a few sprays not drenching the plant...enough to wet the roots that are exposed) about every other day then water completely about every week and a half or so...mine seem to do well and love that...hope it helps. Your in Miami I don't think you have any problem with humidity as long as it stays outside...I can relate to the rediculus humidity we have.

I would pull it out of the pot and check the roots for rot. I have about nine Phalaenopsis and two have wilted in the past even when flowering. The problem in both cases was rotten roots. I cut the whole plant stem just above the rotten roots, pull off the wrinkled leaves, dip it into an old bottle of "Roots" and plant it in coarse fir bark. One is recovering nicely but it has taken a year. It had essentially no roots left, just nubbins on the stem. A fairly new one just got the same treatment.

I am no orchid expert but that is what works for me. I probably tend to over water my plants. For the price I paid, I could have thrown them out but I hate to throw out a plant.

This post was edited by BoulderGrower on Sun, Oct 5, 14 at 18:42