Some phals need a drop in night temps of 10*F or so to trigger flowering. I summer mine on a porch with no direct sun and bring it in when night temps dip below 40 F. Watering with ice cubes is iffy but it seems to work for you so I’ll not knock success.

tj

Dazed, are the two (almost vertical) green "spikes" on each side of the plant the stakes you used to tie up the bloom spikes, or, are they the "bloom spikes you cut off? Its hard to tell from your photo.

Bill

Bill, they look like the stakes from the original flowers.

Dazed, it can take an orchid awhile to bloom again. As tsugajunkie said some need a night drop to trigger flowering. And they need a lot of light. But if it has all that and it still isn't flowering it likely needs time. You say that it's been 3 months, I know my big orchid usually rests for 9 months before blooming again. (I say usually but this orchid has been in constant bloom, producing new spikes as soon as the old ones die, for about 18 months now. Not sure why. So it can happen that an orchid keeps producing spikes, but the orchid doing that is also an older orchid and very large.)

Bill: the stakes you see in the photo were used to tie stalks.

Jane: i live in Northern NJ in Jersey City. the plant receives filtered sunlight and its placed next to a window, but it does not receive much sunlight. i place 4 ice cubes in the potting medium once a week. I am watering this way according to the instructions that came with it. Which method do you recommend for watering? As for repotting, did you mean a larger pot that is not ceramic? Does it need a fertilizer?

I live in a high rise and the temperature is cool throughout the day, around 70 degrees. No nighttime dip in temperature.

What direction does your window face? Phalaenopsis orchids like quite a bit of light, so they'll do best with a west, east, or south facing window.

Personally, I would take the orchid out of the non-draining decorative pot. They tend to collect water and trap moisture around the roots causing root rot. You want a pot that has drainage. They make orchid pots with slots in the side allowing airflow, or you can use a bark orchid mix and a decent terra cotta pot with a good drainage hole. For watering, you can take the orchid to a sink and water it until water runs out the drainage hole about once a week. Or, my preferred, I get a decent sized drainage tray, maybe 2-3x the normal size for my pot, fill it with big rocks, and set the pot on the rocks. Then water over the whole surface of the medium and let the water drain over the rocks in the tray. Gives the orchid a bit more humidity as it evaporatez while not allowing the roots to sit in water. Hope this helps.

Bonsai,

my window is roughly facing southwest. i will water as you recommended. ive seen another person using that method, i I.e. placing under running water untilthe water comes out of the drainage hole. im just nervous about overwatering. We will not get much sunlight here in Northeast NJ as Fall is coming up. i dont know if i should get a glo light. i will also have to get a terracato pot. the pot will be bigger than the cermamic pot its in now. can you tell me how to fill the extra space? Thanks!

Can i use a 30 watt led flood light since the plant doesnt get sunlight?

Southwest should be fine for light for an orchid. As for adding a grow light, it is really up to you. You may get a few more blooms, but the electricity may not be worth it. I grew orchids for several years in a southwestern window without them and they rebloomed, and I know of others who have done the same, so it is really personal preference. When you get the new pot, make sure it isn't too much bigger than your current pot. It shouldn't have a bunch of extra space.

As for medium, and overwatering, so long as you are using a loose and well draining medium such as an orchid bark, (others use lava rock or expanded clay pebbles as they don't break down), you won't get too much water retained by the medium. You water deeply, let it drain, then don't water again until the medium dries out. Water this way and you shouldn't have any problems with overwatering. Others may have more to suggest, but that's my observation for now.

I’m not sure if this is a stalk or leaf. Right in the center. comments appreciated!

Hard to tell what you are referring to in the photo. I see a new leaf starting from the center of the plant, the flower stalk would be under the leaves.

James_J: yes it is right in the middle. i thought it may be a new leaf too. I will be super happy if there’s a stalk under the leaf

Usually the orchid will fully grow 2 new leaves before producing a flower stalk (which you would find just below the second leaf from the top on either side.) For tons of orchid advice check out missOrchidGirl on Youtube.

I barely see one new leaf emerging, and that was after a few weeks of receiving the phalaenopsis with 2 stalks and blooms. The new leaf is taking its own time to grow.

In the meanwhile, i chopped up 2 banana peels and soaked them in just enough water to cover. I left it in an airtight container for 2 full days and carefully poured a little of the liquid formed onto the soil medium of the orchid. I thought this would act as a good natural fertilizer to promote growth. I poured a little of the remaining mixture into my jade succulent after feeling the soil for any moisture.

Thoughts?

Orchids are very slow growers… taking what seems like months to grow out a new leaf. if you want blooms now, stop by a trader joes - they have the best deals on orchids. might as well start adding to your collection! Then follow the water “weakly” approach with some 1/4 strength orchid fertilizer. i mix up a gallon and use on all my plants - they all love it. Feed about once a week when roots start turning gray. one week a month I do straight water to flush salt buildup. Hope that helps.