eugenia
Orchid lover

Posts: 4
Joined: Dec 2011
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RE: How to bloom phalaenopsis orchids at the same time
[quote='scott' pid='162' dateline='1323740399']
Congratulations on having SO MANY Phals! First, not EVERY SINGLE PHAL will or CAN bloom at the exact time, depending, in part on its line of breeding and what species are in the background (which can be very complex in modern hybrids).
That said, there are some simple ways to uniformly bloom many Phalaenopsis plants at once. It has to be with TEMPERATURES and possibly, other stresses (ie less water).
Now, ASSUMING that the plants are MATURE and in good shape (have sufficient stored metabolic energy stored to produce flowers) - usually this means that a new leaf has emerged and hardened off.. or finished growing. This last NEW leaf should be AS LARGE or LARGER than the leaf below it. If the new leaf is SMALLER than the one below it it means the plant(s) are not receiving enough light. Fertilizers are important - Phal are little piggies and they LOVE TO EAT.. so good fertilizer (every watering) with occasional fllushing will provide all the nutrients and nitrogen the plant needs to build cells and photosynthesize well.
How the big growers do it: They DROP the light levels and place the plants into an enclosed room with an air conditioner or chiller unit. For most phals to bloom well, they need a short (no one can agree how long some say a week some say a month.. most agree 10day - 3 weeks) of temperatures in the mid 50's to low 60's at night with warmer temperatures during the day. There are some who insist that the night time low temps are less important than the temperature difference and light.. but this works for most people. REmember - cool at night (NOT below 55 as this can damage them) and at least 15 degrees warner during the day for about 2 weeks.
If the plants are of similar age, maturity, health and breeding.. this should "force" all of them to bloom relatively at the same time. But other conditions can affect how quickly this spike turns into a bloom including temperatures, humidity, light and other factors.
You didn't say WHERE you are growing -- indoors (and under lights or in windows) or in a greenhouse.
If indoors, you can induce blooming by lowering your thermostat to mid 55 to 60 at night and making sure your house gets back up to 70-75 during the day (15 degree min). You can open windows this time of year to help that. then close the windows in the morning. Some people put their phals outside at night and bring back in during the day - making sure each plant is aligned the same way as you took it down (be careful of slugs and snails) but with as many plants as you have that would be difficult.
There ARE bloom booster fertilizers.. but I'm personally not a big fan of them. They force, often at the expense of the health of the plant them to bloom maybe when they're not ready. This is another trick big commercial growers use.
Does that help? If not, ask again and let me know where you're growing. MOST of your phals should start to initiate spikes in the late fall - OCT - December and start to bloom in the Jan - March-April time period. Some, especially species and some with specific breeding will "normally" bloom outside this window.
The big growers force them to bloom anytime by the above methods.
But remember this STRESSES the plant tremendously, often killing it.
Plants that you have purchased from the grocery store, big box stores or discount stores are often young CLONES that are pushed to their very limits and are very stressed. These plants often take a year or two to recover before they will bloom again (if they live).
--scott
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thanks scott for your reply,
I will try your advise by dropping the temperature first, or maybe combination with Bloom Booster.
by the way ,they are growing now in the greenhouse, from the 1000 phals only 350 gives spike
I will let you know the result in few weeks
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| Tuesday, Dec 13, 2011 07:36 AM |
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eugenia
Orchid lover

Posts: 4
Joined: Dec 2011
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RE: How to bloom phalaenopsis orchids
I have another questions for you.
as you know I have now 350 plants phals with spike, do you think I need to give 'daylight' in my green house to stimulate them. I mean so the buds can open almost the same time.
because now i am "stressing" my phals, but i dont know the next step ( how to take care the spike until they give good quality flowers)
I reads your previous advise that I must use bloom boosters to stimulate the spike and after the spike comes out do I need to give any special fertilizer and artificial light (at night) ?
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| Sunday, Dec 18, 2011 07:54 AM |
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eugenia
Orchid lover

Posts: 4
Joined: Dec 2011
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RE: How to bloom phalaenopsis orchids
Hi Scott,
sorry to disturb you again. I have another questions for you.
as you know I have now 350 plants phals with spike, do you think I need to give 'daylight' in my green house to stimulate them. I mean so the buds can open almost the same time.
because now i am "stressing" my phals, but i dont know the next step ( how to take care the spike until they give good quality flowers)
I reads your previous advise that I must use bloom boosters to stimulate the spike and after the spike comes out do I need to give any special fertilizer and artificial light (at night) ?
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| Tuesday, Dec 20, 2011 12:39 PM |
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