i only have two phals one of them has rebloomed,i cut it back to a lower
eye,it grew new leaves then a new flower spike, this within a couple of
months.i have done the same with the other phal ,it has new growth but no
flower spike as yet,this one has been like this for a few months!i would cut
down the fertilizer for a bit ,i was advised not to cut the whole spike back
but only to a lower eye!
some people my say this will exhuast the plant,i say i would prefer to see
blooms than a load of ugly leaves.
"Kevin" wrote in message
om...
OK- first the phals.... I've got 20 or so, and I've only been doing
the orchid thing about 8 months now. Many of them I got when they
were in bloom, and they faded (although I did lop the spike off on all
of them to get a second bloom...) so I cut the spikes back. So now
I'm waiting on my first, and their 2nd+, blooming. I understand that
Phal's are well liked because of their long/many blooming period- so
when do I get some blooms? It's been maybe 4 months or so, and I'm
getting new growth and I've repotted where necessary, but no spikes.
And you can tell me that I'm just being greedy.... If I have to wait,
so be it, but I'm looking for some idea on when I should worry. I'm
sure that surviving through temps way too high (a few 100 deg days,
many 90+) in a MO summer didn't help. Perhaps I'm looking for someone
to tell me that things are OK, they're just mad at the temps and will
repay me with the cooler fall temps....

Also, I have a very basic sort of question about my Dends. I got most
of them from the local Lowe's dead and dying rack and brought 'em
home. Most of them were a withered cane with few leaves, just past
bloom. I brought 'em home, loved them, and all 20+ of them are putting
on new growth like mad- all with new leaves on old canes, and all are
putting up new canes. Even a few kekei's in the mix. The general rule
is that Nobile Dends do not need the dry period, right? So I should
stop watering most of mine (hybrids) and start again when I see flower
buds? It has been amazing to see plants that looked like kindling
burst forth with new growth.... And now I'm not supposed to water
them?!?

Thanks to all the group- you've been more help than you can
imagine....

kevin