Adding to Joanna's advice, it is also possible that the plants have been
"forced" into different flowering periods by exposing them to day/night
temperature differences of about 10°F-15°F for about ten days, as that often
kicks phals into spiking.

--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Artwork, Books and Lots of Free Info!


"J Fortuna" wrote in message
news:hkG9f.2557$0d.1639@trnddc03...
Munir,

I too have mostly Phals, and I always have some that are in flower.

This is what I do: I buy additional Phals in flower at different times of
the year, since Phals tend to reflower at approximately the same time each
year, this will help ensure that you have something in flower at different
times -- both because you are always buying something that is in flower,
and
also because when they reflower it will be at different times.

The caveat to this is that vendors can and do cause orchids to flower out
of
season, so just because an orchid is flowering when you buy it, may not be
its natural season after all. The way to solve that, especially during the
summer when fewer Phals are naturally in blooming season is (a) buy from a
good vendor whom you can ask for advice as to which of the Phals he or she
is selling are summer-bloomers; or (b) read up on summer-blooming phal
species, and buy either these species or hybrids that contain them -- for
example for the summer you could buy Dtps that are close to doritis
(including Dtps Kenneth Schubert or Dtps Talitha's Gem, for example), phal
violacea or phal bellina (plus their hybrids), and many yellow Phals are
also summer blooming. Doing a bit of research on which phals are
summer-blooming will turn up more.

Some Phals have longer blooming periods than other Phals, and then having
a
few of those can help ensure that there is something in flower at all
times,
since these orchids can cover most of the year either on their own or two
or
three of them if they bloom for a long time at different times. Again,
either ask a good vendor or do some research on which Phals are longer
blooming.

There are some phals like phal equestris that do not have a set flowering
season, and thus are more likely to reflower at different times of year.

Also mature healthy Phals may well flower twice a year, in both the fall
and
the spring. Adjusting one's environmental conditions to make spiking more
likely in both the fall and the spring (especially providing the night and
day temperature difference) is a good way of trying to get more than one
season out of these Phals.

Mainly however if you just go ahead and buy more Phals, you are much more
likely to have something in bloom all the time with a lot of them than
with
just a few. :-)

Hope this helps.

Best,
Joanna

"Munir" wrote in message
ups.com...
Whatever time of year I visit the store, they sell blooming orchids.
But all mine seem to bloom at the same time. Is there a way for me, by
controlling micro-climates or something, to affect the timing? It would
be great to always have at least one of them flowering.

These are mostly phals, but this topic needn't apply exclusively to
them as I'm considering adding other types to the collection too.

Thanks!

-Munir