Orchids

Success?

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New Spikes On three Orchids

Middle of September I wrote about putting 20 Phalaenopsis out on my balcony to experience cooler nights. With the exception of the night I brought them inside to avoid damage from Hurricane Fiona, they were out a total of 15 nights where temperates were below 15°C – my hope was this would encourage these dormant plants to sent up shoots.

Looks like I may have succeeded. I was watering the plants yesterday, looking closely to see if there was any sign of spikes, although not expecting results yet, only to discover four plants have started a flower spike. Fingers crossed more will show signs of flowering over the next months or so.

There are several with new leaves and there are new aerial roots beginning on some, but definitely four have the start of a flower spike. I’m quite delighted. I have no idea what colour these blooms will be but I’m happy with whatever shows up. This is a slow process – there won’t be flowers for at least a couple of months as the spikes develop. It’s fun watching the new growth come along.

Phalaenopsis

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It’s that time of year when nights are cool, but not yet cold, to put your dormant phalaenopsis orchids outdoors so they can experience a noticeable nighttime temperature drop for a couple of weeks. The stuff I’ve read says the cool nighttime temperature (anywhere from 10-15/18 C) persuades the plants the season is changing and it’s time to flower again.

I have 20 dormant orchids – I placed them in two large tubs and put them out on my balcony five days ago. I missed this cool period last year and the temperature on my window ledge wasn’t cold enough so I had but a couple of spikes form. This year I think I’ve timed it right and, fingers crossed, I’m hoping for maybe 15 (could I be lucky and all will spike?) of the plants to create spikes. I plan on leaving them outdoors for at least two weeks (weather permitting and so far it’s looking promising).

The plants are healthy in spite of my benign neglect – however, I’m going to feed them judiciously as well as soon as I bring them in, in the hope that will further encourage them to bloom.

The process is slow – I don’t expect to see spikes until February/March.

Phalaenopsis In Bloom (last winter)

Wouldn’t it be nice if I were to get 5-8 blooms from each spike?

Here is some helpful info if you want to experiment with your orchids.

Orchids Blooming in my Bedroom

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I always have a couple of phalaenopsis in bloom in my bedroom (that’s in addition to all the orchids in my living room). At the moment I have three plants in bloom – they cheer my day. They’re there to greet me when I wake. When one is finished blooming, I swap it out for another in bloom. During the winter I often have to buy a new plant that’s starting to bloom because all of my other phalaenopsis are hibernating, waiting for the days to get noticeably longer when they send up new flower spikes. I love having them around.IMG_3008 IMG_3009 IMG_3006

Orchids

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I was watching the Men’s Double Tennis Match (Wimbledon) when I noticed the orchids on my dresser in my bedroom (which is where my TV is located). All three are in bloom and the flowers are looking wonderful:

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DSCF2690They’ve been in bloom now for a couple of weeks – I expect them to continue blooming for another couple of months. When they’re finished they go into another room and I bring out some more that are in bloom. So there are always orchids in bloom in my bedroom! Even in the winter.

 

Contrast

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Notice the juxtaposition of the orchid in my livingroom and the snow outside! That’s winter in Canada for you.

I have four Phaels in bloom and I was taking pictures this morning when I discovered this one – with the snow in the backrgound. Mid-February – it won’t be long before the snow begins to disappear and then soon there will be flowers in my outdoor deck garden again.

New Orchid

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The Phalaenopsis  in my bedroom finally dropped it’s flowers last week – I love having these plants around because the blooms last 4-5 months and require little care aside from a drop of water each week. The orchids in my local superstore were on sale so I picked up a new one:

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The soft mottling on the large petals and sepals offered a nice contrast to the deep red labellum – and the fact that there are still a lot of blooms to come out. This plant will provide me pleasure for the next 5 months, for sure.

Phaelanopsis

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Walking by the orchid display at the supermarket this morning and saw this unusually colored Phaelanopsis. I have white and purple ones, some a few pale yellow, peach, but nothing in this shade. I just had to add it to my collection.

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