When Do Phalaenopsis Orchids Bloom? A Complete Guide to the Latest Blooming Periods
Phalaenopsis is a cut-flower ornamental plant in the orchid family (Orchidaceae), with more than seventy native species, most of which originate in Asia, and it is also distributed in the Philippines, Malaysia, India and other places. It comes in many colors, with graceful flower forms and fragrant blooms, and is a treasure among tropical orchids, long honored with the reputation of “Queen of Orchids”. Now let us take a look together at when Phalaenopsis blooms!
When does Phalaenopsis bloom?
The blooming period of Phalaenopsis is from April to June each year. Phalaenopsis is named for its flower form that looks like a dancing butterfly, and its scientific name, based on the original meaning of the Greek, means “an orchid like a butterfly”. It comes in many colors, and breeders have used precious native species collected from various places for artificial crossing, improving them into various flower colors and flower forms. Various colors such as yellow flowers with red stripes, red spots, red lines, pure yellow, and white flowers with red centers can all be seen at orchid shows everywhere.
How long does the blooming period of Phalaenopsis last?
The blooming period of Phalaenopsis is relatively long, generally around the Spring Festival, and the ornamental period can last as long as 2 to 3 months, blooming once or twice a year. After the flowers wither, the faded flowers must be cut off as early as possible, as this can reduce the consumption of nutrients. If the flower stem is cut off at the 4th to 5th node from the base, it can bloom again after 2 to 3 months. Because growing the flower scape and blooming consumes a large amount of nutrients, it must be given sufficient recovery time. In a home growing environment, it often can bloom only once a year.
Management methods during the blooming period of Phalaenopsis
1. Temperature: During the blooming period of Phalaenopsis, the temperature must be strictly controlled so that it is neither too high nor too low. The optimum temperature is 15-18 degrees C at night and 23-25 degrees C during the day. A sustained low temperature below 14 degrees C can cause bud growth to be hindered and poor development, and can even freeze the sepals, causing the flowers to develop abnormally and completely lose their ornamental value. But too high a temperature (a sustained high temperature above 20 degrees C at night and above 27 degrees C during the day) will accelerate its metabolism, and the blooming period will be greatly shortened.
2. Water: The water required throughout the blooming period of Phalaenopsis is lower than usual. On the premise of not affecting the normal growth of the plant, a somewhat drier medium helps the flower colors to be vivid. The humidity is about right when the medium feels moist to the fingers when pinched, and it must not be too dry or too wet. If the medium is too dry, the leaves will wilt, seriously reducing the overall ornamental value. If the medium is too waterlogged, it will seriously affect bud development, the flowers will be small and lack luster, the petal edges will be scorched yellow, and the whole plant will have no ornamental value.
3. Light: The light intensity required during the blooming period of Phalaenopsis is very different from that of the earlier stage. In the earlier stage, shade and shading are needed, but in this period the shading material must be removed. Strong light intensity helps the flowers to open fully, the internodes of the flower spike to be even, and the flower colors to be vivid. At this time there is no need to increase the light intensity, nor is there any need to follow one fixed, precise light intensity figure.
4. Humidity: Phalaenopsis originally comes from places with high temperature and high humidity, and throughout its entire growth cycle it needs relatively high air humidity, especially in the later stage, when the relative humidity should reach between 80-85%. Relatively high air humidity is beneficial for the flowers to be bright and fully open. The relative humidity should preferably not be lower than 80%; if it is below 60%, the flowers will shrivel and lose their brightness. From noon to afternoon each day, when the air is dry and the sunlight is strong, water should be sprinkled on open ground several times to help increase air humidity and also help lower the temperature.
5. Air: During the blooming period of Phalaenopsis, attention must be paid to the indoor air circulation, allowing the indoor air to exchange with fresh outdoor air, so as to provide Phalaenopsis with enough fresh carbon dioxide. Within a certain space, the more carbon dioxide there is, the more beneficial it is for the flowers to stay open for a long time.
6. Fertilizer: During the blooming period of Phalaenopsis, the plant basically stops growing, or grows only weakly. In this period, fertilizer is basically not needed, and applying too much fertilizer will cause root rot. However, applying a small amount of fertilizer helps flowering and the flower quality is also good, whereas plants that are not fertilized show leggy, hard and brittle flower spikes, excessively long inflorescence internodes, and overly large flowers. Apply a dilute liquid fertilizer once every half day, and the fertilizer ratio should place emphasis on phosphorus and potassium fertilizers.