Reasons for Few Flower Spikes on Phalaenopsis Orchids and Methods to Make Them Produce More Spikes
The most frustrating thing about growing Phalaenopsis orchids is waiting eagerly for a long time, only to get one or two flower spikes. I've stepped into plenty of pitfalls myself when growing them, so today I'll analyze the reasons for few flower spikes, and then share a fewlittle tricks for a "spike explosion"!
Why so few spikes? The first"culprit" may be unsuitable temperature. Phalaenopsis is a tropical plant; with daytime25°C or so and nighttime18°C or so, maintaining a day-night temperature difference of10°C, it is only then willing to grow flower spikes. If your home has too much heating in winter, or you keep leaving it on a cold balcony below15°C, the flower buds simply won't wake up!
Insufficient light and fertilizer are also big problems. Many people think Phalaenopsis likes shade, so they keep leaving it in a corner, and as a result it is too"starved" to have the strength to grow flower spikes! Actually, giving it2-3hours of soft, diffused light every day, such as morning or evening sunlight, can help it build up enough energy. Fertilizing is even more crucial; starting in autumn, water once every10days with a phosphorus-potassium fertilizer (such as monopotassium phosphate diluted with water at1:1000), which works much better than ordinary compound fertilizer!
There is also another easily overlooked point-- root health. Phalaenopsis is an aerial-root plant, and if the roots are suffocated or rotted, it has no interest in growing flower spikes at all! If the medium used is too sticky, or you water too frequently, the roots can't breathe, and that definitely won't work. It is recommended to switch to breathable sphagnum moss or bark; before watering, pull back the surface sphagnum, and when it is dry to the point of turning white, water thoroughly, letting the roots "breathe freely."
If you want more flower spikes, besides avoiding the pitfalls, you also have to actively"stimulate" it! The most practical trick is the "temperature difference method": during the day, put the Phalaenopsis in a room at normal room temperature, and at night move it to a place at15-18°C (such as a north-facing balcony), for half a month continuously, simulating the temperature difference of its native environment, and the flower buds will soon emerge.
Pruning also has its particularities. After flowering, don't just throw it away; count2-3nodes down from the spent flowers and cut off the flower stem. This can reduce nutrient consumption and promote the sprouting of new flower spikes. If your Phalaenopsis has thick, strong leaves but simply won't grow flower spikes, you can also try "water deprivation to force flowering": stop watering for about10days, and water again when the leaves become slightly soft. This "sense of crisis" can make it hurry up and grow flower spikes!
In addition, regularly giving the Phalaenopsis"a repot and fresh medium" is also very important. Once every1-2years in spring, give it a change of loose potting medium, and by the way check the roots, cutting off rotted roots and hollow roots, freeing up new growing space for it.
Remember, to grow Phalaenopsis well, you have to figure out its"temperament" to harvest a full pot of flower spikes! Next time you run into the problem of few flower spikes, try these methods, and they will surely turn your Phalaenopsis into a "flowering machine"!