Can a Phalaenopsis still bloom after it grows a new offshoot?

Growers of Phalaenopsis orchids have probably all run into this situation: a perfectly healthy pot suddenly sprouts a small green bud next to the roots, plump and round with tiny leaves - this is a new offshoot of the Phalaenopsis. Many people feel both happy and worried when they see this little offshoot, and there is also the question: if a Phalaenopsis has grown an offshoot, can it still bloom this year?

Does a Phalaenopsis actually grow new offshoots? The answer is yes - this is actually an instinct of the Phalaenopsis. Plants all want many offspring, and the Phalaenopsis is no exception. Especially every spring, when the temperature is around 20°C, new offshoots are most likely to emerge near the root crown of the old plant. Last year, with my white Phalaenopsis, after it finished blooming I cut the flower stem, and within two months a small offshoot pushed up beside the roots; at first it was only as big as a fingernail, and now it is almost half as tall as the old plant.

This new offshoot does not just grow randomly - it depends on whether the Phalaenopsis itself is strong enough. If the old plant's roots are plump and white, and its leaves are glossy green, with plenty of nutrients stored up, it is easy for it to produce a new offshoot. Conversely, if the old plant has root rot, and its leaves are yellow and listless, it can barely keep itself alive and certainly has no energy to grow a new offshoot. So if you see a new offshoot, enjoy it quietly first - it means you have been raising it pretty well.

So if it has grown a small offshoot, can it still bloom? This depends on the little offshoot's "appetite." A Phalaenopsis has only so many nutrients; the offshoot wants to grab them to grow its body, and blooming consumes a large amount of nutrients, so the two things are hard to balance at the same time.

But it is not completely impossible for it to bloom. If the offshoot is especially small, with just one or two leaves, and the old plant itself is very sturdy, it may send up a flower stem, only with fewer flowers and a shorter stem. In this case it depends on what you want more: if you want the offshoot to grow up, steel yourself and cut off the flower stem so all the nutrients go to the offshoot; if you want to enjoy the flowers, separate the offshoot and grow it on its own, but you must wait until the offshoot has grown more than 3 aerial roots before dividing it, otherwise it easily dies.

Actually, a Phalaenopsis growing a new offshoot is a good thing - it shows it has strong vitality. When the offshoot grows to about the same size as the old plant, after repotting it can become two pots, which is quite a bargain when you think about it. As for blooming, we can just take it easy: if it does not bloom this year, it will next year, and if you raise it well, maybe after the offshoot grows up it will even bloom into a waterfall of flowers for you.