Both statements about a Phalaenopsis needing so many leaves before it blooms is just plain silly! The same is true for Paphiopedilums. The number of leaves just has nothing to do with blooming.
Tara, slippers bloom when they are good and ready! Unfortunately, that is the cold, hard truth.
Proper light is important.
Too much fertilizer can be bad for bud production. Why? Because so many of them produce a single flower on an inflorescence. Too much food can keep them from blooming. A single flower hybrid or species is going to make a single flower by feeding it once every three months. No more. Feeding it more then that can't improve the number of flowers because they make just one.
They for the most part, are rainy season, dry season plants. You keep them well watered all of the time, they may not flower. I water most of my slippers one half as often in the winter then in the summer.
Many of them do not do well in temperatures over 85. They would appreciate good air movement all the time to keep them cooler. This is often referred to as "a dry winter rest'.
And even if you get all of your "ducks in a row", they still may not bloom. Some varieties bloom EASILY but some are down right finicky.
Yours looks good. Patience.
I sincerely hope that I have helped you!
But I've not been able to find the answer to this.
