At the big box stores, they are usually selling Phals that already have flowers. Now I don't know about you, but it seems like almost any minor shock, like a move from one place to the next is enough to get a Phal to drop its buds and sulk sometimes for years.

Ice cubes melting ice cold water down onto the roots? On Phals that have been living outdoors in Florida? Well, maybe in winter on a chilly morning it wouldn't be a shock but otherwise, I can't imagine trying it.

It gets cool enough here, and the days do get short enough to make them spike naturally anyway. I hardly water my Phals in the cooler times.

Hi again, I was looking around for my answer but thought why not ask the experts
Is this new little growth a new leaf and there are fat little areas on the stems? Is that what they are called?
Do they repeat their blooms that fast or does it take a long time from beginning bud to bloom
Is now a good time to repot ? Can you tell from the pic if everything looks in order?
I can't tell you how tickled I am, this is a plant I never thought I could grow
I have restrained from buying more, if the 2 given to me survive a year (July) look out !

Uh, oh, orchid addiction is in your future, Jolana! We will enable you all we can.

Your Phal looks very healthy and that's a nice new little leaf you've got there. The medium it's potted in looks like chunky bark mix so that is also fine. I wouldn't worry about re-potting it until maybe the fall. It may yet put up more bloom spikes.

Two thing to think about, though. When you do re-pot, be sure to place the plant with the crown facing sideways, not up as it is now. These plants are terribly prone to crown rot from having water sit in the 'cup' of the leaves. In nature they grow with the leaves hanging downwards, on the trunks and branches of trees. So the rain wets them but runs out of the crown. The flowers are also meant to cascade downwards, not stand straight up as you see them sold. (I think the growers do that so they can cram more plants into a box) If you think you might put your plant outside under a tree for the summer, be sure to place it with the pot on a slant so that the leaf cup drains, too!

Second thing to always be aware of is making sure there is good air circulation to the roots. I see that your plant is in a plastic pot, inside a ceramic pot. But right now it has lots of roots on the surface getting air, so that is good. When you go to re-pot, be sure to put it into a pot with lots of holes in the sides for air. These plants will also stick roots out over the sides of the pot, and just randomly up into the air. This is a good thing, so don't worry that these roots need to be down in the pot. Orchids are epiphytes and feed and collect water from the air, rain, dew, and stuff that falls from the sky as much as from the medium that the roots are anchored in.

Thank you so much, when I saw what I thought was a new leaf, I was giddy
Thanks again

How are the roots farinng that are inside the pot? I was comparing your first photos to this photo and tryig to determine if the surface roots are beginning to show a little ware and tear.

I never advocate repotting for the sake of repotting but, after a year, a close examination of your orchid is in order to make sure its maintaining health.

Daisy

Looking good Jolana! Really love it when Phal manages to make new leaves! New roots, new leaves, more life for the plant! But got to give those roots more air too.

Thank y'all ......again,
The roots look good to me but I'm a beginner
I do talk to it a lot. It is right in front of the kitchen sink so I am by it quite often throughout the day
I tried singing to it a couple of times, but my collie started barking,
I've read so many studies on how much better plants perform when talked to and had music played near them

How long is it usually between bloom times, for this particular orchid?

My Phalaenopsis always bloom either in winter or spring. Many of my orchids will bloom twice a year, and a handful even more often, but I have never than a Phal. bloom more than once. Of course with their flowers opening sequentially, these plants can bloom for 3-4 months and sometimes even longer.

But what they especially like is being next to a sink. I don't know if your singing and talking have encouraged it at all but that sink certainly has.

My Phalaenopsis also bloom on their own schedule once a year. But, the flowers can last for months if the old stalks stay green and push out more buds. If your Phal. was blooming in July, and assuming it had just started, chances are you will see new bloom stalks pushing up in another month or so.

It looks like last year's bloom stalks are still green and healthy. Watch them first as they will be the first to start new buds, then watch the bottom of your plant under or between leaves - that's were new stalks will come from. You may think its a new root at first - sometimes its hard to tell.

Daisy

Oooh, exciting!!. Ken, are you trying to talk me into getting orchids that bloom more? Okay, it worked

Daisy, are you siding with my Collie, "Deacon" ?

Hi Jolana, my Phals usually makes their spikes in late Fall to early Spring. It seems to need to feel a cool down. I don't have to bring it out to feel it, it senses it, since we really soar into the triple digit hot temps here during late Spring to early Fall. Now if it misses that spike forming stage, like what it is doing now, it just makes new roots and leaves, which I really like too, got to get those leaves going.

Yes sometimes it is hard to tell if it is growing a new root or a spike, like what one of my noid Phals is doing right now, just sharing photos of one of them, will let it do its thing, the guessing game stage..but either way I am happy, it means orchid is doing okay

Spread your (orchid) wings, Jolana. There are so many options out there.

way to go Jolana!....in time you will be able to see the difference between the new roots and the spikes...both are great as it means your plant is happy. The spikes are initiated by a cool spell..which for most of us,, means the fall. The spikes kind of look like pale green mittens..where the roots are perfectly smooth and pointed..sometimes they are green and white..I'll have to look through some of my photos to show the difference...but in the meantime enjoy your happy plant and welcome to our fun group here!

@tarev, thank you so much for the pix, that helps a lot

@drdawg, I can feel my wings, my pocketbook will also, I suspect,

@sugarcane, thank you for the info and the welcoming. Hubs told me when I was given this orchid, "okay, you've never had one of those, next year we will be finding room for more"

Thanks again

Jolana, your husband is a keeper.

wholeheartedly! So many times one hears reports of spouses given the Orchid lover a stink eye whenever he /she just looks at an Orchid.

@Ardesia, he is a keeper this week,
@ursula, I never give him the stink eye and we had this convo decades ago
He has his things and I have mine
Granted, mine are more wonderful

Sorry it took so long to reply, this didn't show up on watched thread
It must have been my old phone

@drdawg, IF I was to get an orchid that bloomed more.....
It would be?
Happy Easter

Keep in mind that I am at a disadvantage here, Jolana. It is not the norm to even see my plants bloom. If they are seedlings, I would have to keep one for 3-5 years for them to be mature enough to bloom and generally, because I never have a lot of any variety at a particularly time, I sell out of them long before blooming. The most of any (seedling) variety I will ever purchase is 25 plants. That may sound like a lot of plants, but it is not. When I purchase blooming size plants, I never purchase more than 5 of a particular variety, and again, they typically will be sold before having them bloom. That's just my business model.

Here is a list of plants that did bloom for me and which I have one or perhaps two in my own collection. Occasionally I pick out specific plants to bloom them, but though I call them "In my collection", they are for sale. I need the satisfaction that comes with having an orchid bloom, so that I know I am doing some things right, if that makes any sense.

Check my website for a description of the plants and picture(s) of the flowers of the orchids listed below. They are in no particular order, but if there is something special about the plants/flowers, I will note that:

1. Maxillaria tenuifolia - Called the "Coconut Orchid" because of its coconut-like fragrance.
2. B. nodosa - A compact grower
3. Bnts. Maikai 'Mayumi' - An award-winner and one of my two fastest growing plants. The fragrance of these beautiful flowers intensifies at night. Will often bloom twice a year as it matures.
4. L. superbiens - The species
5. Blc. Mary Jo Mcnerney - A drop-dead gorgeous flower and I have one in bud. This is more of your typical "corsage-type" flower.
6. Sarcoglottis sceptrodes - I call this the "Green Dragon Orchid" because to me at least, the dainty flowers look like dragons. This is the only terrestrial of the bunch and is of the "Jewel Orchid" family, grown as much for their beautiful foliage as for their unusual flowers. These plants are now forming their inflo. and will be in bloom in April/May/June.
7. Den. aggregatum - A compact grower with loads of flowers.
8. Bc. Star Ruby 'Xanadu' - Another with award-winning flowers. This plant is easy to grow and like the 'Mayumi', is a fast, vigorous grower.

There are many folks that watch the "Orchid" forum that grow specimen-size plants. They see lots of flower all the time. They can certainly add to this brief list of plants that bloom well/frequently. The downside is that I may not have the plants that they suggest.

Jolana, if I may suggest - if you are looking for easy Orchids which flower pretty much year around/ produce new growth year around and don't need to mature that new growth to flower - not seasonal,
here are a few:
You might find them easier under their old name though.
Ctna Why Not, (it is now called Guaritonia Why Not), will flower frequently.
Potinara Hoku Gem, (now Bc Hoku Gem) any of the cultivars like 'Freckles' or 'Sunspots' will always be in bloom somewhere on this plant.
Lc or C. Mini Purple, blooms several times through the year, same for
Lc or C Love Knot
These are nice, manageable Cattleya types, not growing out of proportions /will not right away outgrow a window sill. One thing they do need though and that is bright light.

Jolana, some of those orchids on Ken's list do only bloom once a year, like your Phal. The Max. tenuifolia, Den. aggregatum, and Sarcoglottis Sceptroides are once per year bloomers.

But if you want something that blooms more often (but the blooms don't last as long) get one with a B in the species name, like Bc Star Ruby 'Xanadu'. It is one I have, and it has bloomed three times in the last year. Only a couple of flowers at a time, but they are gorgeous. I have a Bl. called 'Yellow Bird' that blooms about every couple of months.

Most of the big Cattleya will bloom at least twice a year, but it takes them a while to get up to speed.

(Ursula and I cross-posted.) I'd like to add also that most of the Brassavola types (that's what the B stands for) also need very bright light - some morning direct sun is good, in fact.