i bought a baby phalaenopsis orchid in the first stages of flowering the leaves fell off and would not reflower so i repotted it in a larger pot with charcole medium and placed the stem close to the pot wall as research told me too. the base leaves are green and firm but still no flowering (3 months) have even put the orchid outside at night for temperture change(live in south florida has been getting cold at night) any suggestions, also how fast do roots on this type of orchid grow. thx david
I don't know much about orchids but given that you have repoted it etc. maybe it's getting it's act together to do the flowering in it's next season. Not sure if the flower continualy but I doubt it. So maybe a little more time and leave it in one suitable place. In real life they don't travel to the best spot :) you need to provide it and probably wait a bit longer. The base leaves sound promising. May be an orchid guru will see your note and help. Found this in Wikepedia "Phalaenopsis shows a monopodial growth habit. An erect growing rhizome produces from the top one or two alternate, thick and fleshy, elliptical leaves a year. The older, basal leaves drop off at the same rate. The plant retains in this way four to five leaves. If very healthy, they can have up to ten or more leaves. They have no pseudobulbs. The raceme appears from the stem between the leaves. They bloom in their full glory for several weeks. If kept in the home, they usually last two to three months, which is considered quite a long time." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phalaenopsis http://www.fivedockorchids.com/phalaenopsis.html http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1866590.htm Liz
