BellaOnline Forums Home and Garden Orchids Making Orchids Bloom

I have a lovely little room in my home for orchids. It has a humidifier and light fixture (flourescent type). The tempreature stays about 80-85 degrees all day and about 75 during the night. The humidity is about 70 percent.

I have many orchids and they never bloom. I have gotten a phalenopsis and something like an oncidium to bloom and that's about it. I don't think I've had more than 5 blooms from my orchids in 3 years. I buy them blooming, but they never repeat for me. I fertilize about once a week or less.

Any ideas of what I might do to improve this situation? I have great looking plants but no blooms.

Judy, you did not mention what kind of orchids you had purchased that were not reblooming. As a general rule of thumb though, most orchids that are not blooming need more light than they are currently getting. It sounds like you have a wonderful setup...did you follow some kind of directions when you set up the lighting system?

Most of the time if a orchid does not flower it needs more light.

If your phaleanopsis orchids are not reblooming, they might need a few weeks of 60 degree nights. I also treat them to a soak in the sink once a month, pots submerged to the rim in tepid water for a half hour with one to two tablespoons of epsom salts and 1/4 teaspoon orchid fertilizer (per gallon of water) added to the water. Mine don't receive supplemental lighting, just bright east light (no direct sunlight).

I just started feeding my orchids Better Gro Orchid Bloom Booster in place of my usual fertilizer. I stick to the same rule of feeding 'weekly weakly'. I switched in the beginning of November and buds grew not long afterwards. One of my phalaenopsis just grew a new spike just below where I made the cut from the last set of blooms. I hope this helps, good luck!

I agree with Susan and Ipoore. Your Phal may need a couple of months of cooler temp in order to get them to develop spike and yes, they need bright light. Although the phal don't need light as bright as cattleya or dendrobium needs. One more thing, NO direct sunlight, or they'll burn. Good luck.

I would lower the temps in the room. Alot of orchids need a low night temp to initial a spike. Also, what is good for one orchid may not be for another. For example, phalaenopsis need low light and high humidity. Cattleyas need light light and need to dry out between waterings. You didn't mention how the root systems are or if they have been infected with any pests? Sometime pests & poor root systems are the reason plants kind of stall.
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You did not mention if you changed the light patern with the changing seasons. Along with more light on the non-bloomers I would also sudgest changing the day to night ratio as the seasons change. Some Cattleya species require the longer nights to initiate blooms. I would change it with the seasons outside. Some orchids can be forced into spike by keeping them in total darkness for 14 hours a day. I heard of this trick done to a non-blooming Catt and it set 15 spikes. So along with more light I would drop temps a little morea t night down to say 60 and then also change the day night ration as well.

Josh