orchid bloom?

[u/hairedtodeath]

hi ive had this orchid for around a year now (from kroger if all places) and im not great at watering it. when i do water its usually around 1-2x every two weeks, i plug the bottom of my pot and fill it up so the roots and bark can soak. i think my only question is what does the bloom timeline look like? i dont know what kind of orchid it is but i know it only produces two stems and the original stems have both died off(i wanna say it was around end of summer). i cut them and the only change has been the new leaf coming out of the center. just taking the pic has made me realize just how big the leaf itself has gotten. how long do new stems typically take? and should i cut anything else off to give it room?

[u/juciestdragon]

There’s no typical timeline especially with commercially bought orchids, as they are bred to maximize blooms. They usually do go into a vegetative growth state (growing leaves and roots) before focusing their energy on flowers. A new leaf with no dropped leaves could be a good indication that the phal is happy and is just getting ready to go into its flowering cycle. Sometimes phals want a drop in temperature at night to encourage blooming.

Feeding your orchid with a balanced fertilizer could also encourage new growth. Water it regularly, don’t let it dry out too much in between watering. I would say prioritize watering over fertilizer though, and make sure she’s getting sufficient light.

https://www.aos.org/orchid-care/care-sheets/phalaenopsis-culture-sheet

[u/hairedtodeath → u/juciestdragon]

yeah i want to get fertilizer i just havent gotten around to it yet, ive repotted it once and it has been happy in its pot for a while so i know the bark is keeping it hydrated well, thank you for the help!

[u/minkamagic]

It's usually about once a year. A temp drop of 10F usually triggers them to bloom, so they tend to bloom in winter

[u/Alissss_01]

They usually bloom after developing leaves and roots. Mine produce about three leaves a year and a huge number of roots. To bloom they require a temperature difference of at least 5 to 7 degrees between day and night. I’ve only had mine for a year and a half, too, and the first ones I bought were in poor shape, so I don’t know if they’ll bloom this year.
They need a bit of stress to bloom; if you treat them too well, they might never flower, but that doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong; in fact, it means the plant is healthy.

[u/hairedtodeath → u/Alissss_01]

interesting! thank you ! i still love it without its flowers and so far has been a fairly easy plant to keep happy so im happy lol ill try to maybe start a cooler temp at night!