Will it flower?
I am quietly thrilled with the plant above. “Why?” I hear you ask, “It is but a small orchid with no flower!” “But look at the small shoot that has appeared between the leaves and is growing rapidly upwards – it could be a new flower shoot”.
I have never ever managed to re-flower a Moth Orchid, it’s just one if those challenges I have failed at and the plants generally end up on the compost bin. I stopped bothering buying them as I was so fed up but back in the spring I was tempted to have another go. Surely it can’t be that hard, my aunt has one that never seems to stop flowering and she says she ignores it most of the time.
Then back in May when I visited OurGarden@19 I was reminded that Irene is a whizz with orchids and has quite a display. She kindly gave me some tips about feeding them regularly and watering and that I should cut the flower stem when the flowers have finished down by 3 nodes. I have failed with this last instruction as each of the 4 plants I have seem to have finished flowering and within a short period the stems go dry and brittle. Maybe I am leaving it too long and need to cut it down before there are no flowers left. But I have been feeding the orchids and there have been new leaves on all of them and now this shoot so fingers crossed.
It definitely looks like a flower shoot to me. Congrats on your success! I’ve been really lucky with leaving them out during the summer in a shady spot and occasionally watering and feeding when I remember. They almost always flower. Love them!
Caroline
Hi Caroline
That’s interesting as I put a Christmas cactus outside this summer and it is smothered in flowers. I will try putting the orchids outside next summer
Thanks
I have absolutely no experience with orchids but mine has re-bloomed with no TLC except water and sunlight. I hope yours blooms.
Hi Cathy
I think it also depends on the environment, mine are in the bathroom which is sunny but gets quite humid
Mine is in my family room. It gets direct light.
Looks like a flower shoot to me! That’s awesome can’t wait to see the update 🙂
Hi PS
If it flowers there will be an update, if it doesn’t there won’t
Oh I have a feeling there will be an update 🙂
It does look like a flower stem rather than a root, though I have confused the two before now. We will look forward to the photo in a few weeks.
Hi Annette
Thanks, fingers crossed
Looks like it!
Hi Helen – Coongrats – yes correct don’t cut right down! cherry my land-lady gets hers to flower and also a friend.
Congratulations on your success, isn’t such a grand milestone.
I just recieved my first orchid as a birthday gift. I hope I’m up for the challenge! So excited for yours!
Oh no. Am I the only one left who cannot grow these things? Even outside they wither and die and inside it’s an even faster process. Congratulations on your bloom stalk, I’m looking forward to the update.
oh! Exciting! Can’t wait to see a photo of the flower! The stems grow really quickly don’t they? I have an orchid on the kitchen windowsill which is north facing, but next door neighbour’s wall is white, so it gets plenty of indirect light. It’s flowered lots of times:) Not sure what type of orchid it is though!
Well, now we’re all on tenterhooks! Looking forward to a triumphant post when it flowers…
I am in a similar situation with an apparent flower stem on an orchid I inherited from a gardening friend who passed away. I put it outside and never fed it all summer. Now it is in a sunny room with sheer curtains and I am about to feed it. Do report back to us if it flowers.
Been there. Done that. Dreamed that. Ugh. Failed that.
Irene confirms it is a flowering stem. We look forward to seeing it in flower. I posted some pictures of Irene’s Orchids in February, I think, ‘A Wet Wednesday in Worcestershire’.
I am not an orchid specialist, but that does look hopeful for flowering.
Oh I am more hopeful for mine now, which at least is still alive several months after Mothers Day!
Keep us posted!