Julie, you're funny. If I showed, I'd be bummed over this one. Carol, thanks for your thoughts. 2 of the 4 normal-looking buds have opened in the last week or so. For those 4, it was easy to tell there was only one bud on each little stem. Then there was this strange-looking "ball" at the end of the spike. Now that it's opening a bit more, there are 3 buds all bunched up at the very end of the spike. I haven't seen this before, but my experience is limited. I love the pelorics. This is the first blooming for this one, so later bloomings may be more normal. I'll keep you posted. Whitecat8

Hi Mini, I live in a part of California with a climate similar to yours at this time of year--low humidity, day to night temp range (indoors at the window) of 60 to 85. My Phals are in an ESE exposure, and screened from most of their direct morning sun by a semisheer curtain. They get no direct afternoon sun. They have had winter-spring conditions like these for three years and seem to "like" them just fine, so I doubt that your conditions are the direct problem. You have had the plant long enough for it to have made the adjustment from store to its new home. I'm guessing that John (aerides), in his first post above, is correct and the difficulty has to do with the watering of your plant. Knowing when to water is probably the trickiest part of learning to care for a Phal. If one waters too soon, the plant stays wet too long and is subject to rot. If one waters too late (i.e. after the media dries out) the plant selectively economizes, reducing water to some other of its parts, resulting in a desiccated leaf, wilting flowers, or blasted buds. Being at an open window can accelerate the drying of your plant. Since sunlight, temp, and humidity fluctuate, watering once a week will not always be enough, and sometimes it will be too much. The good news is that you can check. If you gently work your finger down about two inches or so into the media and it feels damp, then your Phal does not need water. If it feels barely moist, then it IS time to water. You do not want it to dry out completely, because (as John also pointed out) the flowers or buds will be the first parts to suffer. Some growers can tell if their Phals need water by lifting the pots: if they are light, they need water. But this takes a sensitive touch and a bit of experience to learn. Others use a rounded off skewer buried 2-3 inches into the media. They pull it out, touch the tip to their lip or cheek, and if it is cool or damp they don't water. Both of these are a little too subtle for me, so I use the finger method. This post may be a little too late for the saving of your blooms, but watering technique is something that you will need to keep your Phal healthy after blooming, as well. I hope it will help, and that your next blooms will give you their full complement of three or more months of joy. Sweetcicely

Hi Julie I just got it a couple of days ago, so it may just be having trouble adjusting from where ever it came from to the chilly grocery store to the very hot car to my AC house. I had it where it was getting all day diffused light from a western window, but Richard suggested it might need more light. My options are to put it outside where it can get morning light then dappled shade all day or in my shady 3 season room where it can get morning light and shade the rest of the day. Unfortunately it is very VERY hot here right now - mid to upper 90's so I am concerned it might be too hot in either location I mentioned. I can also leave it near a northern window where it will be indirect light al day. The first bud fell off a few minutes ago and several mroe are looking grim :-( Thanks for any advice you can offer! Alexa Here is a link that might be useful: my orchid thread

Sheila, I would say yes it was the hot wind from how quick it blasted. I've blasted my share and it takes a couple of days usually but mine are all inside. I have 3 equestris, 1 is mounted and all are under flo lights inside and not near windows. I water the mounted every day but skip a day every now and then. He's very different from yours as the leaf span is 3" tip to tip and regularly keeps 3 of them (center of pix below) !!! Bloomed every year for the last 3, first 1, then 2, this year 3 blooms !! Not much of a sequential bloomer, the mounted one ! His tiny (3 years, 4.5" pot) mother plant puts out at least 3 spikes and is short term sequential with them. She's a keiki freak and just started another. My equestris 'Riverbend' just did a year long sequential bloom, took a month off while putting up a new spike and is right now busy sequentialling (?) again !! I think you did right bringing yours inside but you changed the environment again after only a short time. Pick one and let it settle down and adjust to it and you should be alright, but not necessarily with this spike. upper left background = P. bastianii, left lower = Den. Peng Seng, left mounted = Dinema polybulbon, upper background = P. equestris 'Hana Nguyen' AM/AOS (mother plant), foreground mounted = P. equestris 'H.N.' AM/AOS, background = Leptotes bicolor, far right = P. Penang Girl 'Ching Ruey' HTH, Chryss