95% chance it will continue. However on occasion a change in environments can force a plant to blast/kill off the spike. However, phals are much less sensitive than others. I was in love with Laelia anceps, but it always spikes this time of year. For me, bringing them back inside ALWAYS killed the spike. But I couldn't leave it outside because the cold would get it before the flowers appeared. For this reason I gave up on this species. Phals, this has never really been an issue for me.

At 10" an oncid has enough energy to complete the job without being in the light. As long as you keep the plant in the same position with the spike near 1 light source (window, light) the buds should remain in orientation. For phals you can usually orient them so they have enough room to grow up and past the lights. Since phals take a few months to bloom I get a single cfl and place it at the leaves in a window. The buds will climb towards the window light and the plant will remain light. Clara

Hi Bill :-) There is indeed a (remote) chance that plantlets may develop at those leaf axils. It rarely occurs by itself though. Some people use keiki paste to induce a plantlet to grow there. But that's pretty advanced and the paste is expensive, so it's usually not done on a supermarket rescue.... You can cut off the bloom stalks, crop them to about 1/2" below the little leaves and plant them like you would a leaf for propagation (put it in your propagation medium down to the two little leaves). Like the keiki paste, this is a way to propagate/multiply chimeras and other varieties that do not come true from leaf often. Maybe overkill, but certainly a good experiment or test run for future application :-) Karin

There is no simple answer to this as it depends on environment and so many other variables. This person is growing in NY. Her plant needs to survive the winter indoors with low humidity. Orchid roots cannot stay wet. The mix has to fit the environment. The pot size needs to fit the environment. Bark soaks in the water. If watered too frequently it never dries out. The roots stay wet and air is blocked. If you want to overpot, you need to use a large bark mix, something which allows the air to flow through. But during winter some sphag should be mixed in to prevent the roots from drying out. Many new growers tend to over-water and in a large pot the bark, as James explained, does not dry out. The roots will start dying and the plant might send out aerial roots into the air. In a dry environment, those roots will dry out. The safest way to prevent all these hypothetical situations is to underpot. Water when the bark feels almost dry and the plant will thrive. I have grown Phals in NY for many years and now in Florida. Florida is a totally different culture. High heat, high humidity. New York, warm summers, cold winters indoors, very low humidity. I would recommend 'Summerlee' repot after flowering in a pot that is not too big. Give it some protection by covering the surface of the bark with a thin layer of sphag moss during winter and only water when 'almost dry.' Jane