Hello Blondelle, I am not a moth orchid expert but I never cut the bloom stems to the base of the orchid. I cut it off at the first node that the orchid bloomed. I let it rest for a few months and then fertilize. I have one moth orchid that I removed the entire stem but that waws because it shriveled up. I will have to post pictures of the other two. One is a beutifull white moth with ENORMOUS flowers. I bought it at a Lowe's. The other is a pretty art shade variety that I got at Walmart. It was one of those that had a care tag that said to water with an ice cube. I never do that. I am always afraid that the ice will damage the tender green roots. Anyways that one I forgot to water for a week and the buds shriveled up and fell off. I will photograph it now, and then you can see what I am describing. Then I will photograph it again and show you the blossoms. I am very excited with the large white fowered moth. Two new stems grew off of the old stem and now I have a third one forming! This is the first time it has bloomed since last year when I bought it. I will say that I have 3 diffrent orchid fertilizers and 2 are bloom boosters. The other is a general all purpose fertilizer for year round orchid health. I think when it comes to any plant, there will always be conflicting opinions when it comes to there care. I just do it the way I described because I can get 3-4 months of flowering from each moth orchid. Good luck! I also rescue orchids. One of the three was a clearance orchid from Walmart that looked very sad. I got it for $5.00 and it is really pretty when it blooms. Andrew

My recent experience on this is a little different from jamcm's. While it is true that you may not know how long the flowers have been open, Phal blooms can last up to three months--sometimes more. After noticing in previous blooming cycles that I would lose a bloom or two right after fertilizing, I have stopped all fertilizing while my Phals are in bloom. In addition, two weeks ago, one of my Phals in bloom had three flowers wilt in succession. It was wayyy sooner than I would have normally tested it for needing water, but when I stuck my finger deep into the medium, it was bone dry! Normal watering (no fertilizer) stopped the wilt. I suspect that this Phal (and possibly all Phals) may use water faster, when they are in bloom. Since I don't know this to be true, I'm currently checking more often and recording watering times to test this "theory." Sweetcicely

Hi Matty, Welcome to orchid growing. I'm sure this will not be your only one. Phallies ( as they are popularly known) are one of the most popular beginner's orchids, probably because they are so easy to care for. The most critical factor with them is light. They need plenty but will not tolerate direct sunlight except in the early hours of the day or late evening. Second is temperature; they must be kept warm throughout the year. With both factors in mind, most beginners tend to keep them as houseplants, Choose either a NW or NE facing windowsill so they get weak sunlight for part of the day, Never let temps fall below 15C 60F. If you have to have a sunnier location, shade the plant with net curtains. When you see a new leaf forming fertilize lightly with tomato (high potash) fertilizer. Be patient. As a rule they do not reflower quickly, though see my thread "Frequent flowerers" Good luck - Ian.

winnjoe, they were under a deck in full sun (more or less). The thing I love about these plants is that they thrive on neglect. I hardly every watered it all winter long and it could really use a re-potting but it still bloomed more beautifully than ever. And yes... lots of geraniums all at least three years old (and looking a bit ratty). We had such a lousy summer this year in NE. Rained all June and July and no 90 degree days until last week! I had really planned to get some of my houseplants cleaned up before Fall but I doubt I'll get to all of them BasilB Here is a link that might be useful: My Pond Website