My Orchid is Blooming... in the Dead of winter

saraelizabeth28

I got this orchid 2 summers ago and it bloomed over the summer which was awesome.... I am so bad with orchids.  It was a very humid summer so I figured that was why it did so well.

Well I moved it in for the winter and it has been inside for awhile now.  It gets "some" light, but not a lot.  

Well, I looked at it just now and it is BLOOMING AGAIN!!  I am completely surprised.  I mean I like it.... but how many times does an orchid bloom a year?  Is there an orchid "blooming" season like roses.

I swear this plant is playing mind games with me.... 2 weeks ago it didn't look so hot, now there are 3 very large buds on it.  It is not really warm in here either.... I mean not super cold... but not like summer.

nital

it depends on the type of orchid.  if it's a phalenopsis, they typically put out spikes in the fall and bloom about now.  if it's a big healthy plant, it can easily bloom for the better part of a year.  i currently have cattleyas and dendrobiums in bloom.  they tend not to bloom as long, but they can bloom several times a year.

elviebird

I have a Phalaenopsis on my desk at work and it's blooming now.  I'm happy because it's usually just leaves for most of the year. 

saraelizabeth28

elviebird:

I have a Phalaenopsis on my desk at work and it's blooming now.  I'm happy because it's usually just leaves for most of the year. 

That is just it.... When I first got the orchid it was in bloom... then the blooms went away.... and it was just leaves and leaves and leaves... for like a whole year.... nothing.  Now it's going crazy....  I'm unsure what I did right?

 

nital

phals normally need a cold period to spike, and thus only spike once a year.  you may have bought the plant during summer, but growers can force plants to bloom by fiddling with their greenhouse conditions.

if it's going crazy now, you're doing everything right, just keep doing what you're doing.