Several things can be involved when it comes to getting orchids to bloom. The plant has to be old enough. I get many of my plants as plugs, so the are approxomately a yr old when I get them. Some of these will bloom in two years and it will take others three or even four years. That means your plants need to be 3-5 yrs old. Many orchids bloom when days get shorter, and the fewer hours of daylight triggers the sheathing/spiking. Some orchids need to have night temperatures drop down into the 50's to trigger them. These are the fall and winter bloomers. The spring and summer bloomers need just the opposite - longer daylight and warmer night temperatures. It helps to know when your species/variety normally blooms so you can mimic what happens in nature. In any case, you also might want to use a low nitrogen fertilizer 3-4 months before you expect blooming. That stimulates the bloom rather than the foliage. When the plant begins to bloom, switch back to a general purpose fertilizer, and continue with that until switching again to the "blooming" formula. I hope this helps some. Ken
