Question
Hello.  I have been reading lots of your previous questions and answers.  Very informative!  Now I have a question about some of the phals I have been growing for about a year. They look very healthy with 6 or more leaves each.  The problem is they just keep making more and more (and more!) roots w/o any flower spikes.  Many roots grow down into the bark mix but lots of roots are growing 8+ inches into the air on all sides.  The roots are thick and silver with green tips. I repotted one today and the roots in the medium looked plump and green, not breaking down.  How can I get these orchids to put some energy into flower production instead of leaves and roots? (I water them about once a week-as needed-and fertilize very weakly each time.) Thanks for answering.  

Answer
First, congratulations on well grown plants. It sounds as if you are doing all of the right things.

There are many ideas that have been put forth over the years to help with flower induction.  I have seen phalaenopsis that run the gamut from always flowering to never flowering. One suggestion is to switch to a high phosphate plant food (eg. 10/50/20 or one with a higher middle number) which may play a role in flower induction.  I have seen a recent study, however, that suggests that this popular notion may not be correct-- it is worth a try in either event.  Another possibility, is that the plants may not be geting enough light to flower.  If your leaves are a nice dark green that suggests that the plants may not be getting enough light to flower. A lighter green in the leaves (and even some light red) is indicative of adequate light levels for flowering.  Just don't increase the light level drastically but gradually increase it to allow the plant to adjust. Too much red in the leaf is approaching a point of leaf burn and you want to avoid that extreme.  Many phals do just fine in an east facing window with morning sun.