Too many leads - is this a problem for blooming?

[piping plover]

Hello all, feels like a dumb question but do you think too many leads being produced will diminish chances of blooming? I think having more leads creates more opportunities for the entire plant to produce blooms. On the other hand, if the numerous leads are all competing for the same resources, I’m thinking that they will all be diminished from their best potential and none will have enough energy to produce blooms.

I’m desperately trying to get my Brassia Edvah Loo ‘Nishida’ to bloom. In January I divided a huge 30 bulb plant into many smaller pots with a minimum of 3 or 4 bulbs each to make more manageable, one lead plants. I’m lavishing these divisions in light and water. I am frustrated to see that these one lead divisions are now all producing 2 or 3 new leads each and not flowering. Defeating my initial purpose of dividing the larger plant.

I’m thinking about removing any additional leads to focus all resources to only one lead per pot. This will increase chances of disease by cutting, so I think that would create more harm than good.

[estación seca]

My guess would be those divisions aren't big enough to flower yet. I think the leads forming now may flower, perhaps in Spring. Can you give it supplemental lighting in Winter for a longer daylength than you have naturally? Both parent species come from much closer to the Equator than where you live.

[piping plover]

Thank you E.S for the reply. And yes, I have a good light setup and am finding ways of improving it each year . Will be keeping it at 12 -13 hours a day for my orchids. Hopefully the new growths will bloom upon maturing.

I noticed with the light regime over the past few years, that my orchids can now flower any time of the year and completely apart from their normal season.

Originally Posted by estación seca

My guess would be those divisions aren't big enough to flower yet. I think the leads forming now may flower, perhaps in Spring. Can you give it supplemental lighting in Winter for a longer daylength than you have naturally? Both parent species come from much closer to the Equator than where you live.

[estación seca]

I don't think they need more than 10-11 hours of light in winter. They don't get more in habitat unless right on the equator, where it might be near 12 hours. The extra electricity isn't needed, and an excessive winter daylength might prevent flowering in some plants.

[My Green Pets]

Love Brassias, please update when you get spikes.

[piping plover]

Thank you again E.S. for the guidance; Makes sense to me.

Originally Posted by estación seca

I don't think they need more than 10-11 hours of light in winter. They don't get more in habitat unless right on the equator, where it might be near 12 hours. The extra electricity isn't needed, and an excessive winter daylength might prevent flowering in some plants.

[piping plover]

Thank you William. And yes, Will do.

It last bloomed several years ago and was getting so large I needed to divide it. The long stringy sepals were over 11” each so the spidery blooms were about 22” top to bottom. Fascinating to watch the elongated, stringy buds unfurl; unlike any buds I’ve ever seen.

Some photos below with a hammer for scale.

Originally Posted by My Green Pets

Love Brassias, please update when you get spikes.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by piping plover

Hello all, feels like a dumb question but do you think too many leads being produced will diminish chances of blooming? I think having more leads creates more opportunities for the entire plant to produce blooms. On the other hand, if the numerous leads are all competing for the same resources, I’m thinking that they will all be diminished from their best potential and none will have enough energy to produce blooms.

Actually, the opposite is true: a larger plant will gather, produce, and store more phytochemical resources, so will grow faster and bloom better.

[FranningtonBear]

Originally Posted by estación seca

My guess would be those divisions aren't big enough to flower yet. I think the leads forming now may flower

This was my thought too and what I have experienced with divisions.