I am growing an unidentified Papilionanthe teres. It was given to me by a friend who just yanked it from the frame of his shadehouse and handed it to me.
I chose to loosely mount my plant on a large piece of fallen wood. I read an article describing their love for boggy/wet surroundings and it also stated that they'd never bloom without several hours of high sunlight. I couldn't provide the bog, so to supplement moisture I draped live spanish moss around the mount. I water her at least twice a day, and more so during the heat of summer. Initially her leaves were too dark so over the course of a few months I slowly acclimated the plant to receive full SW sun exposure and suspended her from the outer entrance of my shadehouse. By Fall she had grown a few new leaves and numerous new 18 to 24 inch roots. I protect her from cold and bring her indoors whenever the temperature drops below 48 degrees.
Her previous owner had grown the plant unattended for a long time and could not recall any details about her blooms. It could be that she never flowered for him due to the shady environment he'd provided. She hasn't spiked for me yet, but she looks happy. Maybe I'll get a spike this Spring.
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