How Often do Paphs/Phrags Bloom?

[Nepenthesis]

I received a few phrags recently and I'm about to receive some paphs as well.

I know that some paphs bloom once on a growth and then they're done for that growth. It's probably different for every species, but do they bloom approximately once per year? Or is it even less frequent?

Are phrags the same way or will they continue to bloom on one growth?

[jeremyinsf]

It depends on the plant, and your growing conditions. Some paphs will bloom multiple times a year, especially hybrids. Others seem to bloom more on the clock.

For phrags, many will bloom as soon as the growth is mature. A few have seasons, but most, when grown well, will freely bloom.

Both only shoot one spike per growth. But most phrags are sequential bloomers (multiple flowers on the same spike) and some paphs are too.

slipperorchids.info

What phrags did you get? and what paphs are coming?

[quiltergal]

I also think the frequency of blooming depends on how large a clump of growths you have. In my experience a plant will bloom on a very small growth that does not appear to be nature IF there are lots of other growths to support the plant and the flower. This applies to Paphs as well as Phrags.

[Nepenthesis]

Thanks guys!

Originally Posted by jeremyinsf

What phrags did you get? and what paphs are coming?

What I have now...

- Phrag 'Paul Eugene Conroy'
- Phrag 'Geralda'
- Phrag 'Grande'
- Phrag 'Eric Young'

What is coming...

- Paph rothschildianum 'Raye' x Paph rothschildianum 'Chester Hills' AM/AOS
- Paph moquettianum 'Pine Knot' x self
- Paph sanderianum 'Dark Beauty' x sanderianum 'Newberry Tresses'
- Phrag caudatum var. sanderae x Phrag. Majestic Tresses

(You can kinda guess that I'm obsessed with the long sepals...)

[PaphMadMan]

All Paphs and Phrags get just one spike per growth, though many mature Phrags and especially certain Paphs can bloom for extended periods of time from one spike. Your Paph moquettianum is capable of getting a flower every month or so for a year or more from one spike that continues to elongate. For Phrags and seqential blooming Paphs like moquettianum, never cut a spike until it begins to die back on its own as it might put out more buds or a branch even after some time without growth.

All Paphs and Phrags can bloom from multiple growths a year or even at once on a large mature plant with a branched rhizome growing in more than one direction at a time. Almost all of them can be expected to mature and bloom from at least one new growth a year once they are mature if they are in optimal conditions. A few Paphs can get 2 or 3 new growths a year even if they are growing in just one direction, and bloom as each growth matures.

And... those long dangling parts you are obsessed with are mostly petals, not sepals. In a few Phrags the sepals may dangle somewhat too.

[Love my Orchids]

I have a healthy 4 year old Phrag.Grand that I keep in a south window. It goes outside in the spring - fall. It has never bloomed. I fert with CAL-Mag and Neptune Harvest fish fert alternately. Looking for help to see some blooms.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by Love my Orchids

I have a healthy 4 year old Phrag.Grand that I keep in a south window. It goes outside in the spring - fall. It has never bloomed. I fert with CAL-Mag and Neptune Harvest fish fert alternately. Looking for help to see some blooms.

1) Phrag Grande doesn't need a great deal of light - all of my phrags and paphs are alongside my phals.

2) What is the formula of the cal-mag fertilizer?

3) How often do you feed it?

4) What concentration do you apply of each?

[Optimist]

Originally Posted by Ray

1) Phrag Grande doesn't need a great deal of light - all of my phrags and paphs are alongside my phals.

Really? I am giving them pretty high light. Are you getting blooms? They also do not need much fertilizer. Once or twice a year. I'm following the Ed's Orchids school of phrags, as far as the ferts.

---------- Post added at 07:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:57 PM ----------

Oh, a phap and phrag are sympodial orchids just like Cattleyas. The difference is that Paphiopedilums and Phragmipediums and their allence do not have Pseudo bulbs and their roots are never away from moist "medium." (Phrags take more moisture than Paphs). So the Old growth (oldest fan) will have baby growths which become fans and they have their own new growths. In several years the older growth will put out a flower and then when the flower is spent it will linger around for a few years, but it is actually Kaput-- it is feeding the young ones with its sugar (stored in the leaves). They grow and have their own flowers. The "patch" expands. Many people will divide at some point, or an accident might happen, but growth-wise, you can get quite a large plant with multiple flowers if it goes for long enough. (It is quite similar to the Iris plant).

[Ray]

Originally Posted by Optimist

Really? I am giving them pretty high light. Are you getting blooms? They also do not need much fertilizer. Once or twice a year. I'm following the Ed's Orchids school of phrags, as far as the ferts.

My plants are out on my deck for 7+ months a year. The deck is on the north side of my house, and they are in its shade. Clear overhead sky, but never any direct sunlight. In winter they are in my kitchen, on the opposite side of the windows they’re outside of all summer. They are Low-E windows, so between the reduced sunlight intensity back-scatter and the coatings reduction, I think the winter light level is “survivable”.

I feed all my plants simultaneously, targeting a 100 ppm N flooding once a week, year round. In the summer, when it’s really hot, they might get plain water as often as daily, in-between. They are in S/H culture, so may not need the water, but the phals in more traditional culture often do, and as an EOAO (Equal Opportunity Abuser of Orchids), I just soak everything.

Yes, they bloom. Petite Anquette just finished, Lucky Girl has been ongoing since December, and Sorcerer’s Apprentice is sending up 2 spikes. On the Paph side, venustum finished several weeks ago, a rothschildianum and Yang-Ji Apple are in bloom currently, and I saw a bud forming on Duguesclin yesterday.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by AlexJordan

The blooming frequency of paphiopedilums (paphs) and phragmipediums (phrags) can vary depending on the species and growing conditions.

In general, most paphiopedilums bloom once per growth, and this typically occurs once a year. However, some species may bloom less frequently, while others may bloom more than once per year. For example, Paphiopedilum delenatii can bloom multiple times per year, while Paphiopedilum insigne may only bloom once every two years.

My understanding is that each growth will only put out a maximum of one inflorescence. That can be a single blossom, multiple blossoms, or sequential blossoms, depending upon the genus and species.

How often a plant blooms is dependent upon the intrinsic growth rate of the plant (some are faster than others), coupled with its ability to create and store resources.

Plants have three basic functions, maintenance (staying alive), adding tissue (growth), and reproduction (blooming), with that being the order of priority for resource expenditure.

“Resources” is a general term that incorporates the uptake and storage of water & nutrients and the absorption of photons, resulting in the production of phytochemicals that are the building blocks and fuel for plant life.

The rates of collection/creation and expenditure of resources is partially plant-specific but more generally, is greatly affected by how closely the growing conditions meet the needs of the plant.

For any given plant, the consumption of resources to stay alive is pretty constant on a per-growth basis. A plant with two, equal-sized growths requires twice the resources that a single-growth plant does. A plant that is not growing, but “just sitting there” is likely taking up and producing resources more-or-less equal to what it consumes, having no excess to store. A plant that is losing its yellowing lower leaves is consuming more than it is producing, so must resorb those found within its own tissues.

To grow, the plant must produce “extra” resources. Some of that must be stored in the plant before new growth will be initiated, and more is needed that can be dedicated to adding tissue and keeping the new growth alive. That new growth adds to the resource production through its roots and foliage, helping counter-balance the expenditure of growth.

Blooming and reproduction is similar in the requirement for “stored” resources to initiate and proceed with growth, but consumes a great deal of the plant’s resources without contributing much – yes, green inflorescences photosynthesize, but that’s a relatively small contribution in the overall balance.

The bottom line is that a plant that is bigger, has multiple growths, and is getting the best culture will bloom "better" than those that are smaller, have fewer growths and are "tolerant" of the conditions, rather than thriving in them.