Potting ‘Raisin Pie’ Paphiopedilum Orchid - 4 yrs No Bloom!!

[aliceinwl]

I just want to say that the blooming plant in the photo looks staged. My guess would be that it’s inside a smaller pot that was placed in the decorative pot with the lip obscured by moss for the photo.

I also want to add that although mine only has two fans (I’m envious of your clump), the new fan didn’t spike until it reached the size of the fan that had previously bloomed. All my other maudiae type are the same way. I have one that pushes multiple fans a season, but only the one that reaches full size blooms.

I have summered my maudiae type outside in the past and they did fine, but right now it’s easiest for me to keep them indoors year round. Maybe outside in the summer and a suitable windowsill in the winter will do the trick for yours? I think you just need lower average temperatures, not a huge day night differential.

[BrklynOrchid]

When I recently repotted to add more moss to my bark mix I did notice very few roots and some that were dead. What can I do to improve conditions with roots?

I live in Vermont and it's very cold and dry this time of year. That is why I was thinking this pot with holes might not be the right set up because it always seems dry.

Originally Posted by MrHappyRotter

I don't want to dissuade anyone from trying the temperature drop trick with a reasonable temperature range, sometimes just a change of conditions alone (regardless of whether it's temperature, light, etc) is enough to spur a reluctant plant into blooming, so it's certainly worth a try. I would definitely recommend avoiding a 40 degree (F) temperature differential with this type of paph. While these are usually pretty forgiving plants, that level of temperature change could be stressful and is definitely not necessary.

It's never been my experience that the commonly available Maudiae type mottled leaf Paphs require a significant day/night temperature drop above and beyond what happens naturally indoors for me. Though to clarify, I've never lived some place where indoor temperatures are perfectly constant day and night year round, so it's definitely possible I've just been lucky all this time. If you do have constant indoor temps year round, then perhaps a concerted effort is required.

Specifically, this plant we're looking at in the photo appears to have 1 (perhaps more) mature growth, and several (or more) very young growths. The mature growth looks healthy, but given the age of the new growths, it is likely already beginning its natural decline and probably won't bloom at this stage of development. Given that and assuming I'm seeing things accurately, this plant won't be ready to bloom for awhile unless one or more of the immature new growths decides to spike up, which is something that happens some times.

The growths themselves aren't particularly etiolated (a sure sign the plant isn't receiving enough light), however I would anticipate a 4 year old plant that's growing in acceptable conditions, in good health, and receiving sufficient light to grow and bloom (but perhaps missing a key element like a temperature drop) to be a vigorous clump with at least several mature sized growths. Looking at this single photo, this plant seems to be reasonably healthy, but I'm not seeing much more than a single mature growth and a couple/several new growths. Based on that observation, I think addressing cultural needs, such as boosting the light levels a bit while the new growths develop so the plant has extra energy to invest in blooming once they're mature, is at least as important if not more than providing a temperature drop at night, which hasn't been particularly necessary for the majority of my paphs of this type in my experience.

As for the question of the potting mix, there are a myriad of choices out there (bark, moss, semi-hydro, etc) and the trick is to find what works for you and your growing conditions. However, the choice of substrate, as long as it is appropriate, isn't likely to affect blooming. What would affect blooming would be if the plant doesn't have any healthy roots, so that's also something you should look into. If it doesn't have healthy roots, then it will be reluctant to bloom or it may "stress bloom" and then die because it expended all its energy into flower development.

[aliceinwl]

I have some in loosely packed sphagnum that are doing really well with some styrofoam peanuts on the bottom in clear plastic slotted pots. I give them a good watering when the moss feels just slightly damp. I also have a bunch in various bark mixes that are doing well too (I recently got some of repotme.com’s imperial Paph mix that I’m trying out), but the spagnum is really easy to monitor water levels in and my Paphs don’t have the issues with prolonged moisture in sphagnum that my Phalaenopsis have so I’m inclined to keep using it for some of my Paphs.

I haven’t had a difference in performance between clear and solid plastic pots, but it is nice being able to see the roots in the clear ones, I can also better visually gauge substrate moisture. My pots are less ventilated than yours (clear ones have slotted sides, but the opaque ones have bottom holes only), but if you water more often it might not be an issue. I think in your current pot, it would be easy to gauge moisture by feeling the substrate through one of the ventilation holes.

I try not to let mine dry out completely: I water when they’re approaching dryness but still have some moisture. If you do go with moss, you will need to repot once it starts to break down: within 2 years for me. When the moss is broken down enough to start falling into the peanuts, I repot.

[malteseproverb]

I have had a similar problem with paphs. I have had 5 or more mottled leaf paphs plus one solid green leaf paph in the past maybe 7 years, and I've gotten 3 blooms from all of them TOTAL not counting the blooms I bought them with. The fall temperature drop described occurs naturally in my house, and I've heard "give them more light" but they sit alongside cattleyas, oncidiums, encyclias, phals, etc. that consistently rebloom. Some of them have withered up and died, while the others are constantly putting out new shoots and roots, only for the full size growths to eventually die without blooming.

I've come to realize I tend to underwater my plants in general and that perhaps this has been my issue with paphs. I think the issue is compounded with paphs because I find it especially difficult to tell if paphs need water. Plants with pseudobulbs will tell you immediately what their water requirements are and even phals will show desiccation through limp leaves. I currently have all my paphs in chunky bark in small glazed pots, and they do completely dry out before I water them.

This past summer I tried to water them at least twice a week, and come spring I will repot them in finer media. I will monitor them to see if this has any effect. If I were you I'd try a pot without as many holes and/or increasing the frequency of watering. It may still be possible that in your case they need more sun or a temp drop or something, and maybe in my case too, but for right now I'm trying to eliminate moisture as the cause.

[aliceinwl]

You might want to switch to a sphagnum based mix. These don’t have the issues that my other orchids have in sphagnum. In loosely packed sphagnum it’s really easy to water by feel. You never want them to get crispy dry. As soon as you’re at the barely damp stage or approaching that point, give them a good soaking (it’s fine to saturate the moss). I have most of mine in bark mixes, but I tend to agonize more over watering them than those I have in moss. Your growing conditions and companion orchids make your set-up sound a lot like mine, but my mottled leaf Paphs haven’t had any die back and are reliable annual bloomers.

Originally Posted by malteseproverb

I have had a similar problem with paphs. I have had 5 or more mottled leaf paphs plus one solid green leaf paph in the past maybe 7 years, and I've gotten 3 blooms from all of them TOTAL not counting the blooms I bought them with. The fall temperature drop described occurs naturally in my house, and I've heard "give them more light" but they sit alongside cattleyas, oncidiums, encyclias, phals, etc. that consistently rebloom. Some of them have withered up and died, while the others are constantly putting out new shoots and roots, only for the full size growths to eventually die without blooming.

I've come to realize I tend to underwater my plants in general and that perhaps this has been my issue with paphs. I think the issue is compounded with paphs because I find it especially difficult to tell if paphs need water. Plants with pseudobulbs will tell you immediately what their water requirements are and even phals will show desiccation through limp leaves. I currently have all my paphs in chunky bark in small glazed pots, and they do completely dry out before I water them.

This past summer I tried to water them at least twice a week, and come spring I will repot them in finer media. I will monitor them to see if this has any effect. If I were you I'd try a pot without as many holes and/or increasing the frequency of watering. It may still be possible that in your case they need more sun or a temp drop or something, and maybe in my case too, but for right now I'm trying to eliminate moisture as the cause.

[malteseproverb]

I do like the idea of using sphagnum for the main reason, which you state, that it's easier to gauge how dry it is. This is how I grow my bulbos, which like to be kept moist, but they're also in net pots or pots with lots of holes so I'm still unsure if that would work for my paphs. I have two paphs that are in very fine bark and they seem to be the happiest out of all my paphs, so that was what I was thinking of using. I also have A LOT of very fine orchiata that I got for free and I don't know what else I'm going to do with it. I planted a dendrochilum in this, which also hates drying out at all, and it exploded with growth and is blooming right now. I wonder if the dolomite on orchiata is bad for paphs? I think I could do an experiment and put one of them in sphag, that might be interesting!

[aliceinwl]

I have a couple of Paphs in a very fine orchiata based mix too. I still use skewers as an aid to gauge moisture in their pots. I also look at the bark and when the surface bark looks dry and the bark just below is barely damp, it’s time to water again. Both plants are doing well for me. They’re in clear plastic slotted orchid pots that I have inside a cache pot. For my conditions, soaking them for 5-10 minutes weekly is adequate to maintain moisture.

I have my Paphs in a range of media and pots right now. The size of the Paph, the type of media, the size and type of pot, all factor in terms of watering frequency. Long term I’m waiting to see if a certain mix/set-up pulls ahead. Then, I may try to standardize them so that each plant doesn’t need its own watering schedule. It seems like maintaining moisture levels is the most important factor.

If they get too dry while actively growing the leaves will develop permanent longitudinal wrinkles when they grow out. I had this happen to a some of mine when I’ve gone on vacation and some that I’ve purchased have had them. They still bloomed fine, but this may be something to watch for in your plants too.