Stanhopea - How many leaves per pbulb? - Orchid Board

rbarata · #1 08-19-2016, 08:53 PM

Hello, my friends

That's my question...in general, how many?
Or it depends on the specie?

estación seca · #2 08-20-2016, 04:02 AM

Stanhopeas frymirei and jenischiana both have one leaf per pseudobulb.

rbarata · #3 08-20-2016, 02:53 PM

Well, this is a Wardii, if the lable is correct. So far it has only one leaf:

I bought some sphagnum moss as well as a 10 cm basket (approx. 3,9 in). It's more or less the same size of the pot in the picture, a litlle smaller. I don't know if this is a big plant and I don't expect it to bloom so I guess it's better to keep it in the pot for at least one more year.

Opinions needed.

Thanks

isurus79 · #4 08-20-2016, 03:54 PM

One leaf per bulb and I would repot into something smaller on the next growth.

rbarata · #5 08-20-2016, 04:15 PM

How is the growing of this plant? The pbulb starts to develop from the leaf base?

estación seca · #6 08-20-2016, 06:22 PM

New growths starts as a pointed shoot from the base of a pseudobulb, down in the medium where you probably won't see it at first.

rbarata · #7 08-20-2016, 06:37 PM

And the next stage? How is the development of a new pbulb?

estación seca · #8 08-20-2016, 06:44 PM

Impatient! LOL

The leaf elongates and unfurls from the still-green sheath as the new pseudobulb fattens. The sheaths around the developing pseudobulb dry up as the leaf reaches full expansion. The pseudobulb continues to fatten until it's satisfied. THEN IT FLOWERS!!!!

rbarata · #9 08-20-2016, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Impatient! LOL

I'm really curious about it... It's new to me and I don't want to lose it due to lack of knowledge.

So, basically, I'll end up having a pbulb at the leaf base, right?

One more question... I assume these pbulbs came from a mature plant. In theory it could give flowers, I think, but I'm not expecting any due to environment adaptation.

What do you think?

estación seca · #10 08-20-2016, 07:56 PM

I think now that you have an actual healthy growth, it should be fairly easy to grow.

They don't like to dry completely during active growth. They grow fast and make a lot of new leads, so they need regular fertilizing.

People grow them in a lot of different media. I don't think pure LECA would be good, because the inflorescences might not be able to push through the beads on the way down. Mine are in sphagnum moss in wood baskets. I need to dunk the entire basket in water every 2 days or it becomes crisp, even in my growing room with 70% relative humidity now.

Yes, there is normally one terminal leaf from the top of a short, wide, fatter-at-the-base-but-rapidly-tapering-to-a-point pseudobulb.

I believe flowers normally come from a freshly-matured growth. My two Stanhopeas have 5 and 6 mature pseudobulbs, all with healthy leaves; I do not think they have bloomed yet. The 6-bulb plant is making 2 new growths, and the 5-bulb plant is making one. I hope to have flowers soon.

Your plant's new growth is much smaller than its previous growths, because it is recovering from the severe injury of being divided into a small piece and thrust into a bag for who-knows-how-long. I would think when your future pseudobulbs are the size of the old ones on your plant now, it will be ready to bloom. Fortunately, these things keep making growths as long as temperature and light are both good.

I don't know how day length affects them. It would be interesting to hear from growers in the north who heat their growing areas but rely on natural light during the winter.