Phap Leeanum - Multiple blooms per plant

[rbarata]

I thought this primary hybrid blooms with a single flower per plant but it seems that's not true.
In the pot I have two plants but I noticed they have, at least, 3 sheaths plus two more that also seems to be but as they are still small I cannot be sure.

Some photos bellow (including one from last blooming season)
These plants need to be reppoted but, as I'm lazy (sometimes) I'll wait until the blooms die (considering that they have been lasting for at least 3 months, I'll wait for spring to do it).

[camille1585]

Beautiful Paph! And very well grown. Paphs hate me for some reason, they only flower once every 2-4 years...

Normally there's nothing stopping a Paph from having multiple spikes, as you've seen it depends on the number of growths the plant has.

I always understood that there are Paphs that bloom with one flower per spike, and other types with multiple flowers per spike. In all cases you only get one spike per growth, but more growths per plant = more flowers!

[rbarata]

I suspected that these plants were multipling because I could see several "fans". Maybe this is what's happening.

Paphs hate me for some reason, they only flower once every 2-4 years...

It depends on what Paphs you're talking about...mottled leaves or the others?

[Ray]

Each growth is its own plant and will only bloom once. I see at least 4 in that second photo. Together they make a colony of plants.

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by rbarata

It depends on what Paphs you're talking about...mottled leaves or the others?

Both. My one mottled blooms every 2 years (Paph Pinocchio) and the 2 others are are Noids with plain leaves. One was tentatively identified as being Paph Atlantinet or something very similar, and the other something along the lines of Paph Honey. They both flowered twice in the 7-8 years I've had them!

[rbarata]

I'm sure you know but they have different requirements, especially in temperature.

They are slow growing plants....really, really slow. Once you find the right conditions, that's a plant you can forget about.

[Fairorchids]

This is where Paphs differ from other orchids.

If a Cattleya does not bloom from a new growth within 12 months, it never will.

Paphs can skip blooming for several years if conditions are not to their liking, but the mature growths (fans) never loose the ability to bloom at a later date. When conditions are right, they can then bloom on all unbloomed fans.

[rbarata]

As there are two plants in the pot, at least they're doing the minimum required: one bloom each every year.
It has been like that since I got it, 4 years ago.

[rbarata]

What would be recommended when the repot time comes? Separate the plants? I'm tempted to keep the together.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by rbarata

What would be recommended when the repot time comes? Separate the plants? I'm tempted to keep the together.

Keep it together... the more places for it to grow new fans, the better the display will be. These can be fantastic.