Quote:
Originally Posted by Shadeflower
that is true Ray but you are possibly making it sound like DavTom should provide better care when I think he seems to be doing really well.
Young plants flowering for the first time will never flower as long as an older more mature plant..
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Well…. That certainly wasn’t meant as a criticism of Davide’s cultural practices, but as an observation of the progression of my own! (I may have been growing orchids for 50 years, it that doesn’t mean I don’t know how to do it wrong sometimes!). Davide and I have had enough direct conversations that I expect he understands that.
I’m going to disagree with your second statement, though.
It seems to me that in basic terms, a plant has three primary areas of resource needs - (1) overall health (i.e., staying alive), (2) growth, and (3) reproduction - in that order of priority. Additionally, it’s not just “it has enough” that matters, but I think how easily they can be accumulated also plays a role, as it takes both for the plant to answer the internal question, “can I expend what I have and expect to regain it without putting myself at risk?”.
Everything’s a matter of degree, but consider this scenario: An immature plant simply doesn’t have the mass to store a great deal of expendable resources, so while it might be healthy and growing, the amount available for reproduction
might be marginal. If the growing conditions are favorable, it might risk it, but the flower will likely not be as large as it genetics might allow, and the plant just might not carry it for very long, before the plant “empties the tank”.
In a mature colony, on the other hand, there is a great deal more shared “resource storage capacity”, so the plant can more comfortably afford to grow the blossom and carry it longer in its reproductive efforts.
Hybrid Mode
