Stanhopea Nigroviolacea No Blooms

[Manfred Busche]

Hello there, I would like to contribute to the discussion as follows :

(1) Any adult Stanhopea plant should per year flower once (1x) plus produce 1 leaf or 2 leaves.
.....We, the Stanhopea enthusiasts, should manage the plant insightful to achieve this target.
........Means of Management:
(1.1) Light + Water + Minerals (N=32), when the plant has decided to grow a leaf ;
(1.2) Light + Water + Minerals (P=50), when the plant has decided to grow a spike;
(1.3) Light + Water (sparingly), when the plant has decided to be dormant - !! no minerals !!
(1.4) Fertilise 400 ppm every 3 days - !! do not during Dormancy!!
(1.5) No organic Fertiliser.
(1.6) Re-basket the plant every 2 years to renew compost,
.......and divide the plant(!) when it has accumulated, say, 10 bulbs / 6 leaves.

(2) Why do all Stanhopea plants have bulbs?
.....To survive a Dry Season, often a matter of Life or Death for the plant,
.....and to kick-start a new leaf shoot or a spike or both at the end of the Dry Season when
.....the rains begin to pour down anew.
.....What the plant does or ceases to do during it's Dry Season Dormancy, is not yet fully understood,
.....but is most probably established in it's genes (Marilyn Light, Ottawa).

>>>If in cultivation the plant is being deprived of an incident it was in nature exposed to once a year
.....and is genetically equipped to cope with (the Dry Season),
.....then the plant may be pushed into becoming what I call a VEGETATOR , i.e.
.....it grows and grows vegetation - but does not flower...

(3) A 72-years-old Stanhopea does at no time ever lose it's vigor because the plant continually
.....grows new leaves, roots and bulbs, thus every year re-juvenating itself...
.....An aging presidential candidate however is vigorous no more at 72 !! - hence vote for Obama...

(4) Further Reading :
.....You might look up other posts I have placed on these pages, to gain an insight into the cultivation
.....of Stanhopea plants that flower every 1 year, not every 3 years...