Neonfinetia Tamakongo spikes keep aborting, any suggestions?

[camille1585]

U bada, thanks for all that information!

I had indeed read that Tamakongo was an easy grower and bloomer (and why I chose this bean leaf variety), but I didn't realize that this was in relation to bean leaf types in general. So I have learned something important!

I will keep in mind your comments about watering and lighting. Up until May the plants were on a shelf in a south facing window, with led lights to supplement (dreary dutch weather). Late spring/summer sun was too much for them and some were developing red pigmentation, so I moved them outside to bright shade. I will move them slightly so that they get some evening sun as well. As to watering, I have trouble keeping up with it! It's over 30C and dry, so the sphag mounds dry out in under 2 days. I have been afraid of dousing them with the hose even though they are outside. My previous attempt at growing Neos, 6-7 years ago, failed miserably as all died from rot and I don't care to repeat that.

And yes, I have a Shutennou! No spikes this year since it was a 2 growth plant, but it's working on 5 new growths now.

[u bada]

By the way, looked at your flickr page and my god all those blooms and colors, how much more flowers do you have to have?! great growing!

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by u bada

By the way, looked at your flickr page and my god all those blooms and colors, how much more flowers do you have to have?! great growing!

Thanks! Sadly I no longer have most of those orchids, a couple years ago I lost most of my collection to disease. It was something (not virus, I tested) that was being spread by the mealybug infestation I had.

Oh, and one never has enough orchids! I want lots of blooms, all the time. Though I do agree that nothing beats a Neo in the "pretty to look at out of bloom" category. So I may yet change my mind about 'needing' blooms on all of them. (I have the rest of the orchid collection for that)

[u bada]

Sorry to hear that but unfortunately I can relate. It's actually been a bit of a struggle for me for various reasons, of which 1. being heat/dry and managing that, and 2. being mealies and disease probably took hold because of 1. But I have fixed a few things, including water quality and things are doing well now... but all that loss since! it's a bummer huh?

Anyway, I honestly could use more blooms myself but I do love foliage.

Back to neo talk... I can also relate, just found out a couple beans I just got turned out not to be multi growths but single fans stuck together (finally got to repotting them)... talk about 5 years to maybe bloom... I'm sure your tama will bloom before these two will... guess I'll enjoy the foliage!

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by u bada

Back to neo talk... I can also relate, just found out a couple beans I just got turned out not to be multi growths but single fans stuck together (finally got to repotting them)... talk about 5 years to maybe bloom... I'm sure your tama will bloom before these two will... guess I'll enjoy the foliage!

I had the same unpleasant surprise yesterday, though not a bean. My new Kibana arrived potted in moss, and I wanted to repot it Kokedai style. It was 2 single growths potted together. That's less annoying than with a slow maturing bean leaf, and anyway it's exploding with new growth. I had the same issue with my Higashidemiyako last year... Enjoy your foliage!

I also checked on Tamakongo yesterday, fingers crossed, so far the spike is staying green. But not out of the woods yet.

[camille1585]

A little up date on the spike. The good news is that it's still alive. The bad news is that it seems to have stalled. But I'll take a stalled spike over a dead one, it MIGHT wake up again some day! I'm wondering if the intense heat this summer was partly responsible for it since I have 3 other Neos with stalled spikes. They all stopped growing when my living room hit 33C/90F

[u bada]

Saw this earlier and meant to reply sooner... glad the spike is still hanging in there!

It's been hotter than that here for months and it hasn't stalled the few that bloomed for me this year, so may not be heat. The group of neos outside have handled close to 100F/ 37C, although admitted none of those were in spike. The ones on windowsill that bloomed did get up to mid low 90's/ 33-34C without problems.

Think it's just teasing you at this point

Have a kinkujaku spiking again! (bloomed earlier in mid spring, on windowsill)

just a note, I do spritz a fair amount when hot, moss ball still dries by night, and sometimes even water in evening if particularly hot.

[Shoreguy]

During the growing season of mid to late spring and summer into early fall, I do not believe that letting the medium dry out is proper. During winter dormancy it appears to to okay, certainly better than overwatering at that time. Even in the winter, not letting it dry out completely is acceptable if you are not interested in the plant becoming dormant which is not always necessary for blooms the following spring into summer. For that I believe late fall and winter temperature difference between night and day is important.

Also, Tamakongo is not a reliable bloomer, at least for me.

Finally my concern stated in my first posting of this thread still stands, that your plant shows several aborted spikes prior to your acquiring the plant, since most commercial growers know what they are doing (at least we hope so) and therefore that should not have occurred with such regularity. The problem may be the plant and not you.

[camille1585]

After 2 years, it's time to update this thread with some good news. I hung on to my Tamakongo despite the constantly stalling/drying spikes since it's a small plants and I have space for it. This year I watched with bated breath as it started yet a new spike, and to my amazement, it didn't die, and is now very close to flowering! I will never know if it was a cultural issue or if the plant wasn't mature enough. Fingers crossed that it will bloom every year from now on!

I was planning on remossing it, but I think I'll wait until after it has finished blooming.

[EmoryG]

Congrats! This has been quite the bloom in the making.