Paph. philippinense var. laevigatum, what am i doing wrong?

[Stelios]

Last February i got my first few Paphs. I managed to have 2 of them bloom by April. (Paph. Golddollar (primulinum x armeniacum) and Paph. Clair de Lune). My Paph. Peppermint (niveum x adductum var.anitum) came just after it finished blooming so i was sure it would need a year or so to bloom again.

However my Paph. philippinense var. laevigatum came with a second growth starting so i was hoping it would bloom soon. 8 months later, the new growth is the size the older one used to be when recieved and the older growth is having a feaf span of 50cm, double or triple in size in comparison with any of my other paphs.

Still no sheath though. Anyone having experience with this? Is it a species that needs to grow even bigger for it to bloom? Am i doing something wrong that keeps it from blooming for me?

Here's a recent photo of the plant.

[mayres]

I'm certain some paph experts will be along soon to speak on this particular plant, but I have been told by a couple of growers that certan paph species of plants that I have purchased in this size range may take 3-5 years to come into bloom. A true test of patience! Looks nice and healthy though......

[Stelios]

i heard too that some need to get quite bigger to bloom but i can't be sure if this is one of them. I guess we'll have to wait for some experts on paphs. yes it looks quite healthy and when i repoted earlier this month i was surprised by the very long roots. I thought paphs in cultivation have shorter roots but this one was like a cymbidium root system in there. Very long tangled hairy roots. I've put some new medium but i could only take half of the old one out of the roots, i was afraid i would damage it. I am thinking to repot it in a bigger pot after spring so the roots will not be so tightly packed.

[tizzycat]

Selios, I have a Paph. that looks about the same size range as yours (Ferox x primulinum). I bought it over a year ago at my Orchid Society Plant Auction and thought it was never going to flower for me. It now has the beginnings of a spike. I'm sure your will get around to it soon enough.

[Anton]

I have a couple that have jumped a season, and hope they produce either late this year or early next season. One is a Paph primulinum cross, Prime Child.

It is a relatively large plant with spikes in the order of 2 feet tall. But, I am also wondering whether the stress from last year's horrendous heatwaves had a bearing on it too, I would probably say yes.

Hang in there Stelios, not all plants flower every year.

[Ron]

Hi, your plant look like it is of a good size, I have several Paph. philippinenses, most have multi growths and need to be a fair size before flowering. They flower regularly for me but need to mature each gowth well be it flowers.
Hang in there
As for Paph. philippinense var. laevigatum, I have this crosses with Paph rothschildian and they are about 6 years old and by the look of it a few more years before flowering.

My rothschildian x philippinense cross (St Swwithin) flowered the first time this year, Age 9 years and 11 more of the cross to flower yet!
Time and patience is needed!!!! AAAHhhhhhh.
Good luck
Ron

[kmarch]

I have about half a dozen Paph philippinense, some the var. laevigatum, some not. Paph philippinense is quite variable in size. The Cribb description describes the leaves of a mature growth as being as many as 9 and ranging from 20-50cm. It looks like your old growth has 6 leaves so it could be about flowering sie or it ocld have a few leaves to grow yet before it flowers. Paph philippinense does have a tendency to clump as Ron has noted. All of mine (except one that was a bit of a runt) have multiple growths (2+) and have yet to flower for me. These multi-floral paphs take more than a year, usually 2-3 to grow a new growth to flowering size so patience is needed but the reward is worth it! Your plant appears healthy to me. It appears to have large firm healthy looking leaves. The pot looks just the right size. the mix looks good. You commented that you had an abundance of roots. I think you're most likely doing all the right things.

[Stelios]

yes Kevin the roots were like i was repoting a cymbidium and really surprised me.
The older growth also has another new leaf coming so if it needs 9 or so to be mature i can definitely wait a bit longer. Although i would like it to bloom this fall I could wait another year and who knows maybe both growths will flower then.

[kmarch]

Well the 9 number is not an exact thing. Mature growths have up to 9 leaves. They could flower with fewer.