Free-flowering Paphs?

[TyroneGenade]

Hi all,

I was having a conversation with a friend about the wonder of the new, modern free-flowering Catt hybrids and we got to speculating about whether any effort has been made to breed free flowering Paphs.

P. maudiae "The Queen" was mentioned as one plant that would seem to flower freely but I read that the speculation is that it is 3n so likely a dead end for this type of breeding.

If one was to actively set out to breed a free-flowering line of Paphs, what would the approach be. Relying on dumb luck (like The Queen) doesn't seem like much of a strategy. Is there any rationale for the free-flowering nature of modern Catt hybrids?

 

[tnyr5]

What's your idea of "free flowering?"

 

[TyroneGenade]

A good question.

A plant that has no fixed blooming season but will flower whenever the new growth has grown enough to support a flower.

 

[tnyr5]

Most complex lowii-based hybrids are like that. Once they get big, they'll bloom 2-3x a year

 

[Tony]

I would consider modern Maudiae type complex breeding to be exactly what you're asking for. They're fast growing and bloom whenever a growth matures, which can be non-stop on a large plant.

 

[Ray]

I agree with Tony.

The question, it seems, is not which paphs are free-flowering, but which are fastest-growing.

 

[TyroneGenade]

The shift from free-flowering to fastest-growing is a productive change of subject. Maudiae The Queen is supposedly triploid and this could drive faster growth, explaining its more free-flowering habit. But that many complex Maudiae types behave much the same way would speak against triploid genetics which could hinder breeding. The question now would be how to capitalize off these faster growing plants and breed them into non-maudiea-type complexes?

tnyr5, can you give some examples of the lowii crosses you are talking about?

 

[tnyr5]

Hmm, Mount Low, Saint Low, Toni Semple, Berenice...most of em, really. Choice of plant is crucial, too: pick plants that have waited to spike until the next growth is close to mature.

 

[jtrmd]

I would agree on Paph. lowii and Maudiae hybrids. But I did have a Paph. esquireolei that would bloom 2x a year. It was a big many growth plant

 

[Ray]

I would agree on Paph. lowii and Maudiae hybrids. But I did have a Paph. esquireolei that would bloom 2x a year. It was a big many growth plant

"big and many growth" = lots of phytochemical resource production and storage capability, which enhances the growth and flowering of any plant.

 

[big923cattleya]

I look at this as a difficult, if not impossible question. One that might not have an answer.
I feel that if you can provide the basic culture for Paphiopedilums, mainly light and proper moisture, there are many that might fit the bill. But to look for things that flower freely no matter how bad your culture might be. Those plants may prove impossible to find.
Growing indoors under lights and setting up a good watering schedule and the appropriate media, I find Paphiopedilum bellatulum, niveum and concolor to bloom regularly. Paphiopedilum sukhakulii, callosum, and henryanum bloom well for me. But if I don’t water enough or provide too little light, these guys sulk.
There are very few guarantees in orchids in my mind. They need some level of basic care. It is a matter of commitment in one sense. Orchids won’t thrive if you neglect them.
I find Phrag. Andean Fire, Paph. sargentianum, Phrag. Don Wimber to be always in bloom or spike.
Look at Oncidium sphacelatum, that grows and flowers like a weed for me. It seems not to care how I treat it, it flowers. BUT if I get it too shady, or too Sunny, it blooms with fewer flowers, fewer new growth, etc.