Hiroki Tanaka

[Happypaphy7]

This is a primary hybrid between armeniacum and wenshanense.
I bought two small seedling from Cloud's Orchids a few years ago. One seedling was weak and died along the way. This one was slow but steady, and finally a flower!!
I wasn't sure about the flower when the bud began to open while being quite small.
I gave a good soaking and to my surprise, it opened up very wide overnight!
It is beautiful and very big (slightly over 12cm). The thing is the flower is still facing down.
So, unless I lift the pot up and look from down, I see the back of the flower. haha

The pouch has a dent but hopefully the next bloom will be better.

 

[NYEric]

Nice, better luck next time with the pouch. thanks for sharing.

 

[Hien]

The color is amazing, about the pouch I read somewhere that peoples use a Q-tip through the top opening , gently push the pouch side way back out from the inside .

 

[Happypaphy7]

The color is amazing, about the pouch I read somewhere that peoples use a Q-tip through the top opening , gently push the pouch side way back out from the inside .

It may work depending on how rigid the pouch is, how bad the dent is. I have tried to fix the dent with a Q-tip in the past. Things like bulldog hybrid has such a thick & hard pouch that it doesn’t work or you will destroy the pouch.
Soft pouch like parvi paph that I tried on, the dent on the pouch simply returned in less than a few hours.
This particular flower has such a small opening that a Q-tip can’t even go in. And Im not bothered to try a Q-tip any more.

 

[Ozpaph]

great colour

 

[SlipperKing]

The Q-tip is only half the solution. I always stuff cotton balls into the pouch. Very little to no damage. Leave the cotton in place for a week or longer if you like. To remove, use a wooden stick, spin and the cotton jumps on then pull out slowwwwly.

 

[Happypaphy7]

The Q-tip is only half the solution. I always stuff cotton balls into the pouch. Very little to no damage. Leave the cotton in place for a week or longer if you like. To remove, use a wooden stick, spin and the cotton jumps on then pull out slowwwwly.

I guess it is possible with extremely careful efforts, but the opening of the pouch is very small to begin with on this flower. I rather not bother.
Plus, the pouch has a very strong substance, so I would worry that attempting anything like stuffing things inside might just break the flower.