Ho Chi Minh

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Happypaphy7

Paphlover
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On one very snowy early winter morning in January 2015, I joined the trip down to Woodstream openhouse sale event with Eric, Charles and Collins, who are all members here.
I only bought two things. One good sized Magic Lantern (which bloomed with a very nice flower later that summer to my surprise!) and little Ho Chi Minh.
It was the last two HCM left on the tray in the nursery and one was about half dead but this one was looking very healthy.
It slowly gained size over the years adding growth after growth without every showing any signs of blooming.
I have cheated and bought a few in bud HCM along the way while waiting on this guy to grow up and bloom. :)
Now, earlier this year in late February, one of the growths showed an emerging spike and it is finally in bloom for me for the first time!
The plant has never been repotted this whole time and still sits in its 4inch square pot with orchiata (and tiny bit of perlite) in it.

The plant is about the smallest HCM I have had in leaf length and the flower is about the darkest.
The tag does not show any info regarding the parents.

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Gorgeous!

(I would add that, if that is Bill’s original tag, there might be a penciled number on the top of the back. If yes, it is possible that he has a record of the parents.)
 
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Nice healthy plant! Nice bloom with great color and form. Let me know how long it last for you. I only get about 2 weeks with my HCMs before they get brown spots.
 
Sometimes good things need its time !
This is a good HCM flower and only the leaves and its patterns make it worth to cultivate this plant. 👍
 
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Gorgeous!

(I would add that, if that is Bill’s original tag, there might be a penciled number on the top of the back. If yes, it is possible that he has a record of the parents.)
There is indeed a penciled number on the top of the back but it appears to be a date rather than a serial number of some sort as it reads 4/14.
I would assume that it is when the plant was potted up?
 
Great story and wonderful pictures to accompany it. Congratulations! I just received my first HCM a few weeks ago and will be happy if the bloom is half as pretty as yours. I just hope I won't have to wait six years to find out :)
 
Nice!
6 years in the same mix, nice track record
These potting mix seems to last for such a long time.
The Magic Lantern I bought on the same day is also still in its same pot and potting mix. I will finally repot it this year because the plant is bursting out of the pot with lots of growths!
 
My Ho Chi Minh mother plant died. But she left me with 3 new (babies) fronds? So sorry don't know the paph language. Do species like to be planted in only sphagnum moss with a small bit of bark? Is it unusual for a maudiae to be in bloom for 4 months? Is 21" a normal size for a spike on a maudiae?
 
My Ho Chi Minh mother plant died. But she left me with 3 new (babies) fronds? So sorry don't know the paph language. Do species like to be planted in only sphagnum moss with a small bit of bark? Is it unusual for a maudiae to be in bloom for 4 months? Is 21" a normal size for a spike on a maudiae?

You can use pretty much any potting mix that work well for you and your plants. Whatever you use, you just have to adjust watering.
I prefre bark (orchiata) based mix rather than having moss as a base mix.
Maudiae type hybrids can last very long in bloom. Most commonly they last two months easily. Three is not uncommon and four months is definitely possible. Masterisanum lasts very long in bloom and many of these hybrids have mastersianum in its linage somewhere.
Mastersianum is also known for a very long spike. Things like lawrenceanum can have pretty long spike as well.
 

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