Paph Carolines Hands (moquetteanum x rothschildianum)

[Nelson Wong]

Hi all

So I have a Paph moquetteanum x rothschildianum. I have had it for over 2 and a half years now. And I know it is ready to bloom. It has all the signs, but nothing yet. In fact, it started putting out new leaves in it's new growth. I did repot it this year around march.

So I am wondering if I am doing something wrong? If there needs to be a significant temperature change to trigger blooms. Or is it ready to bloom and it is just slowly gathering nutrients and energy? I just need to be more patient?

I live in Indiana and leave this plant outside. It get bright partial filtered light from east under a tree from 7am till noon, then shaded light for the rest of the day. the temperature right now are around 80F to 90F and nights at 60F to 72F.

I know the roots are growing crazy well and the substrate mix I use works perfectly for all my paphs in my current grow conditions - 2:1:1:1/4:1/8 small and medium bark chips: medium and coarse perlite: black gold potting soil: char coal: oyster shells. It gives a perfect amount of some decomposing potting soil for nutrient and keeping moisture, and plenty amount of space for air.

I also have a small sprinkle of slow release fertilizer 13:13:13 on top.

Please help! I have been waiting soooo long for this girl to bloom.

 

[Duck Slipper]

Looks like to me it’s doing great…daylength, temps just haven’t tripped it to bloom…yet!

 

[mrhappyrotter]

I think the odds are good that it will bloom "in season", which is basically my way of saying whenever it next feels like it.

Sometimes the first growth of seedling plants will skip blooming despite our best efforts. But almost certainly that new growth will eventually bloom by the time it reaches mature size, if conditions are right (and it sounds like they are).

When you say it has all the signs of blooming, what signs are you referring to? Is the base of the plant (near the surface of the potting media) swollen or bulging? In a mature sized Paph, that's the most indicative sign I notice in terms of determining if the plant is preparing to bloom.

 

[Nelson Wong]

The base of the plant is definitely bulging. It has the signature tiny leaf with a little fuzz before it blooms. But then again, the new growth has new leaves growing

 

[big923cattleya]

I have two clones of this hybrid, mine are larger then yours. Neither of mine have bloomed but given the limits of comparing plants from photographs, I would venture a guess to say that mine are twice the size of yours.
One has four growths, the other has three with two new growths just starting.