Paph charlesworthii

[emydura]

I hear comments about people struggling with this species all the time. We don't do anything special and ours grow really well. They grow on hillsides so they need a well drained mix. I have seen them struggle when grown in a 'wetter' media. We use Orchiata with about 30% number 3 perlite and some charcoal. They get watered once per week, except when it's really hot. Then they get a second watering mid-week.
They grow on limestone in situ but I have never added that to the mix. The calcium in a complete fertilizer like MSU seems to provide all they need. Our well water is loaded with calcium so we do not need to supplement.

Dave

Thanks Dave. Your experience matches mine. I haven't found them the easiest species to grow. This plant seems to have done much better since I have put it in a basket pot. I use a fertilise that has a lot of calcium in it. I use orchiata bark as well (9-12 mm).

 

[Happypaphy7]

To be more specific, I have no problem growing them because all my Charles have quickly grown into little clumps. They just never flowered for me. I wonder if it's the temperature drop. Someone mentioned that as soon as the temperature was lowered for some time, all the multiple growths came into bloom in the following spring.
I have actually bought one more seedlings (but already two growths plant) from a different source. This particular plant is already much larger than any of the three expensive Charles I bought from OZ. So, my three small ones might be duds. At least I thought that was a possibility.
I have seen smalls plants in bloom, but lately, I see more and more charlesworthii plants in bloom that are a lot larger than I expected.

 

[DrLeslieEe]

My experience with charlesworthii (esp my albums) under lights is that they need more water than most (like the fairrieanums, they love water). I water twice a week (maybe 3 times in summer). They do not like to dry out nor want wet feet. So like Dave I use lots of perlite and charcoal, plus a little LECA clay pellets in orchiata. They stay moist but not compressed wet.

I chill them with open window when nights are above 10C outside, starting in September for 6-8 weeks (ambient T around them will be 15-16C nights), and they will bud late fall through winter. The rest of winter has nights of 16-17C nights. In spring season, the window is open again for 15/16C nights if I can (if not, they stay 18/20 nights with no problem).

I am sure that a slight chill and reduce light hours (from summer 15 hours to 12 winter hours) will trigger the budding process. I also suspect some growths may take two years to mature (not sure of this as my plants are multigrowth).

I do this treatment for all my 'cool' tolerant plants like fairrieanums, henryanums, villosums, barbigerums, purpuratums, parishiis (slightly less watering for these), hirsutissimums, tigrinums, spicerianums, delenatii, vietnamense, micranthums, malipoense, jackiis, venustums and wardii. They are all living in the same area lol.

 

[Rockbend]

I have no problem growing and blooming Charles, although my flowers seem to be small compared to what I see blooming in cooler climates.

Has anyone else noticed a green 'mask' at the base of the dorsal (green on back, just dark on front) on some Charles? The ones from OZ seem to have this on 50% or more.

Charles album used to blast buds almost 100% when grown with the others; when I moved them into a shadier spot near the wet pad (cooler) they bloom just fine.

I find that I can substitute a slightly dryer period in winter for the temperature drop that we don't always get.