Paph henryanum

[Irongoat]

Sorry for posting this twice - probably should have posted here and not in the collections forum...

I'm using V-day as an excuse to break my moratorium on buying more orchids and am considering henryanum (again). When I had it before it never bloomed but I think now it may have been underlit. I note that it is listed as intermediate (not even as intermediate/warm). Since complex hybrids have seemed less than thrilled with my warmish conditions, I wonder if henryanum may also feel the heat.

If not that one, there seem to be some good venustums available at the moment, which I have bloomed but no longer own. (It was in chc, which I don't really get. It's dry on the outside and wet on the inside. How are you supposed to water that stuff?)

But I actually am more interested in henryanum. Can anyone comment on general ease of blooming it? I probably could have led with this simple statement, but I'm chatty.

 

[cdub]

Well, I grow on the cool side, and henryanum doesn't bloom for me either. Anyone else?

 

[Eric Muehlbauer]

I also grow it cool. and, while I have bloomed it in the past, it is definitely not one of the easy bloomers in its group....certainly not compared to insigne or villosum. Take care, Eric

 

[Rick]

Mine bloom every year. They are probably in a cooler part of the GH near the swamp cooler and not all that much light. The summer temps do get in the mid 80's and they probably get a couple hours of 1500+ fc of light on summer afternoons. The like it breezy and humid. There is about 10% of the potting mix in oyster shell. Otherwise its a basic CHC mix. Some growers have problems flowering when there are only a few growths in the pot, but mine started blooming with only 3 or so growths, and just get more consistent through the last 5 years.

 

[Ross]

I bloom mine under florescent lights in the basement. Some of them bloom more freely than others. They seem to bloom more consistently as the plant acquires more growths, but some individuals are just more difficult to bloom. If you can, acquire plants from a few different breeding lines. This will increase your chance of blooming one more quickly and eventually give you some variety as they all come into bloom.

 

[Irongoat]

Very helpful information. Sounds like I'd better wait for more intermediate conditions. Thanks for the interesting posts.

 

[rdlsreno]

Thanks for the info!!!

Ramon

 

[Sangii]

well I have a couple henryanums and I consider them very easy growers and bloomers

I grow them WARM, medium/bright light, potting mix kept moist at all times during growing season, just a bit drier in winter. When I say warm, it means that the temps are in the 25-35 (!) °C range in summer, down to "only" 20-27 in winter during daytime, 15-18 at night.

 

[cwt]

Much the same as Sangii, and all in flower now. Found them rather easy with multiple groths every year.

 

[Rick]

Much the same as Sangii, and all in flower now. Found them rather easy with multiple groths every year.

Where are you growing CWT? Austrailia? Most henryanums were done blooming by October of last year.

 

[cwt]

Rick,
were staying on the north side of Pretoria, South Africa.

 

[Rick]

Rick,
were staying on the north side of Pretoria, South Africa.

Now I remember. Yup, you are 180 degrees off of us Northern hemisphere folk season wise.

 

[Mrs. Paph]

I agree w/ Sangii, since moving my temps have been like that, and my henryanum seedlings have gone nuts - some is improved humidity and setup, but my micranthums and brachy hybrids are dying a slow death So I think temp. is an issue and that henryanum and others enjoy my temps much more. I tried to stop a Phal from blooming b/c it was newly rescued from a clearance bin and I thought it should conserve energy - it's grown so many roots and new leaves that it refuses Not to bloom, it's on it 3rd spike this fall, so darnit I'm just going to let it bloom this time & not pinch it off I guess...but anyway, that's my roundabout way of saying that I personally have not seen high temps to be hard on my henryanums, so if that's your conscern, give them a try.

 

[Irongoat]

Apparently some grexes are easier than others. One nursery I looked at advertises theirs as an easy-to-bloom grex.