Psychopsis papilio

[Ron-NY]

I just love this genus...My papilio has 4 blooming spikes this year. The oldest spike has been blooming for 5 or 6 years now.

and the alba form. The alba's flower is significantly smaller than the normal color form. The alba just grew it's 3rd spike.

 

[paphioboy]

I just love this genus

Who doesn't?

The oldest spike has been blooming for 5 or 6 years now.

OMG... for that long..? How do you grow yours, Ron? I bought a NBS Mendenhall, it bloomed for me twice (2 spikes), then deteriorated... Now I only have a few leafless backbulbs, but sprouting a few small new growths.. I think its because I repotted it.. Does Psychopsis sulk that bad if disturbed?

 

[SlipperFan]

Great flowers.

How are you growing yours, Ron? I have mine in S/H and I'm afraid to repot them.

 

[Ron-NY]

I have it in bark mix and they do sulk when repotted. My 2 more recent seedlings, I have mounted.
If they are doing well in S/H...pot up and they should be fine but I would wait until new growth anyways, even with though they are already in S/H.

 

[SlipperFan]

Hmmm, there's new growth on both of them now.

 

[JeanLux]

very nice, both of them!! Jean

 

[Yoyo_Jo]

They are wonderful! :clap:

On my must-have-someday list for sure.

Joanne

 

[toddybear]

I'm giving up on ever expecting a bloom on mine...I grow it as a foliage plant!

 

[Ron-NY]

Todd, how are you growing yours?? I found that they need more sun than I originally thought.

 

[goldenrose]

I love these as well! Mine goes back & forth to the greenhouse. I like it in the house to see the blooms, when they drop, back to the greenhouse until they open. I'd say mine is in medium light. I have two, both are in clay pots in sphagnum, they dry out between watering. I would say they are touchy with repotting, I think I killed my first one that way & overwatering.

 

[NYEric]

I always see vendors [CalOrchids hint hint] w/ them and I think they must be hard to grow. If I find an alba one I'm going to go for it. THanx for photos. Uh-oh, Did she say overwatering!? :sob:

 

[cwt]

Grow them with high light slippers like roths. They flower forever, but they die very fast if the potting medium goes sour or break down.

 

[cnycharles]

i've found that papilio and probably some of it's hybrids really like being potted in large clear plastic aircone pots with s/h pellets in them. ...not s/h culture, just the pellets as the media. I received a plant from an auction that had an old spike on it but when I repotted it into the new media, the spike fell off. it has grown like crazy since then! at least with repotting with this media you just take the whole thing and put it into a larger pot with more pellets around the sides

 

[goldenrose]

I always see vendors [CalOrchids hint hint] w/ them and I think they must be hard to grow. If I find an alba one I'm going to go for it. THanx for photos. Uh-oh, Did she say overwatering!? :sob:

yep ....... you know those p bulbs!

 

[NYEric]

Forget it then!