What's your experience with Paph. Magic Lantern?

[papheteer]

I grew 3 of these and they all grew slowly then died. I have read many times that this cross is supposed to be an easy grower. I have also read posts from you guys stating the opposite. Probably depends on the parents used.

I would like to hear your experiences with this cross, guys.

 

[Kavanaru]

my experience: 3 plants, all of them acquired more or less simultaneously 4 years ago... 2 of them died slowly without flowering, the other one is just there, neither growing nor dying, but also not flowering...

 

[SlipperKing]

I've had mixed results. I find this cross easy as long as the mix its in stays fairly freash. The ones I've had/have are prone to basal rot if left unchecked.

 

[Shiva]

I grew 3 of these and they all grew slowly then died. I have read many times that this cross is supposed to be an easy grower. I have also read posts from you guys stating the opposite. Probably depends on the parents used.

I would like to hear your experiences with this cross, guys.

Well! You reminded me I had one of those presumably stored in the dry plant section for winter. I went to look for it but I only found it's «dog tag». So I'll have to call this one «missing in action», sort of...

 

[Gcroz]

I have two plants, purchased as seedlings, and both grow and have multiple mature growths. That being said, neither has bloomed and neither looks likely to bloom. May be an easy plant to grow, but I've not had any luck with blooming them.

Rather frustrating plant actually...

 

[NYEric]

The ones I've had/have are prone to basal rot if left unchecked.

I agree!

 

[smartie2000]

The one seedling the I bought from Forestview gardens grew up and it is NBS. The colour of the leaves have lots of red pigments and I am excited when it blooms .
It is growing in semihydroponics, so I guess it is kept fairly moist. I am transfering into bark though I think so that it can grow a larger root system.

My other magic lantern has not rebloomed yet though it has a new mature growth (or two of them) However my paph culture is not perfect compared to the others of this forum based on my results. I bloom way more PHrags than paphs. (I think I am going to stop buying paphs, even though I love them so much. haha so difficult to do easy to say)

I water with rain water for all my orchids,

So I think Magic Lantern is not bad...

 

[Leo Schordje]

I have had quite a few Magic Lantern's move through my collection, including raising a couple flasks worth of seedlings. I would say out of every flask, between 10% and 25% of the seedlings were vigorous and quick growing, and reliable bloomers. The middle group grows on the slow side, and about 10% are very slow, much like the more recalcitrant of my Paph micranthums. By comparison to Paph micranthum, Magic Lantern is a big improvement in ease of growth, but it is not a quick hybrid, nowhere near as quick and easy as Paph delenatii.

I love the flower, and the majority are very much easier to bloom than Paph micranthum, but Magic Lantern is not the Maudiae of the Parvisepalum group. Get and grow Magic Lantern if you are frustrated with Paph micranthum and like the micranthum look, but don't expect a quick growing Paph.

 

[emydura]

I bought a large seedling and it grew OK and flowered pretty quickly. That would have been 5 years ago. I thought this is easy. It has been downhill ever since. It put out 2 new growths which grew very slowly. One ended up rotting and the old growth has now died. I'm left with one small weak looking growth. I don't expect this plant will do anything from now on.

David

 

[papheteer]

I bought mine from 2 different growers. They were BS when I got them. One of them I got to bloom and after blooming, it just didn't do anything. The other two just died leaf by leaf. I wonder why they're ever called "easy growers" or "beginner's paph"! It's too bad coz I love them soo much

 

[valenzino]

i think the key is always in in the resting periode...

 

[SlipperKing]

You will need to explain further Valenzino.

 

[SlipperFan]

Mine is still alive, but I haven't gotten it to bloom in a couple years.

 

[Eric Muehlbauer]

Same story with me. I had one that grew quickly and bloomed easily, then never bloomed again. Eventually it just declined and died. No others that I have tried have lived for long.

 

[Ross]

Very interesting discussion. I have also experienced the same general results with multiple Magic Lanterns, getting them to bloom, sometimes a few times, then having the plant go into a general decline and disappear.

I have seedlings from a cross I made using my delenatii 'Deerwood' AM/AOS and an awarded micranthum from Tom Larkin. The lab sorted the seedlings when replating, and sent me one flask months before the others. These are approaching blooming size, while the other later flasks are smaller seedlings or still in compots. They look good, but are growing very slowly. We'll see if that changes for the better or worse now that they are in a greenhouse instead of a green house.

Maybe Valenzino has the key. Could you expand further?

 

[Bolero]

I have several and all easy to grow. The key is cold and dry in winter (down to freezing without frost touching the leaves) and warm and wet in summer. I have cold winds blowing across the leaves in winter (I grow outside all year round) and they even get rained on sometimes.

That's what works for me. Keep them drier than you would think and make sure no water sits in the crown in winter.

 

[chrismende]

I've had two that were bought NBS and bloomed then after repotting are slowly maturing secondary growths. I had one that died soon after blooming beautifully. My living pair I keep cool and on the dry side during winter. Hopefully they will survive to bloom again!

 

[NYEric]

Hmmm, thanx for the info. Maybe I should put my parvi hybrids outside w/ the dendrobium kiingianums!

 

[swamprad]

Mine has grown very well under my typical paph conditions, and has bloomed twice in less than a year. Not certain, but I think I got it from Ernie. Perhaps I am lucky that I have a fairly vigorous clone. My local friend received an FCC on his Magic Lantern year before last, it is a monster plant with many flowers.

 

[Ernie]

Not certain, but I think I got it from Ernie.

Now we're talking. Yeah, Mark, no doubt that one came from us.