# Did I make it flower?



## P.K.Hansen (Aug 7, 2018)

Ok, this may be a stupid question, but how long must you own a paph before you can claim that you are responsible for it flowering? A few months, ½ a year, or even a entire year?


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## Ozpaph (Aug 7, 2018)

local rules.
In Australia is 6 months, I believe.


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## Ray (Aug 7, 2018)

The AOS requires 6 months ownership before you can claim a plant is yours for award submission.


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## littlefrog (Aug 8, 2018)

Ray said:


> The AOS requires 6 months ownership before you can claim a plant is yours for award submission.



I don't have the handbook in front of me, but I believe the six months is only for cultural awards. You are permitted to submit a plant for judging that you just purchased that morning - but it wouldn't be eligible for cultural awards (CCM/CCE). Flower quality awards are to the plant, not the grower. In theory it doesn't matter who owns it or how long it has been owned. 

It is really an honor system, nobody is going to check your receipts.

As for taking credit for a bloom... I feel OK about claiming credit for a flowering if I purchased the plant out of bloom and then got it to spike and flower. I don't generally think of my skill when I buy a plant in spike. That is just an internal monologue though.


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## littlefrog (Aug 8, 2018)

Emphasis mine - but note that we are all wrong. CCM/CCE is 12 months of care, not six. I did not copy the language, but my interpretation of quality awards in my post above stands. Quoting from the Handbook:

6.2.7 Certificate of Cultural Excellence (CCE)
Awarded to the exhibitor of a specimen plant of robust health and appearance with an unusually large
number of flowers. *The plant must have been in the care of the exhibitor at least 12 months
immediately prior to the award. *The plant must score at least 90 points on the point scale in paragraph
7.3.1.

6.2.8 Certificate of Cultural Merit (CCM)
Awarded to the exhibitor of a specimen plant of robust health and appearance with an unusually large
number of flowers. *The plant must have been in the care of the exhibitor at least 12 months
immediately prior to the award.* The plant must score between 80 and 89 points inclusive on the point
scale in paragraph 7.3.1.


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## ehanes7612 (Aug 9, 2018)

FCC , AM and HCC awards are not concerned with the grower's abilities but only the quality of the flower


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## P.K.Hansen (Aug 9, 2018)

I'm not thinking about having plants judged. But as an example, I have an insigne, a charlesworthii and a henryanum that I have only owned a few months. None showed signs of flowering when I bought them, but they all have buds now. I don't think my skills as a grower has done much for that 
Hence, how long does it last from the time the plant "decides" to bloom, until you can see the bud forming? My rosy dawn has a bud forming too, but I've had that for more than six months, and Ive seen the grow mature. That one I take credit for.


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## troy (Aug 9, 2018)

I have seen plants straight from hilo orchid farm to judging given very high aos awards, in my o.s. so it all depends on the honesty of the person, in this day and age honesty, integrity has all been disposed of due to greed


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## xiphius (Aug 9, 2018)

P.K.Hansen said:


> Hence, how long does it last from the time the plant "decides" to bloom, until you can see the bud forming?



I don't think there is a clear answer to that. It is likely quite different for different species (or dependent on hybrid background). If it happened a few months after you bought it though, it was probably going to happen already. I don't usually think of "me" as flowering something unless it has been under my care for a full year.

That said, I don't let that stop me from enjoying other people's handiwork all the time ...


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## NYEric (Aug 9, 2018)

Yes, they are flowering due to your good choices and grower skills!


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## ehanes7612 (Aug 9, 2018)

P.K.Hansen said:


> I'm not thinking about having plants judged. But as an example, I have an insigne, a charlesworthii and a henryanum that I have only owned a few months. None showed signs of flowering when I bought them, but they all have buds now. I don't think my skills as a grower has done much for that
> Hence, how long does it last from the time the plant "decides" to bloom, until you can see the bud forming? My rosy dawn has a bud forming too, but I've had that for more than six months, and Ive seen the grow mature. That one I take credit for.




experienced growers develop a sixth sense on when plants set their buds and hence sell them to clear space , make money, etc...knowing that there is a good chance they will flower within a few months for the buyer...that said..it still takes some skill in knowing how to grow to prevent the plant from blasting its bud..soooo, even if you were not entirely responsible for the bud,..you still had a hand in its success to flowering


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## Tom-DE (Aug 9, 2018)

The question here is "when should a person claim the full credit for blooming an orchid?"

* Higher standard is when you bloom it again with improvement.*

There are true orchid growers/hobbyists but also there are " just orchid buyers"


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## valenzino (Aug 10, 2018)

I think that an entire grow cicle in our environment is required to see how plants behave in our growing conditions...so in my opinion at least 1 year or for some kinds also more...


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## DrLeslieEe (Aug 5, 2020)

Very interesting topic here, so I thought I'd chip in my 2 cents, PK. 

To know that if it was you that bloomed the orchid or not, with your skill, you will (like Valenzino stated) need to grow the orchid in one season's growth. 

Some will be one year for larger orchids like Cattleya species, and others will be 3-4 months like fast growing Catasetums and miniatures. If you culture the new growth to bloom for you, then it is your skill. 

However, if you bloom a plant within the 3 month mark (from purchase) up to maybe 6 months, it might likely have already set the buds before you got it (like some Cattleya sheaths and Paph buds). The exception are the miniatures, whose growth cycle are measured in months (like Lepanthes).

However, if you grow beyond the 6 month mark to bloom, it is most likely your culture (such as a Cattleya with a medium new growth that you grew to maturation, set buds and bloom). You can claim that glory.

It is true that the AOS will judge a flower, no matter who owns it or when it was bought. The only caveat is for cultural awards (as mentioned correctly by LittleFrog) that must be in the possession of the grower for 12 months, no less (even though I think it should be based on plant vegetative cycle as some like Catasetums have 3-4 month grow-bloom cycle). 

For me, I can proudly say I bloomed a particular plant myself without outside influences if I grew the new growth to maturity and bloomed that growth. Usually that is one growing season in Paphs aka one year.


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## Phred (Aug 5, 2020)

littlefrog said:


> I don't have the handbook in front of me, but I believe the six months is only for cultural awards. You are permitted to submit a plant for judging that you just purchased that morning - but it wouldn't be eligible for cultural awards (CCM/CCE). Flower quality awards are to the plant, not the grower. In theory it doesn't matter who owns it or how long it has been owned.
> 
> It is really an honor system, nobody is going to check your receipts.
> 
> As for taking credit for a bloom... I feel OK about claiming credit for a flowering if I purchased the plant out of bloom and then got it to spike and flower. I don't generally think of my skill when I buy a plant in spike. That is just an internal monologue though.



little frog is correct about getting a flower judged but I think the question was how long do you have to own a plant that flowers before you can say you’re responsible for it flowering. IMHO... if there’s no bud you did it. On the other hand I think it’s as big a deal to get a plant with a bud and not cause it to blast. Sometimes that’s harder.


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## NYEric (Aug 11, 2020)

No time limit on an AM!


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