# Clustered growth stimulation



## Mocchaccino (Oct 5, 2011)

There are quite a lot of evidence proving that Paphiopedilum species love clustered growth. Increased growth rate was observed when maintained in clusters. 

However most sellers break up clusters into individual growths in order to make greater profits. The common problem I read is that the old growth always dies before the third growth appears. So most of the time there could only be two shoots: a mature growth/old growth associating a new/mature growth. With that in mind, they can never be in clusters again.

Here's the question: How will you do to accelerate their speed of clustering and/or slowing the death of the old growth?


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## paphioboy (Oct 5, 2011)

> The common problem I read is that the old growth always dies before the third growth appears. So most of the time there could only be two shoots: a mature growth/old growth associating a new/mature growth. With that in mind, they can never be in clusters again.



Not true for all species.  Some species clump easily when given the right conditions: brachys, spicerianum, insigne, callosum and some barbata species, hirsutissimum, esquirolei, exul, cochlos, multifloras. My guess is good culture is the key. When they are happy, even seedling multifloras can grow fast, each new leaf growing much larger than the other.


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## Ray (Oct 5, 2011)

Two comments, one a "reasonable guess, based upon logic" (I think), and the other an observation:

I think that plants left in clusters do better, in-part, because the old growths remain as energy and nutrient gatherers, but having no need to save-up for reproduction (having already attempted to), become significant contributors to the other growths.

I cannot speak for individual species, but like paphioboy, I have noticed that I get larger clusters and less die-off of the old growths when I simply treat my plants better.


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## Roth (Oct 5, 2011)

There are ureafoam sticks sold in Taiwan, coming from America, that will automatically induce new strong growths on all the older growths. I am using those, and they work really great. I got however from time time deformed flowers, but they do not contain any hormons or whatsoever, only ureafoam and polyvynilpyrrolidone, that acts as a carrier for the ureafoam dust. So far it releases ammonia in the media quite locally. 

I applied those to bulbos too, to get big new growths on all the bulbs that were close to those sticks.

As for the clumping habit, it depends on the species and the individual plants. I have seen clumping gigantifolium and kolopakingii, and some that stay forever as 2-3 growths plants. rothschildianum usually always clumps from the wild, except the very big leafed type. Sanderianum, some colonies clump ( Shin Yi is one example). Barbatum, some do clumps, some do a kind of stolon on all the nodes of the old rhizome, but those are not direct new shoots to make a direct clump. Callosum, some forms clumps ( sublaeve), though the very big ones from Laos very rarely clump. 

Some species are monocarpic for most, like argus, urbanianum, ciliolare. There are some very big clumps in the wild, and many single growths plants. When those plants bloom, they die afterwards or are very heavily set back. The clumps, and the single growths producing seeds before dying, keep the population from collapsing. I think too that the clumps maybe came from single growths that aborted their flowering.

Violascens very rarely clump in the wild, but does so in cultivation. malipoense, some do, some don't. Micranthum, the kwangsee types are very slow to make a clump, the normal one do readily. For micranthum and armeniacum, the size of the clump is usually inversely proportional to the ability of the plant to bloom freely...

Hangianum and emersonii always do two new growth per old growth for me in cultivation, but I have very, very rarely seen wild plants like that. Better nutrition I guess ( and with the ureafoam, they definitely make big, beautiful new growths).

As to clumps doing better, yes and no in fact. If the old growths retained their roots, definitely a clump is better. If they did not for any reason, they can actually pump their nutrition and water from the newer growths. Then they are just a kind of parasite...

As well, I always remove the leafless growths, when they die and rot, they may contaminate all the newere growths. There is a trick I learned recently to divide multiflorals, Japanese cut in the middle of the last leafless growth, never at the base of the growth... I tried it and am sure now that the plants are less stressed this way, because of the ability of the living vascular system to heal properly inside this half cut growth...


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## NYEric (Oct 5, 2011)

Interesting, thanks.


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## paphioboy (Oct 5, 2011)

> For micranthum and armeniacum, the size of the clump is usually inversely proportional to the ability of the plant to bloom freely...



I don't think that's the case for JPMC's monster armeniacum...


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## Rick (Oct 5, 2011)

Ray said:


> I cannot speak for individual species, but like paphioboy, I have noticed that I get larger clusters and less die-off of the old growths when I simply treat my plants better.



I guess the trick is to figure out what "better treatment" entails.

In general this is going to include many different variables within the physical and chemical environment that we give our plants.

My first big epiphany growing orchids was to keep the air humidity as high as possible (at least 60%). That made a big difference for just about all my orchids (slippers and non slippers) for reducing the "new growths eating old growths syndrome".

Now my newest epiphany is to supply the correct ratio of Ca/Mg to K. That is getting alot of my stubborn paphs to increase the size and strength of growths, and add new growths while retaining old flowered growths. 

However, I don't think its easy to separate nutrition from interactions in potting mixes, watering schedules, and pot types. I've also switched a lot of paphs in baskets with lots of moss in them.

I can throw out plenty of anecdotes. For instance (I think it was David in Australia) that said he could only get his P ciliolare to replace 1 new growth as the old flowered growth died back. This was about par for a few others on that thread, and was true for my ciliolare about a year ago. But with the new potting and nutrition regime I'm using, my two cililare are producing 2 and 3 new growths while the old flowered growths are fully intact.

So I also agree that its more of a culture thing than a steriotypical species thing.


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## Mocchaccino (Oct 8, 2011)

Glad to hear perspectives and facts from different sides. :]


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## Ozpaph (Oct 9, 2011)

Roth, what is a urea foam stick? Do you have a link to more information? Thanks.


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