# How's Your Ho Chi Minh?



## Happypaphy7 (Jan 8, 2017)

I have problems with HCM forming multiple growths but won't bloom.

This plant had early signs of the "issue" with two growths as a rather small plant. The pot is 3.5 inch. 

The first picture is when I picked it up in Jan 2015.
The second picture is taken today.













I have another plant of HCM bought as a mature plant that just keeps on adding growths but won't flower.


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## Ozpaph (Jan 9, 2017)

looks very healthy. Maybe a bit more light and some more patience.


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## NYEric (Jan 9, 2017)

Looks good. Yes, patience is a requirement.


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## KyushuCalanthe (Jan 9, 2017)

Mine too has clumped nicely, however it flowers annually, albeit only one stalk at a time which is odd.


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## Happypaphy7 (Jan 9, 2017)

Well, at least yours bloom annually. and mine are alive. 

I never really had good luck with HCM, which other people say are super easy. hmmm

I once bought a HCM plant in bloom with a single growth. It declined quickly afterwards and I kept it alive for about one year before tossing. 
It started a new growth which had one super tiny leaf. After that, zero activity for one full year!

One more year for both HCM I have, and then...


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## NYEric (Jan 9, 2017)

Put me on the list.


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## abax (Jan 9, 2017)

I keep my non-blooming one for the beautiful leaves...so far.


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## Happypaphy7 (Jan 9, 2017)

NYEric said:


> Put me on the list.



Ok, in the meantime, I do have one or two compots (Doll's Kobold & Norito Hasegawa) I'd like to lose. 
You don't do seedlings at all, or?? 
These are potted in small stones for bonsai and if you water every other day, they will all die fast. lol 

These are hard to ship due to the mix they are in and so in person delivery only. lol 
Let me know.


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## Happypaphy7 (Jan 9, 2017)

abax said:


> I keep my non-blooming one for the beautiful leaves...so far.



So far, that and hope for flowers have kept me to be patient with these.


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## NYEric (Jan 10, 2017)

I grow compots and seedlings also.  Let me know when, I'll trade you for some Magnolia Bakery product! :evil:


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## Happypaphy7 (Jan 10, 2017)

Baked goods are best when fresh! Or do you have gift cards?
Joking.  

More DB? I might as well stock them up. lol 

I have a compot of Doll's Kobold and Helen Congleton. 
When are you in town?

Thursday is the best this week.


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## NYEric (Jan 10, 2017)

I may be working late. I will text you.


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## gego (Jan 11, 2017)

I like growing this type of hybrid so Im interested to know also about why it is hard to make them bloom. Have you tried bringing the temp down about 15C lower than the lowest during summer? Just curious if this actually will work. 

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## cnycharles (Jan 11, 2017)

Don't think it would hurt a healthy plant to give it a 'dip' for a few days. Let it know something 'seasonal' is happening, it may respond. If it never flowers it would get tossed, so a little frost damage is nothing 


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## gego (Jan 12, 2017)

cnycharles said:


> Don't think it would hurt a healthy plant to give it a 'dip' for a few days. Let it know something 'seasonal' is happening, it may respond. If it never flowers it would get tossed, so a little frost damage is nothing
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



I've read 4 weeks minimum dip. Might be hard for indoor grower. My Delrosi is dipping down to 50F right now and dry, we'll see.


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## troy (Jan 12, 2017)

I would imagine for delrosii that would work, if the delrosii is big enough, usually 3 growths 2 mature and 1 small


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## gego (Jan 12, 2017)

I have one mature with sheaths with three growths but none of the three are muture enough. 

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## abax (Jan 14, 2017)

I have tried and am trying the 15F dip in temps. and it
didn't work. I lost one growth at 58F. I don't recommend
that method. Just didn't work for me anyway.


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## Happypaphy7 (Jan 15, 2017)

gego said:


> I like growing this type of hybrid so Im interested to know also about why it is hard to make them bloom. Have you tried bringing the temp down about 15C lower than the lowest during summer? Just curious if this actually will work.
> 
> Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk



15C is nothing. No problem for roth. and armeniacum gets cold (near freezing at times) winter in its habitat. same with malipoense (some populations) and micranthum. 

There is no sure trick to make these hybrids to bloom.
The issue is in the genes. These hybrids just are reluctant bloomers.
You just have to be lucky to own willing bloomers.


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## John M (Jan 15, 2017)

HCM needs cold and DRY to release the blooming hormone and trigger bud formation. Also, when you end the winter cool/dry rest, you may want to feed high potassium a few times. Tomato and Cucumber fertilizers have very high levels of Potassium to aid in the "fruiting" process. However, before a plant can fruit, it must flower. When used briefly, following the right environmental triggers (cool and dry) Potassium is good at promoting a blooming cycle. 

Also, when I say "dry", I mean it. You need to stress the plant and make it "think" that it must produce seeds because the stress makes it "feel" like it might be about to die. Wait until the mix is bone dry and the whole pot is feather light. If it's a healthy plant with a good root system, the mix will dry out thoroughly before the plant's foliage will begin to suffer. Then, water thoroughly and wait again until it's bone dry before you rewater again, etc. Do this in the winter when you can also give the plant a pretty good chill and it will bloom in the spring. This method works for me with any cool to intermediate growing spring blooming Paph.

If after all this, it still won't bloom, don't trash it. Trade it with someone else who has their own reluctant bloomer. It could end up that you each bloom the other's plant with ease. Sometimes, what goes on with our plants is completely inexplicable! I once had a Paph. hainanense that filled a 6" pot with dozens of growths.....all non-blooming under my lights in the basement. All the other related Paph species did well and bloomed reliably.....but, not this one. It was super healthy, though.

Then, I moved it to my greenhouse. It began to bloom and didn't stop for almost 2 years! All the old, unbloomed growths came into bloom. It was a super plant....in the greenhouse. It was a total dud in the basement! I have no idea why!


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## Happypaphy7 (Jan 15, 2017)

When I looked at the habitat information of vietnamense, it is much cooler in the winter, so I sort of figured that might be the issue, but some other people seem to have no problem with this hybrid at all.

Honestly, the leaves are the only attraction that helped me get through this far. hahaha

I mean, the plants have been growing and look totally fine. just no flowers, yet keeps on clumping.

Regarding your wonder plant of hainanense, can you come up with some major environmental differences between your basement and the greenhouse??
Maybe it wanted to become a good clump before flowering??

I've heard similar stories before. I'm sure it really paid off all the efforts and make the growers feel great! 

I have Fanaticum and others with five or more growths. no flowers. go figure!


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## John M (Jan 15, 2017)

Happypaphy7 said:


> Regarding your wonder plant of hainanense, can you come up with some major environmental differences between your basement and the greenhouse??
> Maybe it wanted to become a good clump before flowering??



I ran my basement at intermediate temperatures and the plant grew about 6" under 4 fluorescent bulbs. I ran fans for air movement. I employed the usual barbata type of care in terms of watering and feeding.

In the greenhouse, I ran it at intermediate temperatures and it got lots of natural light; but, not so much it was at risk of burning. I ran a circulator fan 24/7 and used the same water and fertilizer that I used in the basement. Yet, clearly, growing in a greenhouse was different. Heck, if I'd even moved it from the basement to the upstairs and still grew it under lights, it would still experience a multitude of slight differences in environmental factors. No, I do not believe it wanted to clump first. Paph. hainanense is not a large plant. I don't know how many growths it was; but, it FILLED a 6" pot. My best guess would be that it was pushing 40+ growths. Besides, it was in bloom when I bought it, potted in a 3" pot and only 1 growth.

Sometimes, only the plant knows why it does or does not like a certain place to grow. Sometimes, you can do everything by the book and still not get results. Then, you give the plant away, or sell it and 3 or 4 months later, the new owner is telling you how great the flowers are! Wendy (on this forum) used to grow warm, under lights in a grow room in her basement. Despite our best efforts, each of us would now and then get a plant that would not spike, even though we knew we were providing the correct care. So, we'd send the "offending" plant to the other person for a climate "holiday". Her plants that were used to being under lights and warm, would suddenly find themselves in a much cooler greenhouse with different light quality and quantity (cloudy days....not something that happens under lights) and my greenhouse plants would suddenly find themselves in a warn basement grow room, under artificial lights. The change was often enough to jolt a lazy plant into action.


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## Happypaphy7 (Jan 17, 2017)

The only clear difference is then the light. 

I just moved my Paph. Pink Sky (the one with bleached yellow leaves) back to the windowsill.

In just one week, the green color is coming back! 
The strange clear yellow leaves started once I placed the plant under the light last spring. While the light seems to be only obvious contributor, it definitely is plant specific as I have two other Pink Sky and they don't mind whatever the light source is, it seems. One of them even flowered under the light, and the other one is in spike. Go figure!


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