# Paph. Gold Dollar will not bloom



## jcontract (Jan 30, 2011)

Hi all. My first post. And I'm new at growing orchids, so hope someone can lend a beginner a hand.

I bought a Paph. Gold Dollar (primulinum x areniacum) 2 years ago and it has never bloomed and I'm looking for some help.

It's in its original 4" pot, and it looks like it's in charcoal. I have never summoned the courage to re-pot it. I have it in a bay window that faces east, so it gets a few hours of morning sun. I have a digital temp gauge right next to it which reads 66 right now and humidity of 43%, it goes down to about 60 at night. I water it every 7 days, and fertilize it with general purpose Schultz Orchid food usually at every watering.

The plant looks very healthy, and has put on a lot of leaf since the purchase, but still no flowers. I'm wondering if there's something I'm not doing right? I think my conditions seem to match the recommended. 

Also, I have a Phal. which flowers regularly on the same bay window.

Anyhow. If someone on the forum can help, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks,


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## Ernie (Jan 30, 2011)

IMO you'll need to drop this guy down into the mid-50s at night to get it to bloom. For windowsill growers, the easiest time to do this is in fall usually. Sometimes spring. It'll also appreciate light a little brighter than your phal, but not direct sun especially in the heat of the day. One leaf in two years is on the slow side, you'd hope to add _one whole new fan of leaves_ per year, this hybrid will send up multiple growths a year once it's mature.
===
Oops. I misread. Lots of new leaves is good. Disregard my last sentence.


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## Kavanaru (Jan 30, 2011)

My Paph Golddollar grows always under warm conditions, and is a non-stop bloomer and a strong grower too! but it gets a lot of light (Cattleya like)!


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## SlipperKing (Jan 30, 2011)

Every 7 days of water sound way too little. How do the leaves feel? soft and whimpy or firm and turgid? Don't let slippers get bone dry.


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## Kavanaru (Jan 30, 2011)

SlipperKing said:


> Every 7 days of water sound way too little. How do the leaves feel? soft and whimpy or firm and turgid? Don't let slippers get bone dry.



right! I must add that my Golddollar started doing a lot better, when adapted to S/H! not that it was doing bad before, but it really improved once adapted to S/H (one ofthe few Paphies that really liked S/H under my former growing conditions: under lights in the apartment)


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## goldenrose (Jan 30, 2011)

WELCOME jcontract! What other orchids do you have? Where are you located?
Most paphs need at least a 10 degree differencial, 15 is better. Can you up the daytime temps? Your phal would like that too. I agree it needs more light. East is probably fine during the summer months but should probably be moved to a south window during the fall/winter months or supplement it with articial light. What are the #'s on Schultz general fertilizer? Fall/winter months probably should be on a bloom booster (high middle number), the resr of the year a balanced or higher nitrogen.


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## SlipperFan (Jan 30, 2011)

Welcome to Slippertalk, jcontract!


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## NYEric (Jan 31, 2011)

Welcome to Slippertalk. It sounds like not enough water and if it's putting on leaves its not doing that bad. Some of us have paphs that have been growing and not blooming for 10 plus years!!


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## toddybear (Jan 31, 2011)

Mine is multi-growth and has bloomed three times (currently in flower now). I grow mine under phal light coinditions and in the winter, night temps drop to the upper 50's with days in the mid-upper sixties...certainly not warm. I water mine about every 8 days in winter but maybe every 5 in summer. I've killed many paphs by overwatering in the winter months. Repot every 2 years. I use bark, charcoal and perlite mix.


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## nikv (Jan 31, 2011)

Will not bloom, eh? Have you threatened it? Sometimes, that works!


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