# What's your experience with Paph. Magic Lantern?



## papheteer (Oct 28, 2010)

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.


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## Kavanaru (Oct 28, 2010)

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...


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## SlipperKing (Oct 28, 2010)

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.


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## Shiva (Oct 28, 2010)

papheteer said:


> 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...


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## Gcroz (Oct 28, 2010)

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...


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## NYEric (Oct 28, 2010)

SlipperKing said:


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



I agree!


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## smartie2000 (Oct 28, 2010)

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...


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## Leo Schordje (Oct 28, 2010)

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.


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## emydura (Oct 28, 2010)

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


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## papheteer (Oct 28, 2010)

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


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## valenzino (Oct 28, 2010)

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


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## SlipperKing (Oct 28, 2010)

You will need to explain further Valenzino.


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## SlipperFan (Oct 28, 2010)

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


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## Eric Muehlbauer (Oct 28, 2010)

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.


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## paphreek (Oct 29, 2010)

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?


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## Bolero (Oct 29, 2010)

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.


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## chrismende (Oct 30, 2010)

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!


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## NYEric (Oct 30, 2010)

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


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## swamprad (Oct 30, 2010)

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.


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## Ernie (Oct 30, 2010)

swamprad said:


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



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


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## rdlsreno (Oct 31, 2010)

Mine is easy to grow and regularly flowers. I think it depends on the cross if the Paph. delenatii used are the new plants (easier to grow) or the old interbreed original one which is hard to grow.

Ramon


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## L I Jane (Oct 31, 2010)

This was my awarded CCE in 2007.I had it for a long time before that & it had always bloomed-up to 3 or 4 blooms.The next year after the award it came up with only 2 buds-1 bloomed the other died.Since then nothing but I had divided the plant.I still haven't lost hope


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## goldenrose (Oct 31, 2010)

swamprad said:


> 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 said:


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


I got a big beautiful growth plant at Ernie's yard /moving sale, couldn't resist, hope they're related! 


Bolero said:


> 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.


One would think one wouldn't have to go quite to this extreme. If it works for you, I certainly would change nothing! Natural habitat -summer temps 83/65, winter 69/48, wet May-Sept, cool, dry Sept-March. No one has mentioned a light factor? Lance's book indicates a minimum of 10 hrs of good light daily year round. Anyone noticing that making a difference? Light intensity recommended is moderately shaded, although mine seems to do better with morning sun.


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## SlipperFan (Oct 31, 2010)

That's about the prettiest pink I can imagine, Jane!


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## Bolero (Nov 1, 2010)

No, I haven't noticed them needing 10 hours, we get less than that in winter and they still flower well.

I wasn't suggesting you need to go down to freezing. But I am suggesting a cold rest period. 48F is a little high for a minimum in winter I would think for the micranthum part it's a little high anyway. 48F is the average minimum for winter, not the extreme minimum. In the natural habitat of micranthum they are known to go down near to freezing. I am not suggesting anyone do that but they grow cold here and apparently they seem to need the cold rest in winter.

One grower once told me he saw a photo of micranthum sitting near the snow line. I am not sure if that's true but they can be exposed to frost like conditions without being directly affected (protected). delenatii probably needs more warmth than the micranthum but it depends which parent dominates.

I agree that morning sun is important, it seems to be important for all my orchids. Late afternoon sun is far less important. I do not know if I am right though.


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## emydura (Nov 1, 2010)

I can understand having a cold spell for flowering but most of us can't even keep it alive which I don't think has anything to do with minimum temps.

David


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## e-spice (Nov 1, 2010)

L I Jane said:


> This was my awarded CCE in 2007.I had it for a long time before that & it had always bloomed-up to 3 or 4 blooms.The next year after the award it came up with only 2 buds-1 bloomed the other died.Since then nothing but I had divided the plant.I still haven't lost hope



What an impressive sight! If they all looked like yours Magic Lantern would be the most popular orchid of all time. I love the photo - with the four open ones in the front and the two in the background still opening. Very nicely grown!

e-spice


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