# Question about blooms



## Pineknot (Jan 13, 2008)

Hi Everyone! 

I'm a newbie grower who just successfully kept a Paph long enough to flower and my surprise is that it has multiple buds!

I just find it a little odd that the secondary buds are growing from the bottom of the main bud and not from the top like other plants.

My question is if it's normal for Paphs to bud like that?

I've enclosed pictures: 
the first is of the plant 



and the second is a close-up of the buds 




BTW my Paph is Paph moquettianum 'pine knot' X greyii

Thank you in advance!


----------



## paphioboy (Jan 13, 2008)

Hi, Pineknot! welcome to the forum...  in reply to your question, it is normal... actually, the younger bud is not 'below' the larger bud.. if you can imagine the spike being erect, the younger one is actually developing above the older bud... its just that the spike sometimes zigzags with each successive flower...  hope you get what I mean... its just like the spike of phal violacea or cornu-cervi...


----------



## goldenrose (Jan 13, 2008)

WELCOME Pineknot! This is normal as paphioboy said. The smaller one will usually continue to rise up above the larger bud. If it doesn't WELL ... they just become close neighbors!


----------



## Mrs. Paph (Jan 13, 2008)

Yep  That is normal, and as Paphioboy said, it's really only under the 1st one for the moment, and will hopefully sort itself out! I'm w/ goldenrose though, if it doesn't sort itself out perfectly you'll just have close neighbors! It looks like you've got it growing up nice and straight though, so I'd just keep doing what you're doing and watching it. If the new bud is actually going to hit the bottom of the other, check the angle of the light (assuming you're growing it by a window or on the edge of a light setup) so that the faster growing small bud turns to the light and grows out from under it before the 1st one has a chance to twist. Don't worry about it too much though, it'll be gorgeous and exciting to see your first blooms even if they open on top of eachother - and you'll have plenty of time to 'practice' blooming all the other slippers you'll just 'have' to buy now 
What's the plant growing in? I couldn't tell from the picture what sort of mix it was or if I was just seeing the side of the pot.


----------



## Rick (Jan 13, 2008)

There is also a parentage component thats worth mentioning.

Paph moquetianum is from a group of paphs that produce sequential blooms as pointed out. There are also multifloral paphs that open several buds along a spike more or less simaltaneously. Then there is the groups of paphs that typically have only one bloom per spike, but not uncommonly they may also produce a second bud behind the first one just like in this plant.

There is a good chance with the sequential species in the background that it will over time have a half dozen or so blooms.


----------



## Pineknot (Jan 13, 2008)

Thank you everyone. I can't wait till it blooms.

As for Miss Paphiopedilum's question, it's not growing on mix. I have to explain a bit because it's growing unconventionally. My previous paph was want not happy and kept drying up really fast, even in sphagnum. I did some research and came up with a simple self watering container but the damage was too great. Before it died I found out that the only "mix" that was able to keep the self watering function working were napkins. It sounds silly, but when I got my current paph it started to brown and I tried it. Ever since then, it's been growing happy like this for a year and a half. It just requires "repotting" more frequently.


----------



## goldenrose (Jan 14, 2008)

Pineknot said:


> As for Miss Paphiopedilum's question, it's not growing on mix ...... that was able to keep the self watering function working were napkins. It sounds silly, but when I got my current paph it started to brown and I tried it. Ever since then, it's been growing happy like this for a year and a half. It just requires "repotting" more frequently.



WHOA!!! no potting media? Napkins wrapped around the root ball?


----------



## Pineknot (Jan 14, 2008)

goldenrose said:


> WHOA!!! no potting media? Napkins wrapped around the root ball?



Technically yes. What happens is that since it's in a double container, one to hold the excess water and the other to hold the plant, the napkin is wrapped around the roots and one end is dipped in the reservoir. When the top of the napkin starts to dry it starts to pull water up to the plant. 

Enclosed is a close up picture. 




I can visually see how much water it needs. Any excess water falls to the reservoir. When I started doing this I was afraid of rot, but it hasn't happened. I have my other orchids like this, my phal is growing a little different but till in napkins.

BTW the brown things are the roots. Some on them have found the reservoir


----------



## goldenrose (Jan 15, 2008)

Whatever works! The roots certainly have good air exchange!


----------



## Eric Muehlbauer (Jan 15, 2008)

An interesting take on semi-hydro...............Eric


----------



## SlipperFan (Jan 15, 2008)

Eric Muehlbauer said:


> An interesting take on semi-hydro...............Eric


I was thinking that, also.


----------

