# Non-blooming Spell



## jjkOC (Mar 26, 2012)

I've been a little sad during this period of no blooming orchids. I have inflorescences developing on two Phalaenopsis plants, but my slipper orchids are still maturing their growths, so I don't think I'll be seeing them in flower any time soon. 

Has anyone else experienced this? If so what do you do to cope?


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## Stone (Mar 26, 2012)

jjkOC said:


> I've been a little sad during this period of no blooming orchids. I have inflorescences developing on two Phalaenopsis plants, but my slipper orchids are still maturing their growths, so I don't think I'll be seeing them in flower any time soon.
> 
> Has anyone else experienced this? If so what do you do to cope?



You don't have enough orchids. Get out there and by some more:evil:


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## rdlsreno (Mar 26, 2012)

Stone said:


> You don't have enough orchids. Get out there and by some more:evil:



I agree!!!:evil::evil::evil:

Ramon


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## paphioboy (Mar 27, 2012)

jjkOC said:


> Has anyone else experienced this? If so what do you do to cope?



Happens all the time here... I look at the leaves instead..


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## NYEric (Mar 27, 2012)

Yep. buy more or get ones that stay in bloom longer or that rebloom. Tolumnias rebloom. Paph Psyche stays in bloom for months...


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## Kavanaru (Mar 27, 2012)

Stone said:


> You don't have enough orchids. Get out there and by some more:evil:



I agree as well!:evil::evil::evil::evil:

Ramón


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## SlipperFan (Mar 27, 2012)

Me, too. The more you have, the more they will bloom.


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## jjkOC (Mar 27, 2012)

Wow, what a bunch of "diabolic" enablers! 

I wish I could increase my collection, but I've maxed my current window space and unfortunately my purchase quota for this year. I did get some solexx panels to construct an outdoor greenhouse rack. Hopefully I can get to it this summer!

The good thing I see in my collection is that they are growing bigger and maturing their second or more growths. I hope that they will become more floriferous with age. Fingers crossed!!!


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## Wendy (Mar 28, 2012)

I thinned my collection out from 300 plants to just 19 now so I don't have much to see at times now either. If I get the urge to see blooms I just come to the forum and check out the photos or look up Paph photos on various other sites.


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## Ray (Mar 28, 2012)

Wendy said:


> I thinned my collection out from 300 plants to just 19 now...


Wow! How painful.

The only times I've done something like that, it was with the assistance of a broken heater or a late propane delivery.


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## NYEric (Mar 28, 2012)

Wendy said:


> I thinned my collection out from 300 plants to just 19 .


What a sadomasochist!!


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## jjkOC (Mar 28, 2012)

I have around 30ish orchids. Most indoors, a few outdoors. Gosh, I can't imagine having 300 orchids! Thats a lot of watering...


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## Wendy (Mar 28, 2012)

jjkOC said:


> I have around 30ish orchids. Most indoors, a few outdoors. Gosh, I can't imagine having 300 orchids! Thats a lot of watering...



It was. It started to become a chore to care for all those plants. (I grow entirely in the house under lights) Plus I realized that I had more on my plate than just orchids. Now I am not a slave to my plants. The few I have left are top quality (as John M can attest) and I now enjoy spending time with them without being in the grow room for hours.


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## Rick (Mar 28, 2012)

jjkOC said:


> I have around 30ish orchids. Most indoors, a few outdoors. Gosh, I can't imagine having 300 orchids! Thats a lot of watering...



I found the magic number to have at least one plant blooming all the time was about 100 plants (mixed orchid collection).

If you had nothing but cochlopetalum paphs, you could essentially have the same plant blooming for 2 years straight (on the same spike), but even if you had a representative of all five or so species, you would probably find it somewhat boring since they look so similar.

300 adult plants is still a modest collection in many circles. That's about what I have (excluding seedlings), but I bet 1/3 of our society members have at least twice that number.


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## Rick (Mar 28, 2012)

jjkOC said:


> I have around 30ish orchids. Most indoors, a few outdoors. Gosh, I can't imagine having 300 orchids! Thats a lot of watering...



300 sneaks up on you real fast once your hooked:evil:


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## SlipperFan (Mar 28, 2012)

Rick said:


> 300 sneaks up on you real fast once your hooked:evil:



Double that! Watering is easy in a greenhouse. :clap:


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## Stone (Mar 28, 2012)

Rick said:


> 300 sneaks up on you real fast once your hooked:evil:



We just had a society sale day and I unloaded about 50 plants (only bought 7). When I got home I thought where the hell am I going to put these! You reach a stage where you only want to keep the best of the best and move the others on. Sometimes there are no takers and you can't give them away so it's on the fire!! People get very picky (including me) and a lot follow the trends. (whatever's in flower----OOOHH gotta have one of those:drool::drool::drool:rollhappy::clap:


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## paphioboy (Mar 28, 2012)

Rick said:


> 300 sneaks up on you real fast once your hooked:evil:





> Double that! Watering is easy in a greenhouse.



Tell that to NYEric... oke: 

I agree with stone. I am selective when purchasing plants too, particularly with regards to temperature requirement, size (important factor, given space limitations), ease of culture and rarity. I try to grow whatever I have the best that I can. It just does not do justice to a good cultivar if it is not treated well and performs well below its true potential.


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## Clark (Mar 29, 2012)

jjkOC said:


> Has anyone else experienced this? If so what do you do to cope?



Yep, and I hold my breath untill spring.
Bleeding Hearts
Crocosmia
Marigolds...


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## SlipperFan (Mar 29, 2012)

Clark said:


> Yep, and I hold my breath untill spring.
> Bleeding Hearts
> Crocosmia
> Marigolds...


I couldn't believe it -- my Bleeding Hearts are all in bud. Now if it only does not freeze!


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## Rick (Mar 29, 2012)

Stone said:


> We just had a society sale day and I unloaded about 50 plants (only bought 7). When I got home I thought where the hell am I going to put these! You reach a stage where you only want to keep the best of the best and move the others on. Sometimes there are no takers and you can't give them away so it's on the fire!! People get very picky (including me) and a lot follow the trends. (whatever's in flower----OOOHH gotta have one of those:drool::drool::drool:rollhappy::clap:



And then if you start breeding it all goes to hell. You get a compot, or two,...or three... and the next thing you know your up to 75 seedlings, and you don't know which is going to be a hit or a dud, and they're your babies and you have to find deserving homes, or there's another experiment you need to try, .....:sob:


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## jjkOC (Mar 29, 2012)

I guess it's a good thing that I'm a poor student right now


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## billc (Mar 31, 2012)

SlipperFan said:


> I couldn't believe it -- my Bleeding Hearts are all in bud. Now if it only does not freeze!



Mine are too. They're 2-3 weeks early this year. That means it is almost hummingbird season!

Bill


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## SlipperFan (Mar 31, 2012)

Yes -- I even put out a hummingbird feeder the other day when I saw on the Hummingbird Migration Map that a couple had already been sighted in Michigan. Not here yet, though.


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