# Paph. stonei



## Michael Bonda (Apr 21, 2021)

‘The Best’ x ‘Red Pouch’
First time bloom
Only 2 flowers and not perfect symmetric shape but at least it bloomed this year!


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## NEslipper (Apr 21, 2021)

Love that dorsal! How big is the plant? I have one from this cross that just started pushing a second growth, but doesn’t look like it’s going to flower this year.


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## Michael Bonda (Apr 21, 2021)

2 growths. Largest leaf is 16 inches. In 4x 3.5 pot. From Orchid Inn 2 years ago as one mature growth. 
I have 2 other stonei (different sources) that are also 2 mature growths and likely will not spike this year.
I wonder if I wait too long to repot from the original source. I worry that I’ll disturb roots but I water frequently and I think I need to repot for fresh media and keep in the same size pot to keep pot bound.


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## GuRu (Apr 22, 2021)

Your P. stonei beat mine by a few days. I as an indoor grower am also happy to flower it for the second time ..... but also just two flowers.


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## Djthomp28 (Apr 22, 2021)

It always nice to see a stonei in bloom. Mine has been on hiatus for a couple of years. Glad I can enjoy yours!


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## Justin (Apr 22, 2021)

Fantastic. Not something you see every day!.

I have not bloomed one in a long time. I lost a really good mother plant but luckily I had selfed it and am growing out seedlings. Also have a handful of seedlings from Taiwan that should bloom in another year. They were deflasked fourteen years ago!


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## Paphluvr (Apr 22, 2021)

Always been one of my favorite Paphs, but alas, too large for my present growing conditions.


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## Kate Boyce-Miles (Apr 22, 2021)

So exquisite! I am hopefully going to get this cross. Could you please perhaps post a photo of the entire plant? I am curious to see the size - I know you have stated the size numerically but I find it easier to gauge from a photo. 
This is my favourite Paph. species.


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## SlipperKing (Apr 22, 2021)

Nicely done my friend. 
Beautiful example of the species


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## NEslipper (Apr 22, 2021)

Michael Bonda said:


> 2 growths. Largest leaf is 16 inches. In 4x 3.5 pot. From Orchid Inn 2 years ago as one mature growth.
> I have 2 other stonei (different sources) that are also 2 mature growths and likely will not spike this year.
> I wonder if I wait too long to repot from the original source. I worry that I’ll disturb roots but I water frequently and I think I need to repot for fresh media and keep in the same size pot to keep pot bound.


Thank you, it’s beautiful! Sounds like mine still has a way to go then. I have one from another source that is larger, so I’m hoping that one spikes this year. Any tricks or tips to get it to initiate a spike?


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## Ozpaph (Apr 23, 2021)

well done


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## sunset (Apr 24, 2021)

excellent


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## Michael Bonda (May 9, 2021)

Kate Boyce-Miles said:


> So exquisite! I am hopefully going to get this cross. Could you please perhaps post a photo of the entire plant? I am curious to see the size - I know you have stated the size numerically but I find it easier to gauge from a photo.
> This is my favourite Paph. species.


Finally moved the stonei for a photo of the entire plant for you 
In a 3x3x4 inch pot


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## NEslipper (May 9, 2021)

Really nice! Looks like there’s a nice chunky new growth too, so hopefully you’ll get a higher flower count next round!


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## Guldal (May 9, 2021)

Any stonei in flower is a joy....but holy mackerel, that plant looks huge! Well grown, Michael!


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## Justin (May 9, 2021)

Phenomenal!


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## Kate Boyce-Miles (May 9, 2021)

Michael Bonda said:


> Finally moved the stonei for a photo of the entire plant for you
> In a 3x3x4 inch pot
> View attachment 27542
> 
> View attachment 27543


Thank you so much for taking photos of it. It is a superb looking specimen - very healthy.


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## Ozpaph (May 10, 2021)

big, healthy plant


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## DrLeslieEe (May 10, 2021)

Being born a stone’s throw from this species habitat in Borneo, I can’t help but adore your plant and blooms. Thanks to all the members here who keep this species (and all the Borneo ones like rothschildianum, sanderianum, hookerae, et al) alive for all of us (and future generations) to enjoy and be in awe of their beauty.

I just realized I did a pun in my first sentence lol.


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## Kate Boyce-Miles (May 10, 2021)

DrLeslieEe said:


> Being born a stone’s throw from this species habitat in Borneo, I can’t help but adore your plant and blooms. Thanks to all the members here who keep this species (and all the Borneo ones like rothschildianum, sanderianum, hookerae, et al) alive for all of us (and future generations) to enjoy and be in awe of their beauty.
> 
> I just realized I did a pun in my first sentence lol.


It took me a couple of seconds to work out the pun!


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## richgarrison (May 10, 2021)

DrLeslieEe said:


> Being born a stone’s throw from this species habitat in Borneo, I can’t help but adore your plant and blooms. Thanks to all the members here who keep this species (and all the Borneo ones like rothschildianum, sanderianum, hookerae, et al) alive for all of us (and future generations) to enjoy and be in awe of their beauty.
> 
> I just realized I did a pun in my first sentence lol.


looked quite intentional to me ;-)


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## Michael Bonda (May 10, 2021)

Kate Boyce-Miles said:


> It took me a couple of seconds to work out the pun!


I bet in some subliminal level you were aware of the pun.....
I am going to try to make puns of other slipper species names......
I hope my Roth IRA funds my rothschildianum collection in the future......pun intended!


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## jlosaw (May 11, 2021)

Well done, Michael..My favorite species.


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## JimNJ (May 11, 2021)

Michael Bonda said:


> Finally moved the stonei for a photo of the entire plant for you
> In a 3x3x4 inch pot
> View attachment 27542
> 
> View attachment 27543


Very nice, thanks for posting. Mine of the reverse cross is supposed to be NBS, but it’s barely half the size of yours - so will probably take several more years. .. Did you repot it into its original pot since you got it? For my larger Orchid Inn plants I always wonder if I should change the media at the risk of disturbing its growth or let it be till first flowering. Any tips or when to repot OI plants?


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## Paphman910 (May 11, 2021)

Beautiful species and I find it to be an easy grower!


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## Duck Slipper (May 11, 2021)

Justin said:


> Fantastic. Not something you see every day!.
> 
> I have not bloomed one in a long time. I lost a really good mother plant but luckily I had selfed it and am growing out seedlings. Also have a handful of seedlings from Taiwan that should bloom in another year. They were deflasked fourteen years ago!


Is this common for this species? 14 years from deflask to bloom?


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## Guldal (May 11, 2021)

DrLeslieEe said:


> I just realized I did a pun in my first sentence lol.


Yes....and no need to add the genetive 's' to the species name, as I think the genetive form is already there in the latin name, presumably meaning Stone's Paphiopedilum.
But who am I to throw the first stonei when living i a glass house!


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## musa (May 12, 2021)

Befor you throw stonei in your glass house send it to me, I'll send you some beautiful boulders instead... these are more effective concerning glass houses...


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## Justin (May 12, 2021)

Duck Slipper said:


> Is this common for this species? 14 years from deflask to bloom?



Probably more like ten years is to be expected. 

Things generally take longer for me, as my indoor conditions are suboptimal. It takes me a minimum of ten years to flower roths from flask, while other growers can bloom them much faster. My stonei seedlings also went through a lot of stress in those 14 years.


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## PhragNewbie021 (May 12, 2021)

Are most paphs grown in lower light conditions?


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## Guldal (May 12, 2021)

PhragNewbie021 said:


> Are most paphs grown in lower light conditions?


No, absolutely not.... but it depends on what you mean by 'lower'...if compared to Cattleyas my response would be in the affirmative, as I would never place my Paphs in a window facing South, where many of my Catt.s seem to thrive (bear in mind I live in the Northern hemisphere quite far away from the equator - therefor not South in the sense of Florida, Texas or Arizona).
Some of the Paphs growing in nature in the underwood or as humus epiphytes inbetween the roots of large trees might thrive with lower light or a more diffuse light source.
You can often learn something from information on the natural habitat of the plants - especially informative have I found Baker and Baker's meterological data for the habitats of many Paph. species in the sadly not completed work on the genus, that they did with Guido Braem.
Averyanov, Crib et al. in their preeminent monograph on 'The Slipper Orchids of Vietnam' likewise provide data from two weather stations near to the habitat of each of the species, they describe.
There is a lot of information to be gathered from such and like data, but one has to keep in mind, that one can't always make 1-1 inferences from environmental conditions to the optimal conditions in culture. And also be aware of the fact that the data we have at hand might be incomplete, limited and somehow leave out information that might be vitally important for culture.
I think a classic example in this respect might be P. henryanum: in the descriptions of its habitat it is ever so often stressed, that it grows on calceolous cliffs, which has led growers to add lime stone to the mix to mimic the supposedly alkaline condition of the habitat. Well, some botanists noted, that instead of seeing the manner of growth for this species as litophytic, it would be more precise to describe it as a humus epiphyte, as the plants tended to grow in cracks, on protrusions, etc. where decomposing remnants of leaves, bits of small branches and other organic material gathered. One bright head took samples of the rainwater running from the humus after the rain had subsided. Analyzed the PH value of these water samples turned our to be slightly on the acidic side. So much for alkaline....!
I've, since I learned about the above information, stopped adding limestone to the growth medium, which I did for a few plants, that I thought needed it. After I stopped, I happened upon Baker and Baker's general warning about adding limestone - they wash out/dissolve too fast and skews the PH in the mix.

My friend and mentor in all things orchidiadic, Hans Christiansen of Orchidegartneriet, still - after 50+ years as professional grower - admirably and unstintingly experiments and refines his cultural methods. He has the last couples of years moved the majority of his larger multiflorals (Roths, Sanderianum, Kolopakinkii, Topperii etc.) up quite high in his greenhouse, where they get more than an ample amount of light....and with great results!


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## PhragNewbie021 (May 13, 2021)

Wow, thank you for all the information you sent me. Now I will see what I can find out about growing my 2 Phrags that I have in my collection. I'll try to locate the Baker & Baker data to help me out. Thanks again. Joe.


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## Guldal (May 13, 2021)

PhragNewbie021 said:


> Now I will see what I can find out about growing my 2 Phrags that I have in my collection. I'll try to locate the Baker & Baker data to help me out. Thanks again. Joe.


The work of Baker & Baker, that I mentioned is on Paphs...they did a lot of work on other genus'es too, but I don't know, it they did something on Phrags? 
In your shoes, I would go to the Phrag-forum on this site to ask all the knowledgeable people there! Maybe it would be the easiest to ask them for advice/cultural tips specifically on the two plants, that you have!
And I'm sure they can also steer you in a good direction for your next buys (no reason to start out with some of the finickerer of the species!).

Kind regards Jens


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## PhragNewbie021 (May 13, 2021)

Thanks Jens, will do.


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## Camellkc (May 14, 2021)

PhragNewbie021 said:


> Are most paphs grown in lower light conditions?


It depends on which subsection and species. For example, I am concentrating on multifloral paphs. Except sanderianum, I grow them under strong light intensity. if the plant fully adapt strong light, it will become stronger and produce bigger and more flower count. Of course water them heavily and lots of fertilizer is a must If they are grown under strong light.


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## PhragNewbie021 (May 14, 2021)

Thanks for the info!


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