# Paphiopedilum mastersianum



## Paul (Jun 2, 2013)

This one blooms every year, but only one growth each time. I hope to get more growths now, with low K fertilization... 

The spike is 40cm tall


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## Rick (Jun 2, 2013)

Very nice Paul:clap:

My larger ones are starting to add new growths. So I also hope to see multi spikes. That will be rare for mastersianum. Also one of my plants is carrying a good looking seed capsule from this past blooming......but I didn't pollinate it???

Do you know the source of your plant?


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## Paul (Jun 2, 2013)

Yes, this one comes from a French seller (Alfa), and maybe a Taiwanese plant.


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## ZWUM (Jun 2, 2013)

Very nice!


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## SlipperKing (Jun 2, 2013)

Very nice Paul. At least its alive! More then I can say of a lot of my old ones.


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## SlipperFan (Jun 2, 2013)

It's a beauty. So hard to grow!


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## Stone (Jun 2, 2013)

Congratulations Paul its a very nice species. Do you keep this in a lot of shade? I think they like that?


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## Spaph (Jun 2, 2013)

Great growing!


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## Ozpaph (Jun 2, 2013)

very nice. great stem.


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## JeanLux (Jun 3, 2013)

Great growing Paul!!!! Jean


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## Trithor (Jun 3, 2013)

Rick said:


> Very nice Paul:clap:
> 
> My larger ones are starting to add new growths. So I also hope to see multi spikes. That will be rare for mastersianum. Also one of my plants is carrying a good looking seed capsule from this past blooming......but I didn't pollinate it???
> 
> Do you know the source of your plant?



Mastersianum very commonly self pollinates. Often when it is used as the pod parent and if the pollina are not removed, a few of the seedling turn out to be mastersianum and not the hybrid. I suspect that some clones do self more often than others, but it is not uncommon.


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## The Mutant (Jun 3, 2013)

I'll show this picture to my mastersianum, to inspire it to make a new growth or two (it's so SLOW).


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## GuRu (Jun 3, 2013)

The Mutant said:


> I'll show this picture to my mastersianum, to inspire it to make a new growth or two (it's so SLOW).


Good idea, I'll do the same to mine.
Paul, that's a lovely flower.


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## eggshells (Jun 3, 2013)

Nice mastersianum, another not often seen species.


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## Paul (Jun 3, 2013)

eggshells said:


> Nice mastersianum, another not often seen species.



yes, maybe hard to keep alive on a long term. I hope to get new growthS soon, and not just one like each year. 

the flower is quite big for the species: 12cm


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## Rick (Jun 3, 2013)

Trithor said:


> Mastersianum very commonly self pollinates. I suspect that some clones do self more often than others, but it is not uncommon.



At least in the US hardly anyone even has this species in their collections (or not for very long) to make this observation. Is it more common in Africa?

Unless you are refering to hybrids with this species which are pretty common.


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## Eric Muehlbauer (Jun 3, 2013)

I love mastersianum, and there really is no reason for it to be so scarce (in the US). Yes, it is difficult to keep alive for long, but no worse than many other paphs...and if it lives, it is not hard to bloom.


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## ZWUM (Jun 4, 2013)

I love this species. Any suggestions on a source?


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## SlipperKing (Jun 4, 2013)

I see its in a clay pot Paul but need to let loose some of your secret culture techniques! What besides the plant is in the pot?


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## Eric Muehlbauer (Jun 5, 2013)

Thanh Nguyen used to have them fairly regularly, at reasonable prices...but I haven't seen them on his lists in a few years.


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## Trithor (Jun 5, 2013)

Rick said:


> At least in the US hardly anyone even has this species in their collections (or not for very long) to make this observation. Is it more common in Africa?
> 
> Unless you are refering to hybrids with this species which are pretty common.



I would not say that it is common in Africa at all (Obviously the hybrids are more common, but I am speaking of the species). I spoke to Norito at a local show many years ago after I had a few plants which had started pods for no apparent reason, and he told me that a few years previously they had purchaced a number of plants of a cross with mastersianum as the pod parent and that he specifically selected the plants with lighter green foliage as he suspected that they may turn out to be mastersianum rather than the hybrid. Apparently they did flower as mastersianum. I have noticed the same on my plants over the years (not that I have ever harvested the pod and plated the seed to confirm or refute the theory).


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## The Mutant (Jun 5, 2013)

Eric Muehlbauer said:


> I love mastersianum, and there really is no reason for it to be so scarce (in the US). Yes, it is difficult to keep alive for long, but no worse than many other paphs...and if it lives, it is not hard to bloom.


How long is long? As mentioned, I have one of these and I've had it for almost a year now (not long in other words). It hasn't bloomed yet or made any new growths, but for how long do they usually last? Do they often bloom once and then die? I just want to know so I'm prepared.


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## Eric Muehlbauer (Jun 5, 2013)

My best one came from Paphanatics. I had it maybe 3-4 years...it bloomed the 2nd year. Of the small plants I got from Thanh, one lasted about 2-3 years before dying. The other...I'll have to check the repotting history on the tag...I've had maybe 4 years now? But its pathetic...down to 1 small leaf. While its holding steady, it will just be a slow death. If it recovers, it will be a miracle.


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## Rick (Jun 5, 2013)

My first one was an import from Indonesia (I don't know if it was a collected plant). I had it for about 4 years, and it was up/down/up/down the whole time. It bloomed, and I put pollen on it from Uri Baruk's plant. Got back about 12 seedlings from TM, and haven't lost any. 2 of them bloomed in less than 3 years out of flask. Another 2 are blooming size (12-14"LS). The rest are still much smaller. But they really like basket culture and low K feeding.

The biggest ones were not all that obviously bigger when I moved them out of compot into baskets, but they really accelerated when I did that. The smaller ones went into standard 2" pots, and are moving at what I would say is the "standard rate" for mastersianum.

These guys really suffer under low humidity conditions, and I doubt that K lite or baskets would make a difference at less than 70% humidity.


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## Rick (Jun 5, 2013)

Trithor said:


> I have noticed the same on my plants over the years (not that I have ever harvested the pod and plated the seed to confirm or refute the theory).



How many do you have Trithor? What's your culture like on these?


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## Eric Muehlbauer (Jun 5, 2013)

Just checked my tag...I've had my pathetic mastersianum for 6 years.


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## naoki (Jun 5, 2013)

ZWUM said:


> I love this species. Any suggestions on a source?



I'm getting one (and P. violascens and many others) from Matt of Ten Shin Gardens http://www.tenshinorchids.com . For the small ones, they are $20 each. I think his paphs are from Hung Shen breeding. He is in the US this weekend (Shore Orchid Fest.), so it is too late for this round, but he comes to the US frequently.


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## The Mutant (Jun 6, 2013)

Okay, good to know how long they usually survive. Let's see for how long mine will stay with us. 

After I got the new humidifier it started to grow, which I take as a good sign.


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## Trithor (Jun 6, 2013)

Rick said:


> How many do you have Trithor? What's your culture like on these?



I have 15 plants in various sizes and from various sources. I cannot say that any grow very well, but they do grow and flower (if somewhat intermittantly)
I try to maintain them at very high humidity, along with the violascens, but give them slightly higher light levels, kind of midway between multi light and mottle light) This is the only group that I heat in winter. While all of the rest are allowed to go down to arround 8 degree C, these are maintained on a hotbed set at 22 degree c (They are covered over at night so their min temp at root will be about 21, while leaf temp will probably go down to about 17. Daytime temps are about 22 for roots and 27 for leaf in winter and all the above about 5 degree C warmer in Summer)
I am hoping with a higher mag and calcium level, with a much lower K level, that there will be an improvement. These are the only two species which I have not split into the test that I am running, as the hotbed unfortunately falls within the K-Lite half of my greenhouse, so i suppose it is do-or-die for them


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## limuhead (Sep 1, 2013)

Interesting. I just bought a mini-compot(5 seedlings) of mastersianum on Ebay today. I think I paid 26 bucks for it. Hope I can grow them, but hey, I have killed a lot of much more expensive plants than that...


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## paworsport (Sep 2, 2013)

Beautifull
I love this species for his color and long lasting
Is it really a slow grower ?:clap:


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## Susie11 (Sep 2, 2013)

It's very nice.


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## Paul (Sep 2, 2013)

quite slow... growths can bloom in a year but plant only starts to clump now with 2/3 new growths for the first time after 3 or 4 years of culture. 

needs to be grown quite warm (but not hot in the day), quite shady and quite humid. low salts is also important for it


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## likespaphs (Sep 3, 2013)

limuhead said:


> Interesting. I just bought a mini-compot(5 seedlings) of mastersianum on Ebay today. I think I paid 26 bucks for it. Hope I can grow them, but hey, I have killed a lot of much more expensive plants than that...



so you won that 
i kicked myself after missing out on bidding on that.....


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## Rick (Sep 6, 2013)

limuhead said:


> Interesting. I just bought a mini-compot(5 seedlings) of mastersianum on Ebay today. I think I paid 26 bucks for it. Hope I can grow them, but hey, I have killed a lot of much more expensive plants than that...



Outrageously good price!!


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