Paphiopedilum gigantifolium

[Paul]

Not yet a monster plant, so only two flowers. I hope to grow it a big plant soon!!

 

[Tom499]

Stunning!

One day...

 

[emydura]

Nice Paul. Congrats in getting this to flowering. That is better than most of us.

 

[Ozpaph]

well done.

 

[Justin]

Bravo!!!

 

[Cheyenne]

Paul, that is a lovely gigantifolium. This is just killing me. Everyone is posting these latley. Could you please give us some info on the plant. Like a plant photo, how big it is, how wide the leaves are, are they light or dark grren? There are two different populations of these that give slightly different results. There is a lowland and highland form. I forget which one is what. The ones we have been seeing latley are smaller plants(mature being about the size of a big platyphyllum or roth) with more vibrant colors, like green and purple in the dorsal and overall deeper color. Then the other kind can get huge with leaves 6inches wide or more , and are bigger than kolopakingii when mature. They have a more yellowish overall color to the flowers and more subdued color. If yours is the later it would be very interesting because I have only seen them on a few taiwanese websites. I know the ones that Sam Tsui and Glen Decker imported were the smaller ones with darker colors.

 

[paphioboy]

Beautiful!

 

[Eric Muehlbauer]

How much light do these guys require? As much as philipinense, or as little as parishii? If they are low light, I'd love to get one...don't think I could handle another huge high light plant though......

 

[NYEric]

Still mostly not legal here!

 

[Paul]

Hello all

I don't really know how to grow them best... but now that I'm using my own K-lite formula (with 50% N as ammonium) I see some improvement in the colour leaves: now they are quite dark green, not the darkest I have seen.
I would say plant is about the size of a big roths, and half size of kolopakingii (on a first bloom)
It likes to be wet all the time but does not like salts accumulation at all (I have lost some roots this way). Medium light, about Phal light. High humidity of course is required. temperatures can be moderate, about 20-25°C is good.

A friend of I has seen some in situ (or almost, was with a local collector that grows them in his "garden"... ), and told me it grows in the forest, very very humid, not cool, but not really warm, and it can reach very big size there in a couple years (leaves wide as a hand), from quite a small plant.

 

[Trithor]

Thank you for your culture info. I have three plants, only one of them seems to be growing. Please could you post a picture of the plant itself with some size reference.
The blooms are stunning, well done!

 

[SlipperFan]

I wouldn't care how big it gets -- I'd make room for it. :smitten:

 

[Spaph]

Great first blooming, hoping it gets giant!