dumb question of the day....blooming

OK, I know that everyone has different conditions, etc. but I just wanted to know which genus typically bloom annually and which bloom more frequently.

My specific collection includes Catts, Phals, Paphs, Oncidiums primarily. Do any of these, grown indoors, flower reliably for anyone, say, twice a year? Or does it take an annual cycle for the catts, for example, to produce bulb, leaf, sheath and flower?

I don't know about Catts and Phals but Paphs and Phrags will bloom whenever they are ready, especially when they are large matured multigrowth healthy plants. Some Paph and Phrag species even hybrids are in bloom year round! I grow my plants indoor during winter and out in the bright sunny porch/sunroom in the summer (about 2 summer months here in ME).

Hope this helps!

Cinderella, that depends not only on genus, but on grex. All of the genera you mentioned contain members that can bloom reliably twice a year, and some of the mature plants can remain in bloom virtually year around. On the other hand, some may only bloom once a year, and some Paphs. may only bloom once every other year.


I know that's not the answer you were looking for....

Someone's going to give me hell for saying this, but, given optimum conditions, many hybrids in those genera will bloom reliably twice yearly.

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Louis J. Aszod

Once every other year! I was wondering why my Paphs never bloom. Thanks for the info.

it's so variable that even among plants of a certain type, i.e. multifloral paphs, you will have some that grow faster and bloom more frequently than others, even if they are from the same grex or even the same seed pod. Culture and genetics both are huge factors.

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Jason

mini catts definatley bloom more than once a year...dends and phals last soooooo long there is no way they could be mulitple blooming ,unless you count blooming from the end of and old spike.........oncidium genera can be twice a year blooming if you can get the new growth to mature...species vary.....
Now having said all that..I am seeing much earlier spiking on some that just finished at the end of winter....I think this crazy cold -hot weather we had confused them. My brassia rex..bloomed late in the fall and is ready to pop again. I guess they bloom when they want to!!

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< Gilda >
"Master of the Moth"

I have an onc noid, either Gower Ramsey or Sweet Sugar, that blooms twice a year, mostly indoors. New bulbs mature in about 4-6 months max, then bloom. Mine was in bloom last July/August, then January, and now again in June/July - most of that time the plant was indoors.