Flowering stonei

[IdahoOrchid]

Could someone (Hoa or Lien?) please explain what it takes to flower a stonei?

Certainly would appreciate it since I am getting one soon. Just HAVE to try it.

[Diane]

I don't have a stonei, but do have a Lady Isabel.(stonei x roths) It is starting a spike now, only the second time it has rebloomed for me since I got it in 2000. She likes a lot of light, and a bit of a dry season. I think she is blooming for me this year because I upped the light.

[Hoa Tony Nguyen]

Well, stonei is not the easiest paph species to flower. I have flowered stonei hybrids but not the species itself. My stonei plants are still a few years from blooming! From the growing habits of the stonei plants and the hybrid plants that I have, I can tell that they are slow growing and like lot of light. Since they are slow growing, it would be best that you buy a big plant so you don't have to wait many years before the plant blooms. Many of these plants when they are still young, also might have a 2 year-blooming cycle, i.e. it would take 2 years for the growth to mature and flower. But many multifloral paphs are like that. They also like temperatures in the range of intermediate to warm. The trick to flower them is lot of light and a bit of coolness to initiate the buds!
Cheers. Hoa.

[smartie2000]

I don't grow one but interestingly someone's plant stayed in sheath for two years! The blooms were beautiful though

[lienluu]

Hoa has pretty much covered it.

Adding to what smartie pointed out. I have had a few P. stoneis that have beenin sheath for a few years now. They do not appear to be dying off nor do they appear to be initiating spike growth.

I'm not sure what the trigger is to get them to initiate spike growth...as they have had a cold chill, just like many of my other paphs that require it. It seems like some clones are more prone to doing this than others. I have other stonei clones that bloom without ever having a stalled sheath.

They're a slow growing species so it's definately wise to get as large a plant as you can.

[sunset]

Hello IdahoOrchid

I have a mature growth of paphiopedilum stonei. Curiously, it did not grow during one year. Now, it takes again its growth. I cultivate it like rothschildianum (fertilizer and light).

According to Hoa, choosing an adult plant or almost is a good idea

In my opinion, my stonei can flower now unless i have to wait that a new groth appears ?