How to get paphiopedilum orchids to bloom!! 

Oh well done!!!! Once you find the sweet spot they’re easy….finding it isn’t!!!

Thanks for watching - and yes, I think your local climate is always the clincher!

Oh thank you - still finding my way!

Thank you - and your orchid group - very much!!

They are extraordinary aren't they!

Thanks for watching!

Thank you for finding me - the half price orchid with the dead flower is a great way to go! Good luck with them!

Thanks for watching! Yes indeed - when one needs a re-pot I'll definitely film it!

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for watching!

I don't know if its unusual - but I wouldn't worry! A flowers a flower so well done and good luck!

Thanks for watching! Melbourne is not a humid climate so I do mist most indoor orchids most days. Outside I just let them do their thing but I do splash water about on the floor when I water which creates humidity and on some that are particularly needing of humidity I sit them in a dish of pebbles with a little water in to create a bit of extra humidity too.

@@helloplantlovers Thank you so much, super helpful!

@@ninab0bina ....and oddly, though the name is Greek - they are not a native of Greece!

@@helloplantlovers hahaha how peculiar!

Many thanks for finding me - and that's still a good selection! I've never heard of fairrieanum - looks wonderful!!! Going to have to try and find it!

Whoa!!!! Just looked up the fairrieanum and what a beauty!!! I must have one! 😂

Yes! Give it another go! Don't let it dry out - but also don't keep it too wet! A fine balance! Good luck!

@@helloplantlovers Ok. Thank you

Thanks for watching! I think the key with these is getting the light and watering right! My fertiliser regime for these is fairly loose! I always pot my orchids with a few grains of a generic slow release fertiliser in the mix ( and mycorrhizal fungi!). I top that up once a year by sprinkling a few grains on the top of the medium, not near any roots. With the paphs I do that late autumn as they gear up to bud. Then during the summer maybe once every few weeks a diluted liquid (1/8th recommended) seaweed based fertiliser with the watering. And when you can see a bud forming a couple of waterings that include a soluable orchid bloom fertiliser - that is nitrogen heavy - to a 1/6-1/8th of the recommended amount. Good luck!

Thanks for watching! A few places: *the plant fair at Bolobek in Macedon always first weekend in Oct *www.nickysslippers.com/ *I've seen them at Fitzroy Nursery on Brunswick St when they're in bloom (mid winter) *And ebay - there's generally some available on the AU site They're really well suited to Melbourne's climate so good luck!

Hi there - if mine are outside they are under cover so don't get rained on. I only give them a good hose down on a really hot day to clean the leaves but knowing that the water will evaporate really quickly and not linger in the crown. I've had no crown rot but I HAVE had root rot!

Hmm....I don't madly fertilise mine. Regular feeding in the warmer months is fine. Some do flower in a two year cycle though! The other factor could be light. Try somewhere with brighter indirect light, the same place you might put an Oncidium. Good luck!

Hi there, thanks for watching. Firstly, I think it's important to find what works for you and your conditions. For me I simply do let let them dry out completely, the medium needs to still have moisture about 1cm down if you poke your finger in. A little water often (except winter when they need less) will keep them in that state. And to be honest I fertilize when I remember - which from early spring to late summer would be about every 2-3 weeks. Again, that's my style and you might find your system works better. I use a seaweed based liquid fertilizer, and I dilute it but I don't measure it. I'd estimate about an eighth of the recommended dose on the bottle. Good luck.

Thanks for watching! They often have a limp look! Especially plants with plain green leaves. The more mottled leaves tend to be perkier! Good luck!

Thanks for watching. Wowser! Impossible to say without seeing it! Never heard of a single bloom lasting that long....unless it's silk! There is a yellow bloomed Psychopsis orchid that is sequential and the flower spike can last for 15 years - but with new successive flowers. A mystery.

@@helloplantlovers Thanks for your answer. I think I shall just cut off the flower spike and see if I can get another to grow. The original flower is now a bit papery, and plant has quite a few air roots, which I understand paphiopedilum don't have.