I wanted to know what other people think. It seems to me if you want to get many more blooms you would divide the plant as much as possible since each new growth puts out its own flower. I am also a gardener and that is what you do with many flowers. What have other people found?

Hi Sally D,

All Paph. growths should flower anyway. Breaking up a plant and reducing it to a bunch of single growth divisions would, in many instances, produce the reverse effect - no flowers. This is because many Paphs need to be multigrowth to have enough strengh to bloom and many, like rothschildianum and druryi, don't even produce roots on a growth until it is already producing its' own new growths. There are many (Maudiae-type) hybrids that will establish well enough and bloom on a single divided off growth, but the flower quality won't be what it should be without the rest of the plant behind it. The rule of thumb with Paphs is to never divide down to any less than 2 or 3 growths when chopping a plant. If you want the plant to continue to grow well and bloom reliably in its' next approaching blooming season, don't get too happy with the hatchet!

My experience with Paphs and almost all orchids is just the opposite. Old growths may not bloom again, but they provide energy(photosynthesis) and nutrition(deveoped root system) that encourage more new growths and blooms as time goes on. I only divide my Paphs when the old growths in the middle die off and plant comes apart naturally.

As an example, I bought two complex divisions at the same time about two years ago. One was three growths and the other was one, both in good condition. The three growth plant plant has bloomed twice and has several new growths while the one growth plant has finally matured its first growth and is starting a second. Hopefully the first growth should bloom by next fall.

Hi Sally, nice to see you here! Also, with paphs, particularly multiflorals, I like to see a nice specimen sized plant with many blooms on multiple spikes, and you won't be getting that if you divide.

I've only ever divided one plant, an 8 growth Paph. Lebaudyanum. Boy was that a traumatic experience(!!), but apparently went well as both divisions appear to now be producing sheaths. We hope! Mine is....anyway...

I agree the concensus is to get them into big bunches for optimal blooming. I have come across a few non paph, orchid examples where bug clumps would not bloom (at all) until after a repotting and dividing session. Steve T addressed this same question in another forum and said that philippinense (and one other species, but I can't remember) seem to slow down with large numbers of divisions in a pot. I have also found when repotting my sukhakuli, wardii, and purpuratum that they can divide on their own.

Sally my rule of thumb is never divide unless the plant being repotted makes its own natural division. I learned this the hard way when repotting St Swithin with a very large clump of roots - before I learned better - part of the plant died and it took the remaining piece a very long time to recover. Nothing is prettier than a large paph with several blooms.

Good growing, orchidgal