The Orchid Source - Orchid Forum

So as a few may know, I recently purchased a Paphiopedilum In-Charm Firebird. As I lack experience I need some advice, seeming as how I can't send it back now! First off will it get enough light in an east facing window, or should I filter the light coming from my south window, and place it there? I've been told this is a temperamental plant, and I've heard the opposite stating that it will do well under normal Paph conditions. My internet research has been 2 sided, so any answers would help immensely, Thanks!

ask any three orchid growers an opinion on growing, you're gonna get five answers

True, so true. LOL

I grow Paphs. and have several In-Charm hybrids. An east window will
do fine, but humidity is far more important to bloom Paphs. Most Paphs.
like 60-80% humidity and over-watering is a big concern. Try to keep
the potting mix just moist in the root zone. A bamboo skewer down in
the pot will help you monitor the amount of moisture at the roots. In
addition, most Paphs. don't like salt build-up in the pot. Be sure to flush
the pot at least once a month if you're fertilizing every seven days.

Thanks abaxter, I appreciate it!

I water my Paphs early in the morning every single day but when that is not enough specially in the summer I put a plate fill with water under the pot and the plant is kept moist all time.

In addition to the above, I also add oyster shell just on the top!

if you did that up here in Rhode Island or with the media i use, the plants would quickly die from overwatering

Pawtucket, I was going to say something about that post too, but didn't
want to alienate Julio David again. I gather the poster is from the NE
of the United States and watering every day will rot the plant quickly.
Take my suggestion of keeping a bamboo skewer down in the pot and
check for moisture every other day or so. In our climate, Paphs. can
ALMOST dry before watering, especially during the winter months.

some folks don't know that what works for one person in one area (geographic or other) may not work for someone somewhere else

Julio was just saying what HE does. There are even differences in the way he grows his plants and how I grow mine ( we are about 80 miles apart ).

Julio's growing area has to be seen to be believed. It is an actual hanging garden that proyects from the face of cliff into space. It receives constant breezes from the north which even though the Atlantic is near by, tend to dry the plants relatively fast. However it is a dream setting to cultivate Vandas and its relatives which grow amazingly in his set up. I has certain unique drawbacks like the time a helicopter crashed and when a lighting stricke turned a palm tree into a ball of fire, but these are lesser complaints.

that sounds superfantastic!

The owner of the helicopter was his neighbor......

Oh my heavens!!!! I'd love to see some photos of his growing area
someday. It sounds wonderful and beautiful.

This hybrid is a multifloral x brachypetalum hybrid. As such, growing it is not much of a problem. Flowering it, however, is a different story. Some of these hybrids are not so hard to flower, and will do so without much special treatment. Others, however, such as Rolfei (bellatulum x rothschildianum) are notoriously difficult to flower without taking extreme measures. This is because the individual parents require such different conditions to flower at all, let alone well. In fact, the only cultural award for Rolfei refers specifically to this, and includes the words "leaves slightly faded and sunburnt." Any judge will tell you how contradictory these words are in a CCM description. Brachypetalums require a very dry rest, and some like bellatulum prefer it cooler than 50 F for short periods of time in order to set buds. The Coryopedilums, of which Susan Booth is a hybrid, can require higher light and a different rest, and tend to bloom on large (3-4+ growth) plants, and sometimes bloom infrequently at best.

Your conditions inside may be too consistent to achieve a bloom with this plant. You may want to expose this plant to jigher light and coller temps in the fall once it is large enough to withstand these harsh conditions.