Brassidium won't flower

[orchid60]

Hi everyone

I have an enormous Brassidium (Betty M Shiraki) that has never flowered for me it has only be divided one and that division has never flowered either. Hope these image load

Thanks

[MrHappyRotter]

It looks well-grown and healthy, so my go to answer for this situation is usually 1) give it more light and 2) give it more time.

[orchid60]

thanks for the reply, I have had this orchid for many years, also it is on my front verandah getting morning sun till about 10.00am

How long do they take to flower???

[fishmom]

I doubt that size is the issue. Can you find a spot where it would get even more light? Like longer in the morning, or less filtered during the day?

Another thing that might help is a temperature difference between night and day. Do you have a 15 degree difference or more in your climate? I've only read about this , but it is supposed to make a difference for many plants.

[orchid60]

my front verandah is outside which gets daylight from 6:30am till dark at 7:00pm this is the winter time which we are just coming into summer is longer and I had it in full sun till around 11:00am as for the temperature difference, it is still around 25 degrees here and drops overnight to around 15 or 16 slowly getting colder, during our summer it got up to 35 degrees sometimes 40 but was not in the sun at those temperatures.

[Ray]

What formula, what concentration, and how often are you feeding it?

[PaphMadMan]

One parent of this hybrid, Oncidium sphacelatum, needs very bright light and tends to flower best on a very large plant. Keep the largest plant you can accommodate, don't divide unless necessary. Increase light gradually until leaves are a bit more yellow-green. Summer heat isn't a problem but make sure it gets a nightly temperature drop, and ideally to below 15C in winter. Cut back water and fertilizer in the winter.

Ray's question about fertilizer is important. Too much can definitely hold back flowering, and I think the condition of the plant suggests it is well fertilized. Ray is good, but whatever he suggests I would take as the maximum for a plant that is healthy and mature but not flowering.

Opinions will always vary, but that is the best evidence that there isn't one perfect formula for success. Make the changes that make sense to you, and be patient. It may take a full year plus getting to the next peak flowering season (probably late spring for this hybrid) before you can really expect flowering.

[orchid60]

Originally Posted by Ray

What formula, what concentration, and how often are you feeding it?

I don't fertilize as often as I should because of the size but will put into more light which will be outside in the garden.