Sophronitis cernua

Try even more light.

 

I have the same problem. I grow mine in an aquarium with a dual bulb T-5HO lamp next to a window. So plenty of light. I have a fan going about 16 hrs a day and I feed it K-lite and seaweed weekly. Same results. It does have a few new growths though. Any one else grow these?

 

I too would love to hear how successful growers manage this plant. I have 2, 1 I've bloomed 3x, then I had to remount it and it hasn't bloomed since. It still produces plenty of roots, and 3-4 new shoots each year. The other 1 I inherited and it was more dead than alive. It too grows plenty of roots and new shoots, but (as of yet) no blooms. Both are grown in a terrarium under lights, mid 20C during the day, 15-18C at night, rh. 65-80% and good air flow. Light intensity varies from +/- 2000 fc in winter to 5000 fc in summer. I too have set an ultimatum for these plants. I'll give them until December, but that's it!

 

A few of you have said you're growing under lights. As this species occurs on the border of the tropics and subtropics, maybe it needs more seasonal variation in daytime length.

 

Hmm, that seems like plenty of variation in day length. I remember that Jacob Uluwehi mentioned in a thread about Vanda tessellata that his plant refused to flower for him under artificial lights, blooming only once it had been moved to a friend's greenhouse. Perhaps S. cernua is another one of these stubborn species.

 

I am not going to question/discuss Jacob's observation on his Vanda... however plenty of people have bloomed Sophronitis cernua under light culture. Although I grow mine 5-6 months of years outside, it blooms quite okay under light in the fall or winter. Light is Cattleya light.

 

I have one clone of cernua which bloomed reliably for me under 100% artificial light (this one) but two others that after 3 years under artificial light never bloomed.

I adjust the timer for my light every few weeks in increments of 15 min to correspond to elongating or shortening day-length depending on the time of year.

 

I have several clones of S.cernua and they behave differently grown side by side. Some need a larger temperature difference between night and some need stronger light.
I have also found that the individual flower lifetime is significantly longer at cooler temperatures for all the clones I had over the years.

I though must admit that I have them all on my balcony all summer for lower temperature and larger day night temperature variation.

 

This plant sounds like a tough nut to crack...I'll be optimistic and see what happens. Lots of suggestions to try when mine gets to the blooming age.

 

It's funny how some plants do better when you are too buy for them. Thanks for the tip, it's so small now I will probably have forgotten it by the time it gets old enough to bloom. So bright lights it is!