paph help, please

[VickiC]

It's good to know that the leaf color looks as it should....I'm not concerned now that I thought it was too light.

I'll take your advice and not mist it....I didn't know that it was subject to crown rot anymore than most any orchid (except Phals, which I already knew. In fact, I believe that was my problem once and I lost the Phal .

I will also remove some of the sphag and hope it will stand up by itself. If not, I'm thinking about repotting it in S/H. ?? If so, it would be partly because I read that paphs do well in S/H. ?? It impressed me that some guy I read about got some kind of reward for a paph he had in S/H. I would appreciate your thoughts.
Thanks in advance,
Vicki

Originally Posted by quiltergal

The leaf color looks just fine. I have a Paph. sukhakulii that looks just like that. Paphs generally don't care too much about being misted. Misting doesn't do much IMO for any orchids. With Paphs and Phals you run the risk of crown rot if you mist. If you feel you have to then I'd be sure to blot up any excess from the crown and the leaves with a paper towel. I agree with Gloria that quite a bit of that Sphag needs to go or you'll rot it from the bottom up.

[Ed b]

Vicki;
Idon't know if these attached pictures will help ,but it might give you an idea of the different leaf colors found in the paphs.
Ed b

[quiltergal]

Vicki, I don't have any of my Paphs in S/H. They're doing so well I don't want to jinx myself. I'm following the old addage if it ain't broke don't fix it. That said Paphs are semi-terrestrial for the most part and grow in the leaf litter on the forest floor. I'm not sure how well yours will do long term in sphag. I know Gloria who loves sphag has her Paphs in something else like a bark, perlite, peat mix of some sort. Just something to think about.

[shakkai]

Vicki, If it is helpful, I posted a series of different Paph leaves in this thread: http://www.orchidboard.com/community...pe-leaves.html

Just to give you some comparisons...

I, too, love to grow things in sphag... but all of my Paphs are in a bark mixture. Mostly all of them came from a very experienced Paph nursery that is only 10 minutes from me (so conditions are quite similar - except I don't have the big greenhouses! LOL!) and that is what they came in, so I went with it. I purchase the bark mix from them, when I need to repot.

[Ray]

Vicki, et al, for what it's worth, the first plants ever grown in s/h were paphs, and if your plant is healthy when you make the switch to it, they typically put on a growth spurt like you wouldn't believe.

[Lagoon]

What do you mean when you say "Do you fan?" Do you mean "Do you HAVE a fan?" (Don't laugh....I'm serious. I really don't know what you mean....I'm sorry).

Hi Vicki, Don't be sorry for asking questions, I think we ALL learn alot from it
I was just wanting to know from you - when you mist do you also run a fan on your orchids.
I don't feel like many others that a daily mist does much for orchids, many do it to increase the humidity. Sure, it helps but for a short time period.

I don't mist daily but I do mist, mainly in the winter months when things get a bit drier and the spider mites decide to dine on my 'chids "Raw"
I soak most of my plants down 2 per week but I also provide fanning. I don't want to encourage fungus. I fan til the leaves are dry - It keeps the mites off pretty well.
So I just wanted to know what your sorta routine was as I was abit concerned about fungus starting. See I worry too

Yap, As Terri said, I do love my sphag like some other members here. But I don't grow any paphs in it. I do grow my phrags in sphagnum moss - they grow like crazy in it.
I like my tweaked mix of small bark, peatmoss and perlite. It dries out very evenly, I water 2x per week.

It's easy!

[VickiC]

Thank you for the pictures, Ed. Since this is my 1st paph so not having others to compare it to, it's hard for me to figure out which one I have....so your pics are helpful. I re-potted it from that big pile of sphag I had it in to S/H and somewhere along the line, I lost the tag that I had in it, but I remember it said that the paph was "something Maudie" ?? Anyway, I guess that's not really important at this point (in my very early career of paph growing lol)....if I can just give it (I'm hoping) good growing conditions, maybe it will do just fine. Keep your fingers crossed for you.
Vicki

Originally Posted by Ed b

Vicki;
Idon't know if these attached pictures will help ,but it might give you an idea of the different leaf colors found in the paphs.
Ed b

[VickiC]

I didn't know that paphs were the first to be potted in S/H.....interesting. Once again, I learned something new.....thanks.

My paph seems to be healthy, but it's still small (a seedling) and has only 3 little roots, but they seem to be ok, as well.

I'm ahead of you (VERY, VERY uncommon, by the way).....I switched my paph to S/H already. As I think I may have said in one of my other posts (??), the reason I potted it in sphag in the first place (when I received it initially) was because I thought maybe the small, tender roots should be "resting" on soft sphag for now (once again, I was clueless). I didn't know if the PrimeAgra would be too "rough" on them, at this point. ??

Anyway, I'm really looking forward to the fast spurt of growth that you mentioned. (Can I hold you to that?! JUST KIDDING!)
Thanks again,
Vicki

Originally Posted by Ray

Vicki, et al, for what it's worth, the first plants ever grown in s/h were paphs, and if your plant is healthy when you make the switch to it, they typically put on a growth spurt like you wouldn't believe.

[Ed b]

VickiC;
Glad to be of some help,the middle photo is Paph.Maudie xPulsar.
Ed b