How to give a Paph a Physical...?

[superbelks]

Hey guys, does anyone know how I can check on the health of my Paph, she was in bloom when I got her back in December, but no longer. Her leaves are a bright green and look very sturdy but how do I check on the health of the roots without, well, uprooting her? a couple of the ones on the surface look dry and brown but not soggy.

[Blueszz]

I think you can't tell without unpotting it. Paph's like to be repotted each year so you might considder to unpot her and check the roots the same time. If you bought her in December she most likely needs to be repotted.
I have one in a translucent pot which allows me to see the root growth, which is a great guidance to see if I do well with watering or not.

[Ray]

Bright green is not necessarily a good color for paphs - it may indicate an excess of nitrogen.

What are you feeding it?

[superbelks]

If there in fact is an excess of nitrogen, how do I correct it?

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by superbelks

If there in fact is an excess of nitrogen, how do I correct it?

Very easily, just give less or a different fert. But excess nitrgoen is just an assumption, more info is needed. What's the NPK ratio of your fertilizer, how much do you use and how often? Any pics?

[RosieC]

To check the some of the roots you can try laying the plant on it's side and gently tapping some of the top bark out until you can see the top roots.

You won't get a good look though unless you unpot it.

Can you post a pic of the leaves, that should help people judge if the coulour is right.

[superbelks]

Thank you Rosie, here's a couple of pictures of the leaves. I think she looks pretty healthy but I will heed your advise and re-pot her very soon.

[RosieC]

The leaves look healthy to me, but I'm not an expert on mottled Paphs. Hopefully someone else will be able to comment.