Best potting medium for paphiopedilums? - Page 2 - Orchid Board

slipperfreak · #11 07-29-2007, 03:04 PM

I totally agree with Ray - success with any medium varies depending upon conditions. The only Paph I can get to grow in sphag is Paph. delenatii, but I would say that bark will work in any conditions. It is hard to keep sphag at the right moisture level to avoid rot, especially if you tend to overwater things. When I use it, I usually add some perlite to it and put lots of drainage material at the bottom of the pot. Always use as small a pot as possible.

gixrj18 · #12 07-30-2007, 12:52 AM

I'm no expert, but I've always found layering works good with any plants. All my Paphs are in layers of coarse bark and sphag moss. About 2" alternating layers, all the way up. It creates plenty of breathing room, and still holds in the moisture.

slipperfreak · #13 07-30-2007, 02:24 AM

That's an interesting method, Jasen! It is somewhat similar to the way substrates are in the plants' natural habitats, so it must work well. I've used a similar method with Cyps before, but that's another story.

Lagoon · #14 07-30-2007, 07:54 AM

I agree, No one can really tell you what the best media will be for you, it's something thru trial and error, you will have to discover on your own. With some fine tunning you should be able to grow in various media's.

I done the bark mixes aswell as sphag. It worked out okay.
Now, I use a 50/50 peatmoss and perlite & grow in clay pots. This mix dries out very evenly and my paphs are greener for a longer period of time. I fertilize every 2 - 3 weeks.
I have found what I feel is the best mix for me.

justatypn · #15 07-30-2007, 04:39 PM

I am new to growing paph's and I have to say I love the topic and interesting members growing mix's. How often should these species be repotted. I have found mixed answers.

Angela, where do you live in Fl...there are so many different vendors as well as working greenhouses in Fl, will try to come up with some in your initial area. I have found that some nursery's not so focused on orchids do carry different potting mix's, which gives you a choice's other than the HD's. Shame on me being a employee/shareholder for the HD, but when it comes to orchids there is not fudging

Here is a website where I get many of my supplies...

Miscellaneous Orchid Products

slipperfreak · #16 07-30-2007, 06:16 PM

I repot all my Paphs annually. The frequency required varies depending on the mix; in bark you should repot every year because the bark usually will break down in that amount of time (fine grade). Paphs really like to be repotted into a fresh medium and respond to it very well with vigorous growth.

paphlovian · #17 07-30-2007, 06:25 PM

Wow-- thank you, everyone, for the abundance of information! I managed to find a finer bark for the paphs (though the quality of this, -'Scultz' brand I think- might not be a good as the other "Better Gro" I have). It just says "Ideal for orchids." I added a little to the top of one, and replaced most of the coarser mix in the other with the fine bark. Thought I'd try both and see if there's a difference in outcomes (they're both in identical pots). A third one a friend had given me: I found that the roots seem to be rotting a bit. I put a little spaghnum moss in the middle of the pot along with the fine and the coarser mix with it. I hope the spaghnum wasn't a bad idea with the roots in "rotten" shape. There were two strong roots, the others appear to have shriveled up (which I cut off). Time will tell how these survive-- and I hope it's well!

Cheryl, I am located in Sarasota County.

slipperfreak · #18 07-30-2007, 06:32 PM

Angela, you made some good decisions. If kept damp (not wet) the sphag you added to that one pot should encourage new root growth. I use it all the time with Paphs which lack healthy roots to revive them. Increasing the humidity will also help with that. Good luck!

paphlovian · #19 07-30-2007, 07:14 PM

Joe, that is great to know! I now feel better about using the spaghnum as I didn't know it helps promote root growth.

slipperfreak · #20 07-30-2007, 07:58 PM

Well sphag has its good points and bad points. If kept too wet it can easily induce rot in a Paph, yet if used appropriately it can be used as a constant source of moisture to promote new root growth; as well, as other growers have noted, it can be used as a growing medium if you are careful and when used under the right conditions (it just doesn't work too well for me as a full-out growing medium, especially since I like to water frequently).