Being a Paph owner for a week

[The Mutant]

Hello!

Just wanted to share some stuff with you guys.

So, I've now been a Paph owner for a week and branching into a new genera has been nerve wracking and exciting!

I'm might be a newbie when it comes to Phals, but when it comes to Paphs I'm so very new that the first Paph I've ever seen in real life, is the one standing on a pedestal in my kitchen!


My Paphiopedilum ceramense, or Paph. bullenainum var. celebesense/ceramensis, arrived on Monday last week, bare rooted and surprisingly small.

My very first newbie thoughts when seeing the roots were, "Oh my God, the roots are rotted! And covered in mold!" Then I realized that I was too used to hanging out with my Phals and that the roots were in excellent condition and that they are supposed to be fuzzy.

I potted it in my preferred bark/sphagnum/perlite-mix, but with fine grade bark instead. Again I felt so utterly new to this genra since I had no idea how deep I was supposed to pot it. It feels so odd to be as uncertain as this.

Anyway, I potted it, put it on the pedestal together, but still isolated from the Phal crew, and waited. I have been told that these guys make the Phals seem like quick growers, so I wasn't expecting anything from it. What it has done so far though, during this one week, is straightening the spike it came with (the seller recommended me to cut it since he was 98% certain it wouldn't amount to anything, but I couldn't so it's still there), putting out a new growth, and its roots has also started growing. I think the spike may be growing too, but I'm a bit uncertain.

So, so far this little Paph has brought me plenty of nice surprises and I like being a Paph owner. For now that is. I haven't started watering it yet so I still have plenty of chances of screwing up my ownership.



Just potted:


New growth?


Spike six days ago:


Spike yesterday:

[Susie11]

It looks great. I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of seven paphs that I have just bought to add to my small paph collection. I hope that I can look after them as good as you have yours.

I have heard that paphs like an open free draining medium so I don't know if the fine bark that you put yours into is a good long term idea. Maybe a medium sized one would be better but time will tell. Good luck.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Check out this link:

The orchids in the secret Kerangas forest

[The Mutant]

Originally Posted by Susie11

It looks great. I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of seven paphs that I have just bought to add to my small paph collection. I hope that I can look after them as good as you have yours.

I have heard that paphs like an open free draining medium so I don't know if the fine bark that you put yours into is a good long term idea. Maybe a medium sized one would be better but time will tell. Good luck.

Oh, the waiting is the hardest part! I have two more Paphs that will be shipped to me, one as soon as the weather allows it; a Paph Maudiae Vinicolor "Schwartze Madonna", and one that will be shipped in May; a Paph villosum var. gratrixianum (which doesn't exist what with villosum and gratrixianum being two different species, but I hope the seller, for one reason or another, has used one of the old names for Paph. gratrixianum).

I've been recommended a finer grade bark to Paphs than what I use for my Phals, from both the seller and the guys over at Slippertalk, so I'll see how it'll turn out.

So far I haven't started taking care of mine, I've just potted it and stared at it a lot (oh, and tried to keep the humidity level higher and more even since I've read that they like that), the rest is all thanks to it being a healthy plant to begin with and the conditions I can provide. Oh, and not to forget about SPRING.

Good luck with yours too and I'm positive it's going to work out great.

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

Check out this link:

The orchids in the secret Kerangas forest

Look at that foliage! Love it! Thanks for the link.

[Susie11]

Originally Posted by The Mutant

Oh, the waiting is the hardest part! I have two more Paphs that will be shipped to me, one as soon as the weather allows it; a Paph Maudiae Vinicolor "Schwartze Madonna", and one that will be shipped in May; a Paph villosum var. gratrixianum (which doesn't exist what with villosum and gratrixianum being two different species, but I hope the seller, for one reason or another, has used one of the old names for Paph. gratrixianum).

I've been recommended a finer grade bark to Paphs than what I use for my Phals, from both the seller and the guys over at Slippertalk, so I'll see how it'll turn out.

So far I haven't started taking care of mine, I've just potted it and stared at it a lot (oh, and tried to keep the humidity level higher and more even since I've read that they like that), the rest is all thanks to it being a healthy plant to begin with and the conditions I can provide. Oh, and not to forget about SPRING.

Good luck with yours too and I'm positive it's going to work out great.



Look at that foliage! Love it! Thanks for the link.

Wel I am having a shipment sent tomorrow -I hope. I don't know where you are getting yours from but mine is coming from Germany and so I how that they are ok. If not I will have to return them I guess.

I like Gatrixianum as well but for me there can only be green paphs in my collection- seven at the moment but growing steadily!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

2 links that may be of interest to you:

Paph sp. (I suspect it might be Paph gratixianum):

A Paphiopedilum sp. from Laos | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Paph villosum:

Paph. villosum | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

[The Mutant]

One of them is probably originally from Germany (the "Schwartze Madonna") but I bought it from a Swedish vendor. The other one I suspect is being imported from Taiwan/Thailand but is also bought from a Swedish vendor. I think he won't get the orchids until the end of April/beginning of May, which is why I'll have to wait for it till then.

The one I have was bought from a member at the Swedish orchid forum. This forum has turned out to be a great way to get beautiful orchids quickly. I'm so glad that the Swedish collectors have to do some spring cleaning since this means more orchids to me.

[The Mutant]

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

2 links that may be of interest to you:

Paph sp. (I suspect it might be Paph gratixianum):

A Paphiopedilum sp. from Laos | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Paph villosum:

Paph. villosum | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Love the gratrixianum! It's simple, yet beautiful... The villosum isn't a bad Paph either, and I've read that they are both good beginner's Paphs, but they are NOT the same species. Apparently Paph gratrixianum was called Paph villosum var. gratrixianum at one point in time, but I hope mine is a gratrixianum.

I'll have the guys at Slippertalk help me identify the Paph when it has arrived, they knew how to tell them apart even without the Paph blooming. I'm so glad that there's plenty of orchid experts out on the net, willing to share their knowledge with us noobs.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I'm not a big Paph nut - but don't get me wrong, I totally understand the draw. I've grown Paphs before. I'm currently growing one now (Paph vietnamense). But my tastes for Paphs are a bit discriminating at the moment. I tend to lean towards Paphs belonging to sections Brachypetalum and Parvisepalum. I may branch out later, idk. Paphs and Phrags can sometimes be a bit out of my price range most of the times. It's often painful when failures occur.

[The Mutant]

I'm picky too, and those subgenera belong to my "Oh, never in my life"-list! But that's great - you buy those and I'll take the others.