Does this Paph. Vini Maudiae need to be repotted?

[leslieann79]

This is my very first paph and so I need some advice please. I just got it today and I'm wondering if I should repot it?

[quiltergal]

It's kind of hard to tell from the photo, is that a single growth plant? If it is then the yellowing bottom leaves are not good news and I would definitely investigate a root problem. If it's not a single growth and the yellowing leaves are from an old growth then I think you can leave it until it finishes blooming unless you have reason to suspect the media or roots are bad.

[leslieann79]

I think the camera flash did that to the leaves. They are quite nice in reality not yellowing at all. I guess I Will wait and see what the bloom will do. I just thought the media might look like its breaking down.

[RandomGemini]

I'm new to paphs too, it looks like there may be a new growth? Could someone with more experience with these confirm that for me?

I would repot after it blooms, just because. That way you know what medium they're in and know they have fresh stuff. Paphs like to be repotted twice a year.

[Fairorchids]

Plant appears to be too high in the pot. Root crown/base of fan should be 1/4" below medium surface.

With Paphs you can repot while they are in bud and/or flower, just be careful not to break the bud off.

[leslieann79]

Thanks for the info. Luckily I did re pot it. All but three roots were rotted and the medium was kinda like dirt. Now I have to figure out what to do with a paph with very few roots. With my phals I just pot them and give them the best care I can until new roots come along. I guess this might not be any different.

[PaphMadMan]

The easiest question in all of orchid growing is "Should I repot this Paph?" Unless the plant is in obvious perfect health and performing well, was repotted within the last 6 months, there is no question about the good condition of the roots, and the media is still obviously looking fresh, the answer is yes. Stage of growth or time of year does not matter at all if there is any question about the health of the roots or the condition of the media. Even if all those things are true, if the plant is in active growth and has not yet been repotted by you, it should be repotted so you know what the roots look like when they are healthy and the plant gets into the media you prefer. If a Paph loses a bud or flower after repotting, you were either too rough handling it or the plant wasn't strong enough to support the flower in the first place.

For your plant, it was not in perfect condition, the media was obviously old, and you hadn't yet repotted it yourself. Repotting was absolutely the right thing to do, immediately. For now, just make sure not to over-water, keep the humidity up, and use a stake to keep the plant from flopping in the pot if necessary. Any movement can damage new roots as they emerge. These Maudiae-types tend to grow like weeds so it should do just fine.

[leslieann79]

Thanks PaphMadMan. I bought this plant on ebay. Would y'all give bad feedback if you got a plant with rotted roots?

[PaphMadMan]

I'd almost always communicate with a vendor about a problem before leaving non-positive feedback. In this case they should thank you for the information and perhaps offer a small credit on future purchase. Not sure I'd expect more than that unless I was a regular customer or it was an expensive plant. The profit margin is pretty small on plants like this. As long as the plant survives and was not represented by a misleading pic I think neutral feedback is the worst that is justified, after communicating, unless they get nasty when you bring up the bad roots.

[leslieann79]

I did email the seller. Im not sure what to expect as far as a response. I would hate to tarnish their feedback. We will see!