Is this paph repotted properly?

[Dante1709]

I've had this paph for around 8 months and when I first received it, I didn't repot. I noticed the leaves getting wrinkly after the bud opened, and since the media stank, I repotted it in a fir bark and lava rock mix, about a month or two later. It's tiny root system will only support the plant if it's in a corner, so it's hard to center it.

Now see a new root coming along with new leaves, but I'm uncertain as to if it's potted too high and too far into the corner. Should I wait for the leaves to develop, or repot now? I'm OCD when it comes to repotting and don't want to stress the plant out further, but I also want new roots to come in and develop.


Untitled by Dante1709, on Flickr


Untitled by Dante1709, on Flickr

[jeremyinsf]

The corner is fine, but the roots should be in the media. You could probably just throw some on top.

---------- Post added at 05:10 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:09 PM ----------

And actually there is a train of thought that the corner is better. The roots will attach to the sidewall and give it stability.

[Fairorchids]

Plant is too high in the pot. The root crown (where base of fan and roots meet) should be 1/4" below medium surface.

As potted now, you risk new roots emerging in air, which is not good.

[Dante1709]

Originally Posted by Fairorchids

Plant is too high in the pot. The root crown (where base of fan and roots meet) should be 1/4" below medium surface.

As potted now, you risk new roots emerging in air, which is not good.

So how deep should the new growth (seen on the picture as a green nubbin' on the left) be within the soil? I'm a little worried about the fan rotting.

[RosieC]

I think if you were to top up to the top edge of the pot that would be enough. It doesn't need to be much deeper, just enough to cover the roots.

[tarev]

Most paphs are terrestrials, so roots should be under the media and not exposed. So if that is my paph, I would add more media to cover it. As terrestrials it likes growing in moist conditions that drains well. There are some that are epiphytic too which enjoys growing in rocky crevices.

[Dante1709]

I usually make sure those roots stay moist, by misting them whenever they are dry. I just added some more media on the root and I'll probably do the same for the new growth. The plant has enough roots for a paph and I'm not too worried about it, especially since it's growing those leaves pretty fast.

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[Fairorchids]

The new fan should be covered to the top of the bright green leaflet on the bottom, so that roots forming on it's base are 1/4" below surface.

Since you use a granular medium, don't worry about humidity around the new fan. On the contrary, Paphs do not like going dry, so you need to water a little more using that potting material. Actually, looking at the leaves of this plant, to my eyes it appears dehydrated; not badly, but it needs more water.

I grow my seedling Paphs in 2/3 spaghnum w 1/3 fine bark & charcoal in 2" pots, and I keep them wet/moist all the time. My larger plants are in a bark mix, but I have hanging Vandas above them, so they get drenched twice a week.

I will take some photos to show what I'm talking about when I go to the greenhouse on Wednesday.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Not only does it look dehydrated, it also looks bleached.

May be getting too much light.

[Dante1709]

The leaves have been looking like that for a while now (a few months) even if I water them often. I think it's a result of the flower spike draining energy and some root loss.

I guess I'll do more repotting soon. Do the roots grow in a specific direction? In other words ; it's fine if the new fan is at the corner of the pot?

---------- Post added at 10:13 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:39 PM ----------

So I just repotted it with a stake to keep it nice and cozy. I accidentally damaged one of the leaflets on the fan, but I don't think it's a huge deal. It's centered in it's pot, and the roots are covered.

Here's a photo of the root system

Untitled by Dante1709, on Flickr
Here's a photo of the repotted version

Untitled by Dante1709, on Flickr