Getting my first paph soon: questions on repotting

[cassie.g]

Hello!

I'm hoping to potentially purchase a paph orchid in the near future and was looking for some advice on when to initially repot.

I have a feeling the garden center near me will have the paphs potted in sphagnum or some other type of moss, similar to how my phal was. With the phal, I repotted right away, while in bloom, to get the plant out of the tightly packed moss and into a bark mix. Would that be the right choice to make with the new paph as well? I don't consider myself to be anywhere near skilled enough to grow an orchid in solely moss and I'd be nervous leaving the plant in the moss while I waited for the bloom to fall.

I'm very excited to try growing these gorgeous plants! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[RosieC]

I think a lot of people grow paphs in bark.

Personally I seem to rot them in bark and prefer Leca which dries much more quickly. Some would probably say too quickly, but I prefer to water often and have it dry quickly.

One of the problems with advice on medium is it all depends on your climate and your growing preference, mine is perhaps different to others

My first paph I grew in very chunky bark, somewhat ignoring advice I was given at the time that bark for paphs should not be too big. It did great. Ones I've grown since in medium bark have rotted.

I'm not really sure what to say. What else do you grow, and what medium do you like for that? Paphs perhaps like to be slightly more moist than Phals, but if they don't get good air flow I find the roots can easily rot.

[WhiteRabbit]

I grow my few Paphs in fine fir bark mix.

Excepting inorganic media, it is usually advised to repot Paphs annually.

I've not come across a Paph from a store potted in sphag - tho haven't looked at any in some time. In the past, the ones I looked at, or got, were potted in bark mix. I think Paphs aren't tolerant of broken down sphag (too acidic for them, I believe).

[PaphMadMan]

Most Paphs like to be in fresh mix. The same bark mix you use for Phals is probably an acceptable choice, though something a little finer and more moisture retentive is often recommended. It really depends on your conditions and watering practices. Better to put it in a mix that will work for your conditions than trying to adapt your style to whatever it happens to be potted in. I almost always repot new Paphs soon after getting them, unless they come from a Paph specialist nursery and the mix looks fresh, even in bud or in flower. If a Paph is healthy the flower will usually be fine. If it isn't healthy then you're better off repotting than risking a plant in soggy old bark or moss anyway. And always plan on repotting Paphs at least once a year.

[NYCorchidman]

I agree with Rosie on bark mix.
With the exception of large chunks used for cattleyas and phals, bark alone is a bad choice for any orchids because it is deceiving. The top always looks very dry but there are always a few "wet" pockets inside the pot. People water and water until roots rot out.

Bark mixed with other stuff like perlite or lava rock, which most commercial paph growers use is much better.

Moss is also good, but you want to water with care.

Whatever it comes in, if it is in bloom, don't bother repotting. Just enjoy the flower and make sure you only water when it is necessary. With moss, you can tell by the weight.
With other mix, unless it is badly broken down, it is hard to tell by the weight.
Wait a day or two, then water thoroughly and drain well. then repeat every 4 or 5 days depending on your conditions.

Now, repotting.
Usually single growth seedling that is flowering for the first time has been grown in the same mix for a couple of years. The mix is the same mix that they were planted out of flask most likely.
With moss, it's harder to tell, but with bark, you can see how dark and mushy it is.
Once the flower fades, repot it into fresh mix.

Straight moss is great as long as it is not too tightly packed in and you do not water too much.

Bark or coconut husk chips mixed with perlite or lava rock, or even clay pebbles like LECA and charcoal all work great. You want to water good each time with this latter type of mix at least until they get quite old and hold more moisture.

I don't believe in annual repotting of paphs.
Many paphs, especially the ones in the group barbarta, grow in leaf litter in the wild.
Those and their hybrids will especially grow well with old mix.
I only repot when it is necessary and you should too.
Unnecessary root/plant disturbance is not good.

Repot: when the plant gets too big for its current pot.
when the mix gets too old


I repot on average every 2-3 years or so, but some of my paphs has been in the same mix for longer than that. As long as they grow and look healthy, I don't repot.

[cassie.g]

Thank you all so much! I was planning on going with some sort of bark mixed with perlite. I also remember reading somewhere that someone had some success working with coconut husk so I may look into that as well. Again, thank you!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by WhiteRabbit

I grow my few Paphs in fine fir bark mix.

Excepting inorganic media, it is usually advised to repot Paphs annually.

I've not come across a Paph from a store potted in sphag - tho haven't looked at any in some time. In the past, the ones I looked at, or got, were potted in bark mix. I think Paphs aren't tolerant of broken down sphag (too acidic for them, I believe).

Many Paphs don't grow in acidic environments. Some do, but not the majority of them.

A lot tend to come from neutral to slightly alkaline type of environments.

I personally have never had long term success with growing a Paph in either full on moss or in full on bark.

I've only gained something I could consider a step in the right direction only just this year with Paphs. I've found that while many like lots of moisture during the growing season, they like quite an airy mix as well. Even more airy of a mix than I normally use for Phals.

If you're gonna use perlite, I recommend getting the larger grades that are called "sponge rocks".

[cassie.g]

Ah yes! I did see sponge rock mentioned as a good choice somewhere.

[NYCorchidman]

Actually, pretty much all in the section barbarta and others like delenatii come from neutral to slightly acidic environment.

So, what do you use now? You did not specify.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Limestone rocks and small grade bark chips for those that grow on limestone hills, outcrops and cliffs.

Seems to work so far.

I haven't purchased the ones that grow as true epiphytes yet. There aren't many of these floating around in the hobby.

---------- Post added at 08:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:59 PM ----------

I tend to favor the Parvis and Brachys. The only Parvi that I'm aware of that grows in neutral to slightly acidic environments is, like you said, Paph delenatii, (which I haven't gotten around to getting).

I only have 1 in section Mastigopetalum. These are too big for me to grow tons of, space is rather limited at the moment to grow these kinds of orchids.