Droopy looking Paphiopedilum (with weird bumps)

[jenilee]

I'm well aware that my office is not the best growing environment but it gets boring in here so I bring them in anyway....
Here is my NOID Paphiopedilum about two years after I purchased it....it's been in here with me M-F 8-5 the whole time.
I successfully rebloomed it here (I know right?!?!) in this dreary place once...since then it's been on a leaf growing kick...
Light: I am not too important so my office is an interior one with a window to the hallway...but across the hall is an office with lots of east windows so "some" light gets to him.
Now it's starting to look a bit droopy and started growing odd bump things...
Pics attached of:
-whole plant (getting pretty tall)
-sad yellowing leaf
-droopy depressed lower leaves
-borderline creepy bumps growing on it

Thoughts??!?!!

[jenilee]

and here he is when I bought him....so you can see how much the leaves have grown....

[littlefrog]

Is not getting enough light. That is a new growth stretching for light, the bumps are (or would have been) roots.

Have a desk lamp?

[NYCorchidman]

That's exactly what happened to a division of my paph that was given to a friend.
She put the poor thing in the dark corner of the living room, and it grew like a bean sprout.

She was happy to report to me that it is "growing" so well. I had nothing to say. lol

[jenilee]

Poor guy!!! He's headed home with me tonight....hopefully I haven't ruined him.

Will it spike from way up there? Or start a new clump of leaves?

[JMNYC]

Originally Posted by NYCorchidman

That's exactly what happened to a division of my paph that was given to a friend.
She put the poor thing in the dark corner of the living room, and it grew like a bean sprout.

She was happy to report to me that it is "growing" so well. I had nothing to say. lol

Pls help me understand this: seeing she needed important info re growing the thing....perfectly normal, after all, all of life is about learning, sharing....and, given what you know, why wouldn't you have just offered that info?

Aren't we all in this together as colleagues, and isn't that the happy thing?

[littlefrog]

Originally Posted by jenilee

Poor guy!!! He's headed home with me tonight....hopefully I haven't ruined him.

Will it spike from way up there? Or start a new clump of leaves?

Maybe. It isn't really a happy way for it to grow. I would probably cut that growth up and pot it down as deeply as possible (up to that top root node). Perhaps in sphagnum moss for a few months. See if those roots actually grow, and then pot it up normally.

[JMNYC]

Originally Posted by littlefrog

Maybe. It isn't really a happy way for it to grow. I would probably cut that growth up and pot it down as deeply as possible (up to that top root node). Perhaps in sphagnum moss for a few months. See if those roots actually grow, and then pot it up normally.

I agree, and that--not really a happy way--- was beautifully put.

[PaphMadMan]

This is pretty common growth pattern for some Maudiae-type Paphs in low light or crowded moist conditions. New growth will be normal if you get it back into more reaonable light etc.

But DO NOT cut it. The plant needs the support of that tall spindly growth to have a chance of producing a healthy new growth in better conditions. After you have a couple mature new fans of leaves you can try cutting it and rooting it.

[My Green Pets]

I agree, it needs more light. I have never seen a Paph in this condition before. Very interesting.

The desk lamp idea could work nicely. If not, take it home and put it in a window, and when it decides to bloom again, bring it back to the office. When the bloom fades, home to the window once more. If you get a few orchids, you can have different ones in bloom in your office throughout the year