Practice makes PAPH-ect! My first ever paphiopedilum. Please help me not to kill it.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

So far, I'm not terribly convinced the Maudiae hybrid should be considered the same as Paph Magic Lantern in temperament and cultural requirements.

I have had a Maudiae type before, and this is what I've observed…

1. Maudiae hybrids tend to grow a bit faster than any of the Paphs in the section Parvisepalum I've ever grown.

2. Maudiae hybrids seem to be sturdier than any of the Paphs in the section Parvisepalum I'ver ever grown.

3. Maudiae type hybrids appear to be a bit more forgiving of mistakes than any of the Paphs in the section Parvisepalum I've ever grown.

Overall, the Maudiae hybrid will be the easier Paph to grow than the Paph Magic Lantern would be for someone who has never grown a Paph before, imo. I think this is something you kinda alluded to.

I honestly think she made the right choice to start with the Paph she has.

I just think that if she wants to be more familiar with the Paph Magic Lantern she eventually wants to get, the Maudiae type hybrid will not be the best representative of how a Paph in the section Parvisepalum would behave in cultivation.

There might be a few common threads between the Paph Maudiae hybrid and Paph Magic Lantern in terms of requirements, and even then, they are not exactly alike in this department, but where they start to diverge greatly is their behavior. They don't behave exactly the same way as each other. And I think you've already started to mention what those are...

[astrid]

Hey everyone, thanks for all the new and differing opinions!

I really appreciate that, and it's nice to hear from you all especially because you all grow in unique conditions and have different experiences with these plants.

I picked this one because it was really really cheap, had pretty little mottled leaves, and would get my foot in the door of the paph world. I will of course study up more closely on care of the Magic Lantern I want someday before I get it and try to care for it well.

This first paph, though, is to sort of get my mind more geared toward a new variety of the flowers I already love so much.

It will get me prowling the paph boards, reading, and researching, all while having a new and inexpensive plant to enjoy.

Thanks so much, everyone, for your thoughtful responses!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Btw, I highly recommend perusing this website, I think it is a pretty good resource:

Paphiopedilum Data Sheets