Frustrated by My Charlesworthii

[DweamGoiL]

I received a Charlesworthii back in November 2014. The roots were not good. I repotted it into some orchiata, sphagnum moss, and charcoal mix. About 2 weeks ago, I noticed it started looking sad so I began watering it more since the skewers were always bone dry. No improvement whatsoever so I decided to look at the roots and see what was going on with it. Lots of roots were still black, but apparently 2-3 good roots have grown in.

I repotted it into something smaller and clear with some fresh media so I can keep a better eye on it and got rid of the sphag altogether. It's now in orchiata, packing peanuts, and perlite. I am hoping a better draining mix will help. All my other orchids are fine, but you know how it is, there's always one that seems to be high maintenance.

It's advertised as an easy grower, but although it's nowhere near death, it's just not happy, either. Suggestions please!

[voyager]

you do not seem to be getting much of a response to your question.
The reason might be that the name of your orchid is incomplete.
I find 2 orchid hybrid types with the name Charlesworthii.
One is a Paph hybrid.
The other is an Oncid hybrid.
Any advice for either of the genera would be specific to it and probably not applicable to the other.
Try giving a more complete name.
You might be more likely get some usable advice.

[DweamGoiL]

Thanks for the suggestion. Mine is a Paph, but I was under the impression that it is a species not a hybrid. In any case, the fresh medium seems to have helped somewhat, but since it's been stressed out for some time now, I didn't want to do the usual dip in Physan until it was a bit stronger and better off roots wise. Right now, it's kind of prone to wilting when it's not happy.

[voyager]

Sorry DweamGoiL,
My bad.
I made an assumption because you capitalized the name.
Plus, I'm not a Paph. person.
So, my search in that area was very cursory.
The Oncid. did catch my attention.
I spent a while looking at photos and info on it.

I hope someone cal advise on this.

[NYCorchidman]

How big is your plant?
If it's a single growth plant, then 2-3 good roots are more than normal, so I wouldn't worry.

Repotting too frequently won't help, but only hurts as plants need time to reestablish itself in a new mix. So unless the mix is too old or otherwise bad, I would not mess around.

How much light is it getting? It prefers more light than other paphs.
More importantly, how did you treat it during winter?
Paph charlesworthii will fare much better when given cool winter. So indoor culture is not very efficient for this species unless you have a cold room.
Lastly, it could just be that your paph is just a weak clone. Individual plants display wide range of vigor and adaptability under cultivation, so if you really like charlesworthii, I recommend getting a few plants and you might end up with one that grows and flower well for you.

[DweamGoiL]

It looks to have 4 growths. I don't know if it is a weaker specimen or not, but I got it as a freebie with a set of plants I received. Its leaves were also quite dark when I got it so I guess it wasn't kept in a very bright location to begin with. I put it in the brightest spot I have, and it is also under grow lights, but according to your post, I may not be providing enough coolness for its liking.

As I stated before, the roots were already declining when I got it in November. I just thought by now, it would've started to bounce back. All the other orchids I got at that time, are now doing well except for that one.

I did repot it into better draining media and in a smaller container. It was also slightly overpotted. It seems to have perked up a bit, but not by much. However, it's definitely not staying as wet for such a long period as it was before.

This is a picture of it when I first got it:



It doesn't look much different now except a bit droopier at times.

This was a picture a few minutes ago:

[Andre]

Definitely looks like a good size to put out a couple blooms at a time given the right conditions. I grow many Paph species and this one needs a cool rest during the winter.
It sounds like you are having trouble keeping the potting mix moist... I don't add styrofoam peanuts to my plants under my conditions (indoors under lights) because they dry out too fast. If your plant has put out three new healthy roots since you got it you were doing something right. Before you repotted it did your growing conditions change at all?eg. Temperature increased, humidity dropped, moved close to a fan all of which would dry the plant out quickly. I like clear pots, they were especially helpful when I started out to see how the roots were doing etc... The skewer method is great to check on moisture. If you are having trouble keeping he plant moist you may want to add more moss...
As the others have said sometime you can get a plant that is difficult to bloom, or just never will. When I get fed up with picky plants that are stubborn to bloom and need a cool rest, I grow them on a covered patio in the spring/fall ( if temps don't go below 8-10C ). That gives them a rest from pushing out more foliage, and time to gather strength to support buds for the next blooming period. But sometimes you just have to give up and give it away... ( and watch it bloom easily for a friend)... I wish I could find orchiata up here in Vancouver, and give it a try.


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[Joseia]

Originally Posted by DweamGoiL

It's advertised as an easy grower, but although it's nowhere near death, it's just not happy, either. Suggestions please!

Easy grower, huh? Yeah, I have a few of those also, and those are my most difficult and stubborn plants to grow. No more 'easy growers' for me!

[Zoi2]

Orchiata does not hold as much moisture as bark. Is the plant getting enough water?
Joann

[NYCorchidman]

Ok, 4 growths division is it.
Apparently it grew fine for the previous grower.

Ask the previous owner how he or she cared for it and how the plant behaved. This is a good place to start.

Second, you need to understand how this species (and many paphiopedilums under section paphiopedilum). They mostly appear high land in Northeast India into Burma where the summer is warm and rainy, but winter is cold (not freezing but quite chilly) and drier (not dry).
So they have distinctive growing season and rest season.
The fact that yours is not growing is because you got it during its natural rest period, winter. I'm not sure how warm you have kept the plant, and sometimes warm winter can force them to grow out of season and many plants do not do well for the long term without proper winter rest.

That is all I can say.
The plant looks fine to me by the way.

Oh, one last thing, dark green leaves and lighter green leaves have little to do with light level plants receive although too much light can bleach out the leaves.
Some orchids naturally have dark green leaves while other have different tone of green.
I had to clear this one out because I hate to see this floating around and fooling people.

The best way to tell, since there are so many orchids and they all have ideal leaf color. The best to go is that when you first obtain certain orchids, assuming that they came from good growers, make a mental note on the color of their leaves. Then try and maintain that color.

With this said, P. charlesworthii under ideal light conditions, have a bit of dark green than light green and that is normal for many paphs.