Paph. brown spot - Orchid Board

igosset · #1 02-11-2017, 10:13 AM

Hello All,
I recently purchased(about a month ago) a Paph. Shin-Yi Heart 'Chouyi NO.9' x Paph. Shin-Yi Weber 'Chouyi Web' from a local grower. It was in bloom, and you could already see the the petals and pouch starting to separate and open. Fast forward to this morning, and me noticing a brown spot on one of the leaves, and also noticing the new tiny leaf(?) growing out of where the spike comes out at the bottom of the plant completely brown and shriveled, even though it is getting larger.
The bud itself seems "stuck". Although it has opened more has it been sitting in the same state of for a week or so.
I water every 5 days and fertilize using 30-10-10 at 1/4 strength every week. It sits on a table near my a west facing window.
I am concerned as it started out great but in the matter of 24 hours has taken a bad turn.
Any advice on what it is(rot?) would be aprreciated. I have an onc and a few paphs that I have really good luck with and bloom multiple times a year. This is my second paph and I can't seem to keep them going
Ian

MrHappyRotter · #2 02-11-2017, 10:42 AM

Can you post a photo or two, please?

igosset · #3 02-11-2017, 02:17 PM

The two pics of the spot are the one spot on the same leaf
The smallest leaf on the middle pic is paper thin

WhiteRabbit · #4 02-13-2017, 08:34 PM

The fan will not continue to grow after it has a spike. Paphs are sympodial (new fans grow from the base). The small, brown center "leaf" looks to me like the sheath that Paphs get prior to the bud(s) emerging.

Can you post a pic of the whole plant?

estación seca · #5 02-13-2017, 08:43 PM

They like being moist but not wet. Every 5 days might be too often, depending on the size of the pot, how moisture-retentive is the medium, and your home temperatures.

Water quality matters a great deal for Paphs. Too much dissolved minerals in the water will cause this kind of leaf damage. Go to your water utility's Web site and look up your water quality report. Find the total dissolved solids measurement (TDS.) If it is much over 50 - 100 parts per million (ppm) this could be part of your problem.

igosset · #6 02-22-2017, 08:49 PM

Thanks for the replies. Unfortunately I came home from work today to find the bud had shriveled and fell of the stem(which was very dry and brittle). It's in a small pot, so I probably watered too much. Did notice a couple of the leaves were turning a light green(the mottling is still evident though) compared to the others
I have rescued a few orchids back from the brink but I think I'm done trying paphs/phrags. This is the third one to bite the dust and honestly I don't want to wait another year to see if it blooms again only to fail.

estación seca · #7 02-22-2017, 09:04 PM

You mentioned near a west window... especially the spotted leaf Paphs are easy to sunburn. I would suggest allowing no sun on them except maybe very early in the morning for an hour or so.

I would guess some combination of mineral-laden water, sunburn or old soggy medium. Many people repot Paphs every year.

dounoharm · #8 02-22-2017, 09:31 PM

do not despair! I think you need to start easy once again...patience. maybe you should start with one of the maudias, I think they are a bit less touchy....watering every 5 days, without checking the plants actual use is not a good idea. you need to check if the plant NEEDS the water...even if you have to dump it out in your hand and feel it....consider it a learning class...check the actual sunlight coming in thru that window that you like to use....it may be to bright...your plant may have been cooked on the way home, did you leave it in the car while you shopped? or possibly it was finishing its bloom already...in which case the scenario you portray could be normal....
there are so many possibilities.....keep trying, its hard lessons that we all had to learn....good luck!