New paph owner! Yellow leaf. Does it look ok? - Orchid Board

garnet16 · #1 02-18-2018, 11:32 AM

Hello everyone.

Picked up my very first paph a month or two ago. It is a very young one has not bloomed yet. I noticed today when watering that one of the bottom leaves is pale yellow. What does this mean?

I have not repotted it yet. I thought I would wait until after it blooms. It is packed in moss.

It sits in an east facing window. Gets some indirect light but lots of bright light. It is winter here in the Midwest so the sunroom can get chilly but usually 65 degrees day and 60 at night (roughly). Have been watering twice weekly. Have given it a couple of doses of weak fertilizer that I use when I water the rest of my orchids.

Also The spike that is coming up. Does that look OK? I was expecting to see some sort of a bulb at the tip but there is nothing.

Thank you in advance

garnet16 · #2 02-18-2018, 11:40 AM

I’m sorry I have no idea why those uploaded sideways

rbarata · #3 02-18-2018, 11:46 AM

It looks like a leaf dying from age...nothing to worry about.

The spike, the photo is not helping. It's too far to see anything.

Paphluvr · #4 02-18-2018, 12:21 PM

As rbarata says, it's just a sign of normal aging. As long as it's the lowest leaf turning pale, then yellowing and eventually turning brown and drying up it's normal. As far as your watering schedule goes, twice a week in sphagnum might be too much. Does the pot feel significantly lighter when you're ready to water again or is it still heavy? Also, Paphs can be repotted at any time. Most growers will repot a plant soon after acclimation in order to get it into a mix they're familiar with and to assess the condition of the roots.

Your light exposure sounds good. Night time temperature
sounds OK, but your daytime temp is a bit chilly. Usually 10-15 deg between night and day is better, all the more reason to get it out of the sphag.

In your first photo I see the stem but no bud. Did you buy it in bud or did the spike develope in your care? It looks like the bud has been broken off (sad to say).

garnet16 · #5 02-18-2018, 04:43 PM

thank you!

---------- Post added at 02:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:38 PM ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paphluvr

As rbarata says, it's just a sign of normal aging. As long as it's the lowest leaf turning pale, then yellowing and eventually turning brown and drying up it's normal. As far as your watering schedule goes, twice a week in sphagnum might be too much. Does the pot feel significantly lighter when you're ready to water again or is it still heavy? Also, Paphs can be repotted at any time. Most growers will repot a plant soon after acclimation in order to get it into a mix they're familiar with and to assess the condition of the roots.

Your light exposure sounds good. Night time temperature
sounds OK, but your daytime temp is a bit chilly. Usually 10-15 deg between night and day is better, all the more reason to get it out of the sphag.

In your first photo I see the stem but no bud. Did you buy it in bud or did the spike develope in your care? It looks like the bud has been broken off (sad to say).

Ooohh man! I was worried about the stem. It does look like it was cut off. I only paid $8 for it. I was at a gardening show and there was an orchid seller selling some discounted plants. I didn't get a chance to question him about the plant because he was swarmed with people. I just grabbed it and paid. What a bummer. I didn't know how paphs grow... I wondered why I only saw a little skinny stick and nothing else on the spike.

Do you suggest I repot now? I only have bark but can get moss if that's better. To answer you other question, I was watering twice weekly because it did seem very dry and light.

Bummer... will be a long time now before I see a bloom

. Should I cut it back or leave it alone?

Thank you!

Paphluvr · #6 02-18-2018, 06:51 PM

I personally don't grow anything in sphagnum and gave up growing in bark many years ago. I make my own Paph mix base on coconut fiber chunks (CHC) so I'm not a good one to advise you about bark and sphagnum. What is the size of your bark? You would want relatively small chunks for a Paph.

There are several good online sources of Paph. mix in hobby size bags. I buy all my supplies from Robert's Flower Supply because they are relatively close to me.
Re-pot-me is another. Once you get a suitable mix I would suggest a repot if only to check the condition of the roots. You can also cut the stem back, it won't reflower. Unfortunately, with good care, you'll have to wait until next year to see it bloom.