Seeking help for my Paphiopedilum spicerianum

[alwayslearning]

Hello, everyone!

I just read about this forum on Reddit and it seems like such a wonderful place!

I am new to orchids, and wanted to start growing them because my grandmother used to grow them before she passed away. This Paphiopedilum spicerianum is my first attempt to continue her tradition so it is very special to me.

I have had it for almost ten months, but it has unfortunately been having some troubles in recent weeks. I took the photo below to show the full range of issues it has been experiencing, and would be glad to take more photos or add more details if needed.



From left to right in the photo: healthier leaves, yellow leaf, dark leaf with scar, wrinkled leaf with scar, wrinkled leaf without scar.

Some information that might be helpful:

• The wrinkled leaves face a large northeast window that is about six feet away
• The scars only occur where the leaves touch the edge of the container (could they be from the container heating up in sunlight?)
• Not all of the wrinkled leaves are older crowns, and they are becoming thinner, drier, and more curled as time goes on
• The other side of the plant is green and looks healthy
• I repotted after this photo into a container with drainage and removed rotted roots

Thank you so much to anyone who is able to help!

[Roberta]

First, Welcome!

You have come to the right place! You will likely get some differing opinions, since people do grow under different conditions. But the collective knowledge you'll find here is huge.

Others please jump in with opinions... here is what I thin I observe.

The growths to the right (I think somewhat older) have experienced some rough times... possibly getting too dry, also likely too much light (slightly toasted) The growth in the middle, that looks like it is on its way out may have bloomed... once a growth has bloomed, the plant slowly re-absorbs the tissue and energy, so likely not a worry. If the roots were bad on either that or the growth to the right, another explanation. The newest growths (to the left) look much better. Now, moving forward... with fresh medium, you'll have to water more often, Paphs should never dry out. So you'll want to keep an eye on that. (One way of getting the feel for "how often to water" is to water well, let the plant drain, then weigh it on a kitchen scale or postal scale. The next day, weigh again. When the rate of weight loss starts to level off (not much more water to evaporate), time to water again.

What about fertilizer? Paphs are light feeders, but need it somewhat consistently. If lower leaves of growths that shouldn't be pooping out start to go, it's a sign that it isn't getting enough and so is cannibalizing itself. So while fertilizer is the least important of all the cultural factors, it does need some.

[estación seca]

Welcome.

It looks as though it's been severely underwatered for a long time. Paphs should never go dry. I think that's the main problem.

This one doesn't need any direct sun and would probably be better with bright shade. That may be part of the problem.

With adequate water medium for Paphs lasts only 1-2 years. When was it last repotted?

The pits I see on the better leaves may represent scale, mealy bug or spider mite damage, which may be on the opposite leaf surface from the pit.

[alwayslearning]

Originally Posted by Roberta

First, Welcome!

You have come to the right place! You will likely get some differing opinions, since people do grow under different conditions. But the collective knowledge you'll find here is huge.

Others please jump in with opinions... here is what I thin I observe.

I couldn't have asked for a warmer welcome, Roberta! Thank you for all of the advice!

Originally Posted by Roberta

The growths to the right (I think somewhat older) have experienced some rough times... possibly getting too dry, also likely too much light (slightly toasted) The growth in the middle, that looks like it is on its way out may have bloomed... once a growth has bloomed, the plant slowly re-absorbs the tissue and energy, so likely not a worry. If the roots were bad on either that or the growth to the right, another explanation. The newest growths (to the left) look much better.

You're right about the growths to the right experiencing some dry times, which was my main reason for repotting from the pot in the photo. I was under-watering in fear of overwatering because the pot in the photo didn't have bottom drainage, but the orchid's new home has a removable insert with holes on the bottom so I can thoroughly soak the roots without water pooling up in the bottom.

Originally Posted by Roberta

Now, moving forward... with fresh medium, you'll have to water more often, Paphs should never dry out. So you'll want to keep an eye on that. (One way of getting the feel for "how often to water" is to water well, let the plant drain, then weigh it on a kitchen scale or postal scale. The next day, weigh again. When the rate of weight loss starts to level off (not much more water to evaporate), time to water again.

This is a great tip that I've never seen before. Thank you so much!

Originally Posted by Roberta

What about fertilizer? Paphs are light feeders, but need it somewhat consistently. If lower leaves of growths that shouldn't be pooping out start to go, it's a sign that it isn't getting enough and so is cannibalizing itself. So while fertilizer is the least important of all the cultural factors, it does need some.

As far as fertilizer goes, once a week when I water I'm using FoxFarm Big Bloom organic fertilizer that's labeled as 0–0.5–0.7.

What did you mean by the "lower leaves of growths that shouldn't be popping out"? I'm not sure if I know which ones shouldn't be popping out based on what I've read so far.

Lastly, I just wanted to say once again how much I appreciate your help!

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by alwayslearning

What did you mean by the "lower leaves of growths that shouldn't be popping out"? I'm not sure if I know which ones shouldn't be popping out based on what I've read so far.

Lastly, I just wanted to say once again how much I appreciate your help!

In any growth, the lower leaves are the oldest. When they die back on a growth that has just bloomed or done it in the last year or so, it's probably because the rest of the growth is cannibalizing it. As far as your fertilizer regimen is concerned, not familiar with that type... is it a liquid? (If so you bought mostly water...) Ray will likely jump in tonight or tomorrow, he has a fertilizer calculator on firstrays.com , can advise on a "target value". I'm not partilcularly scientific about my fertilizing, I use solid (granular) fertilizer at about 1/2 teaspoon per gallon of water an that comes out pretty close to what Ray recommends, I apply that every week or two.

[alwayslearning]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Welcome.

It looks as though it's been severely underwatered for a long time. Paphs should never go dry. I think that's the main problem.

Thank you so much! It has been under-watered, and that's why I repotted the orchid last week. I mainly under-watered it because the original pot didn't have any drainage and I was concerned about overwatering it.

Originally Posted by estación seca

This one doesn't need any direct sun and would probably be better with bright shade. That may be part of the problem.

What qualifies as bright shade from your experience? Would being ten feet away from a large window with indirect sunlight be bright shade? It is currently six feet away and has recently been catching a small bit of direct sunlight in the early morning, but moving it ten feet away would put it outside the direct sunlight's path.

Originally Posted by estación seca

The pits I see on the better leaves may represent scale, mealy bug or spider mite damage, which may be on the opposite leaf surface from the pit.

I'm not yet familiar with the term "pits." What is that referring to? Do you know how I might be able to diagnose whether or not any of the problems you listed are what's present in my orchid?

[estación seca]

Early morning sun varies a lot. Some times of the year it might be enough to burn leaves of shade plants, and other times it won't. Some people solve this problem with a sheer curtain, and placing the plant closer to the window.

The top surfaces of Paph leaves should be smooth. When I look at the photo I see a good number of very small depressions, or pits, in the leaf on the left. Those shouldn't be there.

[alwayslearning]

Originally Posted by Roberta

In any growth, the lower leaves are the oldest. When they die back on a growth that has just bloomed or done it in the last year or so, it's probably because the rest of the growth is cannibalizing it.

Thank you again, Roberta! Are the lower leaves you're referring to the much smaller leaves that are underneath and outside of the largest leaves? If so, they seem to be fairly in line what the larger leaves in their respective crowns (I hope I'm using that term correctly!) are doing.

Originally Posted by Roberta

As far as your fertilizer regimen is concerned, not familiar with that type... is it a liquid? (If so you bought mostly water...) Ray will likely jump in tonight or tomorrow, he has a fertilizer calculator on firstrays.com , can advise on a "target value". I'm not partilcularly scientific about my fertilizing, I use solid (granular) fertilizer at about 1/2 teaspoon per gallon of water an that comes out pretty close to what Ray recommends, I apply that every week or two.

The fertilizer is a liquid and came recommended to me by someone online who has a Paphiopedilum spicerianum that is many years old, but I would be happy to switch if it's not the best fertilizer for my plant.

In case it's helpful, my medium is a mix of 70% Orchiata bark, 15% charcoal, 10% perlite, and 5% Hydroton clay pebbles with sphagnum moss at the bottom and a bit more scattered throughout.

I'm looking forward to hearing what Ray has to say!

---------- Post added at 09:10 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:59 AM ----------

Originally Posted by estación seca

Early morning sun varies a lot. Some times of the year it might be enough to burn leaves of shade plants, and other times it won't. Some people solve this problem with a sheer curtain, and placing the plant closer to the window.

The seasonal variation in sunlight is another aspect I was worried about, so thank you for confirming that! If I don't have the option of using a sheer curtain, do you think placing the plant ten feet away and out of the sun's direct path could be a good solution? Also, could moving the plant back closer to the window after the more direct early morning sun passes help or would that not be necessary?

Originally Posted by estación seca

The top surfaces of Paph leaves should be smooth. When I look at the photo I see a good number of very small depressions, or pits, in the leaf on the left. Those shouldn't be there.

Thanks so much for the explanation! Some of the green leaves have pits but not all of them. Would you happen to know how I can verify the cause of the pits, and is it possible to reverse them?

[alwayslearning]

In case seeing the roots is helpful as well, below are a few photos I took of the roots when I repotted:

[Roberta]

Some roots don't look great but there are some that are OK. My advice would be to not cut. Even a bad root can help hydrate the plant. It's not always possible to tell a good one from a bad one, so better to just leave them. With better aeration from new medium, potential problems of rot, etc. tend to resolve themselves.