Paphiopedilum help

[gore.m]

Hello,
I would like to ask you help with my paphiopedilum. I have them about 4 yeas, they came from common Holland distribution. One of them flowered two times after buying, next one never flowered again.
I was trying feed them with orchid fertirisers during summer, but there is only one flower and leaves looks not healthy (except new ones).
So:

1) Do you recognise what sort it is?
2) I have plan, to repot them after it bloom out. Is it ok to repot them in this time and is it common orchid pine bark substrate adequate?
3) Do you consider leaves bad looking (I mean color, I think that dark spots are from sun) or is it common for paphiopedilums?
4) Do you have any tip, what would you do with them to kick them up, if those would be yours plants?

Thanks you
Tom

[rbarata]

The spots ate more or less common with the Phaps (generalizing, there are two types: the ones with spotted leaves, that like warmer temps, and the ones with plain leaves, like yours, that prefer coller temps).
Your plant seems to be a Paphiopedillum leanum.
It would be better if you could tell us your growing conditions so that we can give you a better advise.

Note: Paphiopedilum leannum blooms only once per plant (one bloom only). So, if you have two blooms in the same pot, then you have two plants.

[Ray]

Many paph species live with their roots spread laterally in the interface between the soil and the accumulated leaf litter on the forest floor, so they are never dry and never soppy.

Being forest floor dwellers, they really don't go for bright sunlight either. Bright, indirect light is better.

I do not adjust the feeding of my plants seasonally, but give them a 100 ppm N solution weekly, year-round. (Divide 9.2 by the %N in your fertilizer - the result is ml/L to use whether it is liquid or granular.)

[gore.m]

Originally Posted by rbarata

Your plant seems to be a Paphiopedillum leanum.
It would be better if you could tell us your growing conditions so that we can give you a better advise.

Thanks you! I have found a lot of information when I know a sort.
I just have them in my job place. So.. normal temperature during the year, only winter is very cold there (approx. 11C). I water them once a week and I have used common orchid fertiliser and common green plant fertiliser with higher content of N, one times at 14 days.

---------- Post added at 09:24 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:18 AM ----------

Originally Posted by Ray

Many paph species live with their roots spread laterally in the interface between the soil and the accumulated leaf litter on the forest floor, so they are never dry and never soppy.

So what should I add to the bark substrate (and in what proportion)?

Originally Posted by Ray

I give them a 100 ppm N solution weekly...

Weekly is a lot, OK I'll have to try. Thanks you

[rbarata]

I can't see if your pot is clay or plastic. Anyway, the watering frequency depends on the medium. Is it bark?
In the last photo the leaves seem to be too light. How many hrs of direct sun?
11°C is the min temp?
In general your plants look healthy.
Here's a photo of mine. Looks identical.

[Blueszz]

Sorry, post in wrong topic. Deleted it because of it.

[gore.m]

Originally Posted by rbarata

I can't see if your pot is clay or plastic. Anyway, the watering frequency depends on the medium. Is it bark?
In the last photo the leaves seem to be too light. How many hrs of direct sun?
11°C is the min temp?
In general your plants look healthy.
Here's a photo of mine. Looks identical.

It is in plastic pot, would you recommend clay? Yes it is only bark.
They are on this window whole year, so they have sun from morning until 3PM.
I don't agree with you, your plant looks healthy, I can see that you have old leaves that are dead, but rest has deep green color and they are looking strong. Mine have yellow tone and strong are only new ones, rest are hanging and looking weak.

By the way, that "one time flowering" info didn't make me happy

[estación seca]

I don't know how much experience you have with Paphs., so please forgive me if this is too basic.

They should not dry out completely, not even once. Because the medium should stay moist it breaks down rapidly. Growers repot every year, two years at the most. It is best if the neck of the plant is at the level of the medium, and the roots completely covered.

Your plant looks as though it hasn't taken up enough water. That can be because the roots are dead, or you haven't been watering enough. Normal Paph roots are brown and fuzzy, very different from other kinds of orchids. The roots I see look OK but they would prefer to be below the surface of the medium. Your plant is in large bark, which would require more frequent watering than smaller bark. Many people grow Paphs in small or medium bark, or mixtures with such sized bark. I think you haven't been watering enough. The cure is to keep the medium always moist. The older leaves might not recover completely, but new growth should be good.

Most Paphs. are shade plants. Those with long, narrow, straight and unmottled green leaves can often take more light. I live at 33 degrees North, and you are near 50 degrees. Sun through your window is not as bright as mine. I think you could give your plant windowsill light, but it would be too much here.

I would repot now. Have your new medium at hand. Unless the relative humidity is very high in your house I would use plastic without extra holes. A pot that is lower and wider than standard pots can be used for Paphs, but you don't need to search for one. You could use medium bark, with or without additives like horticultural perlite or charcoal.

Remove the plant from the pot and gently shake off old medium. Don't remove old medium that doesn't come off easily. You don't want to injure roots. Set the plant into a pot that just fits all the old roots. Fill with new medium, taking care to cover all the roots. The base of the leaves should be at the surface of the new medium. Water the plant. In the future, water so it stays always moist.

[FranningtonBear]

Thank you for this info ES, I don’t yet have a Paph. but one is on my wish list!

[estación seca]

Depending on how warm you heat your home in the winter, many Paphs. should be among the easiest to grow orchids. There are different species and hybrids for different temperature ranges. You can look up individual species temperature requirements at the Internet Orchid Species Photo Encyclopedia. You can look up the species ancestors of hybrids at Orchid Roots.