I Finally have a Paph! niveum var Ang Thong

[pedidiva]

Gorgeous plant. I adore how the leaf underside is purple. STRIKING!!!!
Pedi

[florafan]

I spent way too much this year already buying plants but after seeing yours bloom, I am now scouting for one.

[Triffid]

Thanks for the comments

Sorry if we have enabled others to go searching for their own little white paph.... but lets face it you're unlikely to regret getting one

If you want ideas on different ways to display/pot/keep your Brachs check out this thread
http://www.orchidboard.com/community...ow-2011-a.html
by s1214215

pictures 5 to 9 in the first post have got me thinking
Mostly that I want more Brachs but still I'll try and be patient and get used to keeping just the one first

[Triffid]

Well here it is! I re-potted it (a while back) into a Clay pot with small grade bark and stones at the bottom, in an attempt to mimic some of it's more natural conditions. It has two new growths and seems happy enough, but as this is my first (and as yet only) Paph that may just be wishful thinking.

jrodpad,
How's is your little precious doing? Hope it's doing better than mine

Very cute display Triffid. It seems very happy.
Could you please share how do you water yours. Do you let it dry out completely? Clay pot looks wet on the picture, is it because it's drawing moisture from vase with balls and water? Or pot never touches the water and vase is just fancy humidity tray?
I have P. micranthum which looks very similar, but potted into straight chc and now I wonder if I should put mine into the same setup too.


Thanks.

[Triffid]

Originally Posted by orchideya

Very cute display Triffid. It seems very happy.

I like to try andI keep my plants happy.

Originally Posted by orchideya

Could you please share how do you water yours. Do you let it dry out completely? Clay pot looks wet on the picture, is it because it's drawing moisture from vase with balls and water? Or pot never touches the water and vase is just fancy humidity tray?

The pot itself is an old one I picked up from a charity shop, so it is mostly just discolouration from age. Though the white at the top will spread as time passes and needs to be rubbed of occasionally – standard pot care.
It so hard to find decent clay pots “new” where I am. Unless I want to spend a pretty penny that is.

The pot never touches the water and the vase (a dessert bowl ) is just a fancy humidity tray. I prefer glass humidity trays as it is easier to see when it needs cleaning and spy any critters that may be about. However due to the layer of pebbles/stones in the bottom of the clay pot, even if the base was submerged it would not reach much (if any) of the bark.

Originally Posted by orchideya

I have P. micranthum which looks very similar, but potted into straight chc and now I wonder if I should put mine into the same setup too.

Thanks.

The conditions for P. micranthum and P. niveum are similar in some cases, but not in all. For example both are known to inhabit rocky crevices.

P. niveum tends to like a drier winter apparently, so it is advised by some sources to reduce watering.

P. micranthum, like P. niveum, likes a cooler winter to induce flowering but apparently does not like to dry out as much. As such needs to be kept reasonably moist. So it may not be as advisable for you to let the mix dry out.

One source I read (sorry can't quite remember where from exactly at this time) says that P. niveum “likes to be drenched, albeit infrequently”. As such, thanks mainly to the reasonable humidity provided, I tend to drench the mix once a week with the standard weakly weekly with 1 in 4 flush. Though plain old watering may increase or decrease according to weather and time of year.

I prefer to use rain water where possible. If that is not possible I let tap water stand for at least 24 hours before watering, allowing the chlorine to dissipate fully and the water to reach room temp. I live in a soft water area so this does not seem to have too much of an adverse effect.

The humidity where I live has been mid to high the past year. Rarely dropping below 50% (according to the web-link to the weather report for the area). Currently it is 67% as I am typing this (77% two hours ago). But then that is outdoor and it will always be a little drier indoors.

CHC should be fine, but I'm no expert. I have a little CHC in the pot as well, but not that much to be honest.

This is my only Paph. so far, and though I would love to have more I just want to keep this one going before I get anymore

Sorry that's the best I can do for now. Hope it helps, if only a little.

Your plant is gorgeous by the way!

Wow! Thank you for all the information Triffid!
Looks like you really did your homework .
I just bought bunch of different paphs without much research and now learn as I go.

Originally Posted by Triffid

It so hard to find decent clay pots “new” where I am. Unless I want to spend a pretty penny that is.

I keep almost all orchids in clay and buy pots from dollar store, did you check there?

Originally Posted by Triffid

Your plant is gorgeous by the way!

Thank you!

[Triffid]

I do try to do my homework. Some plants are easier to research than others though and luckily Paphs have quite a big following of enthusiasts and experts, which helps.

Our equivalent local Dollar (or Pound) Stores never seems to have any ordinary clay pots. Occasionally large and glazed, but never the good old standard ones. They seem to prefer selling the plastic ones.

Strangely enough I found a few mini (1-2 inch) clay pots in a Textile Craft Store (of all places)! Needless to say I bought the last 4 - haven't used them yet but I have them ready if required Luckily I found 5 standard sized (approx 4-5 inch or 11-13cm) for £1 from a Charity shop. Other than that it's on-line and order big to make it worth my while. Hopefully they will become more popular where I am, but for now I have enough set aside (now all I need are the plants )