Question about growing paphs...........

[Ray]

Try S/H culture....they LOVE it.

I can even sell you one in-spike growing that way, if you like a yellow flower.

[tucker85]

Originally Posted by billc

I'm kind of partial to the multi florals, but they do tend to take up a lot of room. You can't go wrong with a delenatii, easy to grow, nice bloom, beautiful foliage.

Bill

When you say multifloral, does that mean multiple spikes or multiple flowers on one spike? Sorry, I don't know anything about paphs.

[Bud]

it means that while there is an opened bloom, a new bud appears on the side of the flower and when the old flower is gone, the bud opens and blooms and so on and so forth...this can happen in a span of a full year

[billc]

Multi florals are generally several blooms on the same spike. If you're good(or lucky) you can have several growths blooming at the same time. Here's a link to Piping Rock's site that has several pictures.
Multifloral Paphiopedilums (not including Parvisepalum Influence)
You can also go to ladyslipper.com, Antec's site. That has a lot of great info.
Paphiopedilum & Phragmipedium Intro Page - AnTec Laboratory

Jump right in, paphs are great.

Bill

[glengary54]

Bud - What you are discribing is a sequential bloomer, look at BillC's posting. When you think of multifloral species, think phillipinense, sanderianum, rothschildianum as examples

[Lagoon]

Its nice to others taking and interest in slippers - great to grow!
Paphs can grow in just about anything, I tried some different media's, some did okay and other work really well.

What are you most comfortable growing in Tucker?

Check out the data sheets, its great reading and can really help you understand them better & help make the right choices for you ....

Paphiopedilum Data Sheets

[tucker85]

Originally Posted by Lagoon

Its nice to others taking and interest in slippers - great to grow!
Paphs can grow in just about anything, I tried some different media's, some did okay and other work really well.

What are you most comfortable growing in Tucker?

Check out the data sheets, its great reading and can really help you understand them better & help make the right choices for you ....

Paphiopedilum Data Sheets

Gloria, what medium did you find that paph's grew really well in? I generally use a CHC mixture for orchids that like moisture.

[jrodpad]

Tucker,

You are masterful with your phals and paphs co-exist beautifully with phals. Many share similar light, humidity and temperature requirements. The main difference that I've noticed is watering - my paphs need to be far more evenly moist than my phals. I water them twice as often as my phals in the winter (dry heat here) and 1.5 as often as my phals in the summer. I grow my paphs in the same type of bark mix as my phals (bark, charcoal and pearlite), but a much finer grade. Since all of the pieces are smaller it retains water far longer than the medium grade that I use for the phals, so they stay wetter longer.

As far as starting off - my Lynleigh Koopowitz is a hardy, reliable bloomer. I used to love my little paph niveum too, its a great starter paph - a fast grower, beautiful foliage and spectacular blooms (recently dhredded by my dog). I can't do anything wrong to my wardii either, it's gotten too dry, too wet, too cold and still it grows like a weed and blooms really well.

You have to share what follows you home from the orchid show this weekend!

- J

[Lagoon]

Hay Tucker,
I've been using alot of coconut for the past couple of years, I think this stuff is a hit and miss type media.
I'm pretty much done with it. The PH just sinks too low, I'm kinda tired of being a calcium cop too.
I have a few phals that just hated this stuff almost lost them & my paphs are looking tired. Phrags didn't take well to it.
It also takes to long to prepare - too many orchids to fuss with.

SO, Back to the bark mixtures. They grow real well with a blend of pro-mix and smallish bark, mixing in some coarse rok and rice hulls when I have it.

Love the sphagnum coupled with med size bark works really well. Some paphs prefer a drier open mix and some others do like abit more moisture ... so it depends on the paph.

[tucker85]

Originally Posted by quiltergal

If you are looking for a bullet proof Paph. that anyone can bloom get Pinocchio, or if you prefer species liemianum. Both are sequential bloomers, and one spike can bloom for more than a year. I have a Pinocchio that has been in non-stop bloom for the last 3 years. It's not at all fussy. Both of the above have attractive mottled foliage. Delenatii is also a small relatively easy grower.

Like Bill all of mine are in CHC, and I also flush the pots well. I prefer to pot mine in plastic pots as summers here are hot and dry. Plastic tends to keep more moisture in the pot, and if you use clear pots you can see when you have active root growth.

Leafmite, Orchideya is correct. Not all Paphs are calcificarous. Delenatii is one that does not like lime. I have a list at home somewhere that outlines which Paphs will benefit from oyster shell and which won't.

I like multi-florals too, but they are rather large and take up a good chunk of shelf space. My biggest is William Ambler.

I took your advice and ordered a Paph. Pinocchio. Thanks for the recommendation.

---------- Post added at 07:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:58 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Lagoon

Hay Tucker,
I've been using alot of coconut for the past couple of years, I think this stuff is a hit and miss type media.
I'm pretty much done with it. The PH just sinks too low, I'm kinda tired of being a calcium cop too.
I have a few phals that just hated this stuff almost lost them & my paphs are looking tired. Phrags didn't take well to it.
It also takes to long to prepare - too many orchids to fuss with.

SO, Back to the bark mixtures. They grow real well with a blend of pro-mix and smallish bark, mixing in some coarse rok and rice hulls when I have it.

Love the sphagnum coupled with med size bark works really well. Some paphs prefer a drier open mix and some others do like abit more moisture ... so it depends on the paph.

Interesting information, Gloria. I've had good luck with CHC but I'm a firm believer that people should use the method that works best for them.