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

[tucker85]

I'm an experienced orchid grower but I'm getting ready to buy my first paph. What kind of pot and medium do you recommend for growing paphs?

I am not an expert but do manage to keep few species alive and happy and one is even pushing out a bud now.
Mine are mostly parvisepalum subgenus and seem to like the small unglazed clay pots with chc.
I found very helpful this article here:
Quick Start - Buying and Growing Your First Paph.
Good luck.

[billc]

In my experience and conditions, they seem to do best with an airy mix. I've used bark mixes, CHC and S/H. I currently have most in CHC, which they seem to like as long as I flush every other watering. CHC seems to get fertilizer build up quickly.
I keep them in the smallest pot I can squeeze the roots in, and use the tallest container I can find. I use foam peanuts or rocks on the 1st inch or so of the bottom of the pot to help with drainage.
Paphs take real well to S/H, but I find I have to water frequently(like every other day).
What are you thinking of getting?

Good Luck, Bill

[tucker85]

Originally Posted by orchideya

I am not an expert but do manage to keep few species alive and happy and one is even pushing out a bud now.
Mine are mostly parvisepalum subgenus and seem to like the small unglazed clay pots with chc.
I found very helpful this article here:
Quick Start - Buying and Growing Your First Paph.
Good luck.

That's an excellent article. Thanks for the link.

---------- Post added at 12:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:54 PM ----------

Originally Posted by billc

In my experience and conditions, they seem to do best with an airy mix. I've used bark mixes, CHC and S/H. I currently have most in CHC, which they seem to like as long as I flush every other watering. CHC seems to get fertilizer build up quickly.
I keep them in the smallest pot I can squeeze the roots in, and use the tallest container I can find. I use foam peanuts or rocks on the 1st inch or so of the bottom of the pot to help with drainage.
Paphs take real well to S/H, but I find I have to water frequently(like every other day).
What are you thinking of getting?

Good Luck, Bill

I'm not sure what I'll get. There's a big orchid show this weekend. Do you have any suggestions?

[Leafmite]

Someone recommended Lynnleigh Koopowitz as a very easy starter paph and so that's what I bought in November. So far, it is just chugging along, even starting a spike, despite me not realizing I should have been keeping it moist. Oops. At my last OS meeting, I was thankfully given good advice. Everyone in our society gives their paphs a good dose of lime/oyster shell at the beginning of January.
Leafmite

[billc]

Originally Posted by tucker85

I'm not sure what I'll get. There's a big orchid show this weekend. Do you have any suggestions?

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

[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.

[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.

[Leafmite]

I actually gave the oyster shell to it in early December and so far, the plant is really looking healthy. It could be dumb luck that this individual offspring inherited the malipoense love of calcium or perhaps time will prove that my ways need mended. I really appreciate the information. Thankyou.
Leafmite

[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.