Paph. villosum 'Vi-1' X Paph. Hitachi Venus

[phillygrower]

I got this plant from Wegmans two years ago in bloom. It took that time for the HUGE growths to mature and realm but now it has one fully open bloom (pictured) and another one flower on the way. I also had a villosum in bloom recently and the size difference between the species and this is crazy! I put a dollar next to the flower for perspective. I grow indoors and this is by far my largest paph but with a flower this awesome... i can't complain too much.

[orchidsimplicity]

Wow!! Great bloom!!

[WhiteRabbit]

Beautiful!

[My Green Pets]

One word: BLING ! ! !

[No-Pro-mwa]

Holly molly, that is big.

[DeaC]

Are ya kidding me? And from Wegmans!And yes...no complaining!

[Ashleyma23]

What are your growing techniques and watering / fertilizer. How often and name. Thank you

[phillygrower]

Originally Posted by Ashleyma23

What are your growing techniques and watering / fertilizer. How often and name. Thank you

I grow most of my paphs under t5 lights, although this plant has outgrown that light stand so it sits in a north facing window where it gets bright indirect light. I grow in clear plastic pots with styrofoam peanuts at the bottom for drainage and i use the Paph/Phrag mix from repotme.com. I TRY to fertilize weakly/weekly but reality is probably more like every other week. I was using dynagro orchid pro for a long time which i thought had great results and recently switched back to it after using the MSU fertilizer for a while.

Hope that's helpful!

[Ashleyma23]

Thanks for the information. I have a question about the indirect light. I am confused because I thought orchids have to receive sunlight either thru direct or indirect via sheer curtains. What other orchids can this be done for.

[phillygrower]

Originally Posted by Ashleyma23

Thanks for the information. I have a question about the indirect light. I am confused because I thought orchids have to receive sunlight either thru direct or indirect via sheer curtains. What other orchids can this be done for.

Indirect light doesnt have to be through a sheer curtain. In a north facing window, generally few direct sunrays will get in, except in the summer. The window is still bright, but no direct sun comes in.

As for growing under lights, there are many types of light systems that you can have. I have this one from gardener's supply: Grow Light Stand: 3-Tier SunLite Garden & T-5 Bulbs | Gardeners.com

I find this to work very well. I grow compact cattleyas, oncidiums, paphs and phrags under this light very successfully. Here's a link about growing orchids under lights: How to Grow Orchids Under Artificial Light - For Dummies