Paphiopedilum Tigrinum Culture

[melisafaye]

Hello All,

I just purchased a paph tigrinum seedling,about 2 years from blooming, and I am trying to find out information on how it is best grown, light, temp, potting media, humidity, air circulation, pH etc. It is so hard to find information on this particular plant. The only thing that seems consistent is that it doesn't always like what a typical paph would like. I have an east facing window that I grow most of my paphs on. I keep the humidity above 50% and usually pot in either spagh or a spagh bark mix. For watering, I always keep them moist. I also have lights for african violets and cattleyas, but I think that these would be too little and too much light for paphs. I keep pretty good air circulation with two mini fans that are blowing indirect to the plants. Any advice on growing my tigrinum would be greatly appreciated! I am so curious to hear what works for others!

[estación seca]

First, Welcome to the Orchid Board!

I've never grown this one. There is a Search feature in the top maroon menu. If you type in Paphiopedilum tigrinum you will find threads mentioning the plant, and you can read what other people have written about it here. I looked at them. There is no cultivation information on them, and the only references are to plants in Europe.

I went looking some more. It's an endangered species, with less than 1,000 plants estimated in the wild. The chief dangers are overcollection for the horticultural trade, and land use changes:
Paphiopedilum tigrinum (Tiger Striped Paphiopedilum)

The Internet Orchid Species Photo Encyclopedia lists it:
IOSPE PHOTOS

It's listed as cool to cold growing. Orchids with this temperature requirement can be difficult to grow in a house.

Impulse buys of difficult-to-grow, endangered species often don't turn out well. It's always a good idea to find out what plants need before buying them, especially if they're rare and expensive. I think your best bet is to ask the seller how to grow it - if they know.

I very much hope you didn't buy a wild-collected plant from an Asian vendor via eBay or Amazon, and import it illegally without the proper permits.

[melisafaye]

I appreciate the concern, but I don't buy illegally imported plants. This is a third generation legal import from a reputable U.S. orchid seller. I did quite a lot of research about this plant before purchasing and went back and forth with the vendor. He said that my growing conditions are suitable for the tigrinum and gave me his growing advice. But, as everyone knows, there are many ways to grow plants and sometimes there are tips and tricks to how some people get their plants to thrive. I am looking for information on other people's environments compared to mine, and any advice that someone may have that I am not aware of. The more information I have on other's experiences, the greater ability that I will have to get this little guy to not just grow but thrive!

[PaphMadMan]

The short answer on Paph tigrinum culture is treat more like a Cattleya than a typical Paph. A sphagnum based mix is probably a mistake. Medium bark mix that is very well drained, some even grow it in baskets. It is often an epiphyte or lithophyte in nature, so let it dry a bit before watering. Watch this carefully until you know the plant. You don't want it to wilt either, but constant moisture will push it toward rot quickly especially in winter.

Brighter light than most Paphs too, again think Cattleya. Gradually increase light. The normal leaf color should be light green, even slightly yellow-green, not dark. Grow it on the cool side though - hot days without cooling off well at night will stress it.

The one time I tried this species was complete failure, but that was before this received wisdom was available. Good luck.

[melisafaye]

Thank you for the tips PaphMadMan!It is pretty dark green right now, so I will start to gradually introduce it to my cattleya lights and see how it does there. I was wondering about the temperature drop at night. My temperature drops around 10-12 degrees at night because I have them all close to an 8ft window so they get a lot of the natural temp and humidity fluctuations. Hopefully that will give it a nice cool down period. Because of researching many many forum discussions for tips like these, I haven't killed an orchid yet(knock on wood), and I am determined to not let this guy be the first!