Paphiopedilum tonsum possible issues?

[Salixx]

So, Paphs make up a very small amount of my collection, three plants total. One is a seedling that's doing okay, but somehow sprouted up a scale infection that I have treated. It is kept nowhere near my other two Paphs. I have a Paph. Greyi that seems to be doing okay- it grew a new fan earlier this year and is in the process of producing a flower.

My Paph. tonsum, on the other hand, seems to just be limping along. I bought it as a two growth plant a year ago and it has not produced any new fans since. The leaves are a very washed-out green color and pretty limp/ lacking in substance. Some are downright floppy. It does occasionally put out a new leaf. The newest leaf on the younger growth is probably the healthiest looking and is firmer.

I had been growing it in a partially shaded western window all winter, mostly just bright light but occassionlly an hour or two off direct sun. As the sun got more direct, I moved it to my northern window which is bright. It gets dappled sun from 6-7pm. I have grown it under predominantly intermediate temperatures. It did have another orchid fall on it, so has some, I think, fairly minor mechanical damage.

It has been growing in S/H for most of its time with me. I water twice a week with 1/4 tsp of MSU and pure water (rain or r/o). Once a month I do a pure water flush, but ad KelpMax to that flush. The roots are dark brown and slightly fuzzy. They feel firm, but I haven't gone digging.

I am adding some pictures below for a little more context though they really don't show the extent of what I am talking about. What do some of you Paph experts think? Nutrient deficiency? Doesn't like S/H? Disease? Maybe it's normal?

Thanks in advance!

[PaphMadMan]

I'm not sure s/h is the best choice for the forest floor leaf litter growing Paphs like this, but I've never tried any Paphs in s/h myself. These are adapted for a rich tannic organic substrate, so the rather sterile media and simple fertilizer may not satisfy them. The KelpMax should help, but maybe a splash of compost tea along with every watering would be of benefit.

It appears basically healthy, but a little blah. It might do better with a bit more light compared to some similar Paphs. Intermediate temps are fine but lack of a nighttime temperature drop could stress it. If humidity regularly falls below 50% that could account for thin limp leaves - this species is a bit more sensitive to low humidity than some.

[Salixx]

Thanks for the ideas! I'm growing all three of the Paphs in s/h, but, to be honest, even though the Greyi is in much better condition than the tonsum, I think it could being doing better than it is. I'll give the compost tea a shot with all three and see how they do. If there's no improvement, I'll switch them to a more traditional potting media.

For the compost tea, I see there's a lot of "options" out there. Should I try to essentially brew my own from fallen and partially decayed leaves? I have several colonies of Cyp. acaule near me- do you think their soil preferences similar? Or is the commercial stuff better?

I do my best to give a temperature drop in the winter and typically a 10 degree minimum difference from day to night. Right now is probably better - I have no climate control in most of my house so nature does its thing.

The humidity have been an issue until recently. Do you think the leaves would still be limp from too low humidity from two months ago (~40% most the time)? Next winter, I'll move it in with the Masdies for higher humidity.

[estación seca]

I don't have this species, but I have a smattering from different sections, plus hybrids, almost all unbloomed seedlings. Most are in S/H, some for almost 2 years, and seem happy. They are growing slowly. This is my first-ever venture into Paphs so I have no idea how fast they are supposed to grow.

Mine don't seem to mind spells of 40% humidity. Have you considered watering more often? In lower humidity the water may not stay as high in the LECA as we might like. Limp leaves sure sounds like they want more water, and it's not harmful to water every day in S/H.

[Salixx]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Mine don't seem to mind spells of 40% humidity. Have you considered watering more often? In lower humidity the water may not stay as high in the LECA as we might like. Limp leaves sure sounds like they want more water, and it's not harmful to water every day in S/H.

That's a good point - I really hadn't thought of it as long as there was water in the reservoir. I did forget to mention that I moved it about a month ago into a shorter s/h pot because I wasn't happy with how high the LECA wicked with the last pot. It went from a taller 32oz deli container to a 16oz.

It also seems that all three of my plants (the seedling is Paph. gratrixianum) might grow in or have parentage from limey areas and thus used to a bit more calcium and mineral content. Do you guys think it would be beneficial to switch to tap water and/or increase the fertilizer to 1/2 tsp/gal, in addition to some kind of compost tea? My tap water is about 130ppm TDS, pH is 7.0 or 7.2 - I can't quite remember.

[PaphMadMan]

Paph tonsum is a bit more sensitive to low humidity than some other species. Especially since it also likes a bit more light it can suffer in low humidity even if there is plenty of water. 40% occasionally is no problem, 40% continuously could be. Once leaves have developed a limp habit they may never firm up completely.

You should be able to buy commercially produced compost in a not too unreasaonably sized bag. I would go with that rather than collecting degrading leaves etc. It won't give the living biotic components that good unprocessed compost would, but the organic compounds and micronutrients will be there, and you won't risk bringing in disease organisms. The healthy bacteria etc. may not persist in the s/h environment anyway. Or you would probably get some of the benefit from a tea made from any good bark/moss based orchid potting mix.

I suggested the tea as a way to continue with the s/h if you wanted to give it a try, but a switch to an organic mix is always an option.

If your fertilizer supplies calcium and magnesium then your plants probably do not need more. In nature they would be in soil/humus over a calcareous base. Just adding more minerals doesn't emulate that interplay of acidic over basic. In an organic mix I would say just add some limestone, eggshells, even marble chips to the mix or in the base of the pot. I'm not sure how that would work in s/h.

[Salixx]

Thank you very much for your input!

I've moved it into one of my mini indoor greenhouses that is artificially lit and has bloomed some higher light plants like Den. moniliforme. My Paph Greyi also spiked within a week of being moved in there, so I put this guy right next to it. I will need the space come winter for some other plants, but by then I will move it into the Masdie room where the humidity stays 50-60%. I keep it cooler, but not too cold for this guy, I think.

I ordered some compost tea to add to my regular watering regime. We'll see how it goes for the next few months. If I don't see much improvement, it will go into an organic mix.

[Optimist]

I have a paph tonsum like this in semi hydroponic. It was in very poor condition (after my illness I had lost about 3 paphs). The semi-hydroponic I have it in is not streight out "Lecca." It is Lecca mixed with fine bark mix in a semi hydroponic container with drilled holes above resevoir. I believe that plain lecca would dry out too quickly. All my mottled leaf "survivors are potted like this, and they do not seem to mind. They are also getting east window light.

[Optimist]

I have started to add some "tea" to my paph water. (which is also rain water).

The tea I have added is Yerba Mate because it is 5.5 ph, while black tea is about 7.0 ph.

Since the addition of the tea to the paphs, they are getting a bit happier.

I saw this on a youtube video (several videos) by Rick L. Apparently PH is more important than I thought.