How I grow my Paphs

[CTB]

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...l#gmessage8978

[WhiteRabbit]

Wow! That looks great!

[NYCorchidman]

That looks nice!
but the ones that are sitting in the same tray risk sharing whatever one plant may have, right?

Anyways, I also love paphs and have quite a few. Mostly mottled leaf types, complex hybrids, some novelty cross, and one species ( Insigne Sanderae). I don't have multi-florals (mostly because they are usually quite big).
Mine are two types of mix, straight sphag or repotme paph mix (coconut husk chips, hydroton balls and others). I plan to venture out to semi-hydro with some common ones that I wouldn't cry over in case they died. lol


Currently, mine are growing mostly by south window protected by sheer curtain or by taller plants. Some are under LED and even on the floor where it might be a bit too dark for them. It is sort of an trial.

The ones by the south window and under LED grow really well.
I water them when the pots feels light when lifted up. I like to go around and lift pots quite often. lol
I use tap water for all of them. I would fertilize using Jack's classic balanced fertilizer during the growing season. very dilute every time I water.

Summer is brutal indoor. I would run large fan when the temperature goes above 85. when it goes above 100, I run A/C.

I don't have any temperature issues during winter. It is nice and warm. not too warm and never cold.
Apparently too warm for most of my complex hybrids as they have been growing really nicely, but do not flower well if at all. only the white varieties has flowered and one green one. I got rid of some that haven't flowered for over two years to make space for something else.
This year, I plan to leave my complex outside until first frost to see if that will help to set buds.

I even tried one month of refrigerator "treatment" with one of my stone lovely, but it didn't work.

[CTB]

Don't quite know what you mean about the trays, they could sit in a rack on a shelf, or sit side my side. . The trays catches a few drops of water that helps with humidty, and keep them from falling in the cracks.

How to you keep yours???

[Island Girl]

Beautiful!! Thanks for sharing! And thanks for some ideas...

| ~ "If I seen an ant (my friends) it tells me I have a bug. I check that plant over and over until I find it. Usually its a mealie but others too." ~

Why/how do ants tell u that u have bugs? (That is really cool) & any specific type of ant that shows up? Just recently, I've found about 4-5 of the large black flying/winged ants in my orchid-room/sunroom... R they warning me? Or are they pests themselves? ...I should say, that reg. black ants have plenty of access to my orchids, yet they r not in/around my orchids (I live in a 100 yr old house, It's one of those things if u live in an old house... They only really come in my house for a month in the spring, then they r gone... For the most part) they are, however, in my kitchen, which is beside my sunroom.

[CTB]

Ants around, usually means they are eating, usually the bugs that attack your orchids is their food source., The common old black ants. Since I am growing in rock they are not nesting they are eating.

[NYCorchidman]

I see it otherwise. The presence of ants on plants are usually not a good thing. They are taking care of bugs that are harmful to plants actually. Ants harvest sugar liquid from aphids and mealy bugs, for example, and even protect them from beneficial bugs like lady bugs that eat harmful bugs.

so when you see ants on your plant, you want to observe and find out what they are doing on the plants. Check for presence of pests.

Regarding trays, I saw at least one of your pictures where many pots are sitting in a large tray.

Mine (pots) sit in individual saucer or decorative container. All of them are sitting on plant stand.
I water them in the tub or sink. yeah, a lot of work. lol

[The Orchid Boy]

Neat!

I made drainage/humidity trays for my paphs and other orchids. Using a break (I think that's what it's called) and bending metal flashing and then sealing it with silicone. Then I put egg crate in the bottom of each one. They have holes in them with tubing that drains into a bucket. They hold some water but drain when the water gets too high. This way no water touchs the bottoms of the pots and they don't "share" anything. Carol, do you mind if we post pictures and how we grow our paphs or should I start my own thread? And it depends on the ants, some ants farm and take care of pests, other ants eat the pests, not all ant are the same or do the same thing.

Paphs really do like air movement. Rick (on SlipperTalk) has had tremendous success with basket culture. Plant a paph directly into a wooden basket, line with sphag and put in your favorite mix. Water often. He's had terribly sick paphs spring to life because they love the air movement. They dry out fast and get watered often. I'm going to try a Paph. armeniacum and a Paph. micranthum in plastic baskets with straight sphag. Anyone else tried anything like this?

[CTB]

post all the pics you like, will enjoy seeing them Tks

[The Orchid Boy]

Here's a quick picture of my T5s where I have somewhere around 60 or 70 orchids. 20 or 30 some blooming sized, and 40 some seedlings. It's getting a little tight but there's always more room, especially if I mount some more and hang them. I just got a big new Paph. malipoense in bud from Sam Tsui/Orchid Inn. It is very beautiful and bud and spike growth just starts now, stalls till winter, then grows a very tall spike and finally blooms in spring. It is from the same batch as Paph. malipoense 'Sam's Choice' FCC/AOS. It may turn out less green and more colored like 'Sam's Choice', but it may not.