Pynuralianum, what went wrong?

[mross]

Hey all,
This is the reason I searched out the forums. This pynuralianum was doing great up to about 2 weeks ago. Then I found this. I have not changed the water routine (once a week) or the fertilizer (again once a week). I need new growth all was well until it wasn't. Any ideas?

[DeaC]

Crown rot perhaps. I realize people do what works for them but could fert. every wk be too much,strength?

[Roberta]

Question... when was the Paph last potted? These typically need it more often than a lot of other orchids, like every couple of years. If the roots are good, it may produce a new growth. But getting it out of the pot and finding out what might be going on down there may at least tell you about possible causes.

[estación seca]

A number of things can cause that. But watering once a week in such a small pot is probably not enough, and could cause this. Paphs during growing season do better if they never dry out. Many should never dry out in the winter, either.

[mross]

Thanks for the responses.
Roberta, this is the original pot a bought it in the nursery said it should be good for at least a year. Has not been quite that long yet. I had it about 6 - 8 months.
DeaC, I use less then called for since it's every week but it could be too much. I don't know.
estacion seca, I was afraid to overwater, I figured a little dry is better then root rot. I thought I kept a good eye on it but maybe not, or obviously not something went very wrong very quickly. That's what brought me here.
I have another one that is not doing well either I'll get pics. I t has leaves dying but did not grow. It flowered nicely for several months then seemed to not do anything for a bit then leaves strted to die. Everything I read said most peoples first inclination is to water more which usually is what is causing the problem. I tried to not do that but maybe in this case it was the correct response.

[Roberta]

Paphs do like to be kept on the damp side, since they have no pseudobulbs for moisture reserves. That, of course, contributes to their need for more frequent repotting. But just on general principles, taking a look at the roots will help you know what is going on. Be gentle though... a lot of Paph roots break quite easily. If they are brown and fuzzy, they're healthy. If black, not so much... (They do look a lot different than the roots of other orchids. That's reasonable, they're more like terrestrials than epiphytes and so have a different approach.)

[estación seca]

Paphs are different from many other orchids. They really suffer when dry during the warm season. Their roots look completely different from other orchids, as well. They are normally medium to dark brown, and often fuzzy. In a very chunky potting mix, which yours appears to be, you could water every day in warm weather. Always-moist media break down quickly, so many people repot Paphs in bark-based mixes every year, after flowering. Sometimes you can go 2 years.

A growth (often called "fan") will grow and produce leaves for a while. When big enough it may flower. After the flower spike from that fan is finished, will not continue growing, and will lose leaves as it ages and dies. With decent care a single fan seedling will push new growths before or after flowering, so the plant carries on.

I suspect your issue is underwatering. The flowered plant should make more new fans. I would unpot both plants and repot. The plant you showed may survive if the roots are still healthy. They will not look like Phalaenopsis nor Cattleya roots. After you repot, water so they never dry completely.

Paphs also require much less fertilizer than other orchids. Consider browsing the Paphiopedilum forum here on Orchid Board, accessible via the left yellow menu - click on Forums.

[mross]

I heard from the nursery I bought it from. he said crown rot. I have to be much more careful in watering, I did not know not to get water in the crown and on the leaves. Hopefully the roots are still viable, finger crossed.