Petal Blight on Paph?

[NYCorchidman]

Sure, of course.

By the way, what mix do you use for your paphs??

I use mostly bark and moss, but I have used paph mix (mostly made of CCH chips) from repotme, and I find it really great. That is actually about the only I buy from them. so issues so far.

[jeremyinsf]

Most are in Orchiata, a mix of the Classic and the Power, along with perlite and charcoal. And a dash of oyster shell.

I might change this up a bit next year, we will see. I have a few cu ft of Orchiata to play with.

I use Sphag too in some cases, depending on what I'm trying to do.

I have a few plants in CCH chips too - I got them from another user on here, and I'm leaving them in their pots as is for now. Sorta learning with it as an experiment.

[NYCorchidman]

I read how CCH can contain high salt level and presoaking and washing is advised to prevent root damage.

I stick to their stuff because I use it without any treatment on my part, and plants grow wonderfully in it.

I am thinking of adding oyster shell or dolomite, but haven't decided as I use "full spectrum" fertilizer with Ca.

Do you crush the oyster shell? Do you think it brings noticeable change in plant growth??

[jeremyinsf]

Originally Posted by NYCorchidman

I read how CCH can contain high salt level and presoaking and washing is advised to prevent root damage.

I stick to their stuff because I use it without any treatment on my part, and plants grow wonderfully in it.

I am thinking of adding oyster shell or dolomite, but haven't decided as I use "full spectrum" fertilizer with Ca.

Do you crush the oyster shell? Do you think it brings noticeable change in plant growth??

Sorry RandomGemini - appears we have hijacked your thread. Hopefully we are being helpful though!

I have heard the same about CHC but I haven't planted with them new so it hasn't come up.

Repotme does 'wash' their stuff and make it ready to use right out of the bag - for a premium. With the volume I use, I can't handle the markup. I pay about $11.50 for a cu ft of Orchiata. They charge $78.10 + a large shipping fee. So, I will wash it myself - even though Orchiata specifically does not need to be washed from the bag. Anyway. For small uses I'm sure it makes sense to others, just not for me. It's the same with buying fertilizer. I can do it myself (mixing) for a small fraction of the cost.

Now that you mention it, I do add 1/4 cup of dolomite per cu ft of mix. However, it's powder, so it just dissipates quickly I'm sure. I get the oyster shell pre-crushed as flakes (not powder) and with both these, I add it because "it makes me feel good". I don't have my own scientific study of the difference - but the best plants I get have both in their mix, so I copy that.

[quiltergal]

CHC most definitely needs to be pre washed before using. I have a 5 gal bucket that I use for that purpose. I fill the bucket with the CHC in it and let it soak for several hours. Then I drain, refill the bucket and repeat the process. I do this several times over the course of a couple of days. I'm probably a little hyper-vigilant about it but I haven't had any issues with salt. Like sphagnum, CHC is a great medium if used correctly. Jeremy, check out Cal West Orchid Supplies for pots and potting supplies. Shipping is faster and way cheaper than from the east coast.

To our OP RandomGemini, I do not think your plant in question has fungus or anything else wrong with it. That side of the flower may have gotten too cold on the way home, or it may just be an odd natural senescence. Hard to say. I'd keep it and see what it does next time.

[jeremyinsf]

Originally Posted by quiltergal

Jeremy, check out Cal West Orchid Supplies for pots and potting supplies. Shipping is faster and way cheaper than from the east coast.

I already have a 'relationship' with them! In fact they had a Black Friday sale so I stocked up on quite a few things. I still try to get the Orchiata in or near town though at a show or something, then I'm not paying shipping at all. But the folks at Cal West are quite awesome. Good customer service, quick, very fair shipping rates (actual rates) and a good selection of supplies.

For anyone else looking: http://www.calwesttropical.com/

I may try the CHC on some other plants. I remember you telling me how you hate to water and with as many as I have now, at times, I feel the same.

[RandomGemini]

Not a problem at all! I'm keeping up with your posts and learning a lot. Had a question too.

What fertilizer do you guys use? I'm using better gro orchid plus, because it's what's available to me locally and I bought a bag of it when I got my first orchid, but I'm not seeing tons of growth with it. I expected my phals to go through a growing cycle at about this time of year, and the root and leaf growth just isn't what it was even a month ago and I also thought I would see some spikes start growing by about now too, and nada.

I've considered coconut husk chips for my paphs, because someone else here mentioned that she was trying them for paphs and was happy with the results.

My hubby went down and checked out our whole house humidifier today and we're going to call someone in the morning about it. It's not working, for whatever reason the humidity in our house should be a lot higher than it is, so I'll wait to decide on what I'm going to repot my paphs in until we get that fixed.

[jeremyinsf]

I use K-Lite as a fertilizer (you can get it from Ray) - The 2lb tub can be mixed up into a few gallons of concentrate and will probably last you a long time. I'd guess it would cost (by itself) about $20 with shipping. Well worth it in my opinion. I just bought the 25lb bag!

I also use KelpMax and MaxiCrop for seaweed root stimulants. They are not actually fertilizers - they are supplements. But to quote Tucker on here, "I can't imagine growing orchids without seaweed". At least I think that's what he said to me. Anyway at this point, that is my sentiment as well.

[quiltergal]

I'm currently using MSU. I also bought some K-Lite, but have not used it yet. I want to use up the MSU first. I have also used Kelp-Max and saw a significant improvement in root growth. The MSU does a fine job. K-Lite is a modified version of MSU. My Phals do most of their growing in the spring/summer months.

[RandomGemini]

Thanks, good to know that this slow down is normal! I just had a bunch of root and leaf growth in late October and early November so I'm kind of bummed out to see everything slow to a crawl. I love seeing new growth.