Your ultimate paph mix?

[greengarden]

I have at my disposal:

vermiculite
small perlite
large coconut coir chunks
medium bark
10mm scoria(lava rock)
terracotta chips
charcoal
a small amount of dry sphagnum
lots of live bush moss

[Ray]

OK, you have all those materials at your disposal.

Have you considered how they - -or a combination of them, when paired with your growing environment and watering capabilities - can match the requirements of the plants?

Once you have, THAT will answer your question.

[greengarden]

Well this is the dilemma. I don't really know what the growing requirements are. These plants are all from my freebie rescue score. I am almost certain they are paphs. They look extremely similiar to my neighbour's insigne. So at this stage I am assuming that is what they are until they flower and I can get a better idea. LOL

All the plants have been VERY neglected. I believe the lady who owned them(who died a while ago) was very elderly and they all look like they are long overdue for repotting, probably by many years not just months.

I have decided that the best way to ensure their survival is to gradually repot them all, starting with the ones that I have deemed to be the more sensitive plants. So the cymbidiums and the Aussie dendrobiums have been left until last and these 'paphs' are the first of the rank. There is also another piece which is just a single growth which was on the ground, not even in a pot which I think is also a paph but not the same as the others.

I live in an area which is similiar in climate to Southern California if that helps. I know nothing about paphs having never owned one before and usually water every few days

[professor plant]

When paphs have been neglected and the roots comprimised I while try and use a little more sphagnum moss mixed with orchiata bark (small size), small perlite and 'feather lite' an aggregate (which is a recycled glass compound). Depending if it is a particular species, I also add some calcium carbonate for PH. On a rare occasion I will use a small amount of rooting hormone.

The proportions of the mix depend on how frequently you want to water. Just be careful to not make it too heavy. People pot paphs in all sorts of stuff with good and bad results. Its sort of a feeling out process for many of us at first. I do pot different paphs in different ways.

[greengarden]

OK well since I water fairly frequently I went with a mix of bark with a hand full of vermiculite, charcoal and perlite. It seems OK at the moment so we'll see how it goes. I have a box of calcium supplement stuff for orchids, does anyone know whether insigne appreciates this?

[orchidsarefun]

I scatter a small amount of oyster shell onto the surface of my insigne. They do like it.

[greengarden]

Thanks, i'll throw a little on in the morning

[Polarizeme]

How are the rescues fairing?

[greengarden]

Looking great so far. They were quite pale and sickly looking but are now looking greener. A lot of the yellow leaves have dropped off but they've been replaced by healthy lush green growth so I'm not worried about all the falling leaves. I even mounted a small piece just for fun.