Paph's out grown their pots?

[jlynn]

I had bought 2 Paph. just this last May at a show, and when I had asked if they also had pots for sale, they said they did not. I went on the net to look at repot me and a couple of other sites and I just cant bring myself to pay more for shipping for just a couple of pots than what the pots would cost me.

What other type of pots could I use that I could by at like Wal-Mart or a home improvement store?

These are in a 1" and a 4" pot now. and I was told once the bloom has died I would need to repot them.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Believe it or not, those pot sizes are just fine for the orchids you got. With orchids, you're not supposed to look at the size of the leaves to judge whether or not the orchids need to be potted up or down - you gotta take a look at how big the root system is and pot up or down according to the size of the root system. If you removed the moss from the roots and took a look at how large, (or rather, I should say in your case, how small), the root system is you would agree with me on this one.

Plus, many Paphs tend to grow roots rather slowly. It could take several years for your orchid's roots to catch up to the leaves on the plant.

I also probably wouldn't be using moss as a potting medium for Paphs. Many Paphs, (such as those in the subgenera Brachypetalum and Parvisepalum, for example), actually grow in areas with high amounts of calcium and magnesium because many of them are found growing within a thin layer of organic topsoil on limestone cliffs or hills, which means that they grow in areas where the pH of the substrate is actually more alkaline than acidic and most likely in the pH range of 7.0 - 8.4.

The pH of Sphagnum moss can get as low as 3.0. Imo, in the long run, this will not be so good for the roots of your Paphs. Just my .

[jlynn]

Thanks but what type of medium should I use? The smaller one is a Makuli-Curtisii)-Maudiae x Phah. Maudiae ‘Napa Valley‘ HCC/AOS X SIB, the bigger one is a Phap,supersuk ‘Eureka‘ AM/AOS Phap Raisin Pie ‘Hsinying‘ x Sib

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Try medium grade bark with some small grade coconut husk chips and some dolomite.

About equal parts of each.

You can add a little sponge rock too if you like.

[Bud]

You can improvise in terms of pots. I sometimes save clear plastic Chinese soup take out containers and make holes with a knife....also, clear plastic cups and soda bottles.
I go to thrift shops and fairs to look for cheap used bonsai pots, cache pots and knick-knacks to put my little plants in....
I have two of my Pahiopedillum in S/H method....look for S/H topic at firstrays.com and maybe you might like this kind of growing your Paphs....otherwise medium sized bark, charcoal, lava rock, hydroton and sponge rock combination media mix added with a handful of potting soil does well for me.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Btw, I should mention, that I tend to like growing Parvis and Brachys. So my knowledge is more geared towards these guys, just to give you an idea of what I know in the department of Paphs tends to be, but certain things still apply to quite a few different Paphs that grow in similar habitats.