Paph. Pinocchio
 

Paph. Pinocchio (Paph. glaucophyllum x Paph. primulinum) is one of the more popular paph crosses due to its ever-blooming habit. Stems bloom for a long time and new stems arise to continue the process. They are vigorous plants and good for beginners. They will grow well on or near a windowsill or under artificial lights.

That being said, I must be a slow learner :) This was one of the first non-phal orchids I received back in March 2008. It was in bloom and continued to bloom for a few months. I was able to get two new fans of growth into fall 2008, but the spike / buds did not develop as hoped for in spring 2009.

This year has been better. Again two new fans of growth and a good solid spike with developing buds. This is the first flower to open.

Two lessons learned: Paphs do not like old medium and need to be repotted at least once a year, something I did not do in 2008. Second, do not let the medium dry out during summer growing season.

Would be greatful to hear from the experienced Paph growers what else we newbies should be doing to grow paphs well.

Charlie

Thanks for the tips Charlie and congratulations on your bloom... I've just bought one of these on Saturday so don't know what I'm doing with it yet. I will definately mark in my records about repotting every year though and keeping it from drying out.

I would love to hear any tips anyone has as well as, while I've grown Paphs for a few years, I've never got one to rebloom.

Rosie,

A care sheet I found online:

paphiopedilum (lady's slipper)
paphiopedilum “pinocchio”
paphiopedilum “pinocchio” is a hybrid, based on paph. glaucophyllum and paph. primulinum. it’s available with white, yellow or pink flowers.

care
lighting
paphiopedilum “pinocchio” does best if located bright, but protected from afternoon sun. some morning and/or evening sun will be tolerated. a light shaded place is also suitable.

temperature
it can be grown at room temperature throughout the year and needs winter minimum of 13 °c/55 °f.

soil/repotting
a regular orchid mix or a mix between orchid bark, small lava rocks and regular potting soil (2:1:1) can be used.

watering
paphiopedilum “pinocchio” can be deep waterd, what’s flowing out of the pot’s hole must be removed after some minutes. wet legs can cause rotten roots. before watering next let it slightly dry.

fertilizer
a half diluted orchid fertilizer can be given monthly in spring/summer and every six to eight weeks in fall and winter. recently bought or repotted plants don’t need fertilizer for the first six to eight weeks.

humidity
paphiopedilum “pinocchio” welcomes a medium humidity (+/-50 %).

reblooming paphiopedilum “pinocchio”
the flower spike can be cutted off after it has dried, it will not bloom again. after blooming the orchid produces new shoots. eight to twelfe months later paphiopedilum “pinocchio” is ready for blooming again. if bloom appears reluctant a cooler period in winter (13-15 °c/55-59 °f) may be helpful.

Charlie

Thanks Charlie, that will be really helpful info.

Do you know if other Paphs like this cold period over winter. It may be something I've been missing with mine.

The care sheet here on the OB:

Paphiopedilum - Orchid Board

also suggests a 15 - 20 degree day - night temperature difference. So I think it applies to all.

Charlie

I have a only one Paph. and it's a Pinnochio. It looks much better now than it did when it was delivered 2 years ago, but it's never bloomed and never produced a fan. I've followed lighting, potting media, and fertilizer/watering schedule recommendations and the plant gets plenty of air circulation. Last year I downsized the pot and saw a little improvement. This year I repotted and the plant seems to be sulking. It's newest leaf is taking forever to mature.

There are 2 things I suspect are wrong. The first problem might be summer daytime temperatures ranging in the low to upper 90's. Night time temps are low to mid 70's now but sometimes they're in the 80 degree range.

The other problem might have something to do with the depth it's planted. How deep do you plant the base of a paph? Does anyone have a close-up showing proper depth? Mine is planted just to the base of the leaves. In these photos I pulled some of the media away so you can see what's going on at the base.

There's one other thing that should be mentioned. About 5 weeks ago little Pinnochio had a mild case of soft bodied scale. I treated twice with a 50/50 solution of alcohol and water with a little neem and mild dish soap thrown in. Maybe the alcohol burnt the roots???

In the photos you'll notice a torn leaf. I noticed that tear months and months ago but the leaf keeps hangin in there.

thanks for the good info! My niveum x Pinocchio looks like it may be brewing up some blooms! If so - will be my first Paph rebloom!

Was it in bud/bloom/spike when you got it? If not, perhaps it isn't yet bloom size? I have a non-bloom size strap leaved paph - the same fan has been growing for a year and a half - but it is growing ...

Nope, she's never had a bloom, was purchased as NBS, and delivered with one pitiful spindly root. The first photo I can find of her was taken July 10, 2008. This picture was probably taken about a week or two after she got here, just after she'd sprouted a new leaf. In the beginning her lower leaves were narrow and shorter. Initially I over potted her in a mixture that was too moist and it took me 6 months or so to figure out and correct that mistake.

She's grown about 1 1/2 inches taller and her undersized leaves have been replaced with broader longer ones. Her growth seems so slow, but I'm not familiar with paphs so this might be normal. I could definitely use some Paph education.

Well - I'm definitely not a Paph expert myself - but I think that if the original fan has continued to grow, that it is (or at least wasn't) bloom size. I don't know about Pinocchio in particular, but have read Paphs can be slow growers. The strap leaf Paph I have - I have no idea how far off from bloom size it is (or was when I got it) but the one fan has been growing for the year and a half I have had it.

Hopefully someone with more Paph knowledge than myself will have some advice, or opinion to share :)

Thanks! I appreciate your help.

I'd love to see a close-up photo showing the proper depth to plant them. My baby might be planted too shallow.

Well your's certainly looks healthy and happy! I have read that they like to be potted low, like the lower foliage just barely above the media. So yours could maybe sit a bit lower - tho your plant seems happy enough!
Here are some pix of mine, if that helps ...
Hopefully mine are potted ok ;)

Thank you so much. That's exactly what I needed to see. It's obvious that Pinnochio isn't planted deep enough. I always feared a deeper potting would result in rot at the base of the leaves. I really appreciate your help.

You're welcome - like I said - I'm far from an expert at paphs - I only have 4, and am waiting still for reblooms - tho one looks like its brewing up some buds now! And haven't had any longer than a year and a half. But all of mine are growing well, so I hope that means they are reasonably happy. I think they are good with being potted so that the foliage is just barely above the media. If you repot yours, maybe just a smidgen lower, the lowest portion of the foliage shouldn't be buried, I think. Tho like I said, your plant looks quite happy.