dying leaves on Paph. Wössner Kolarmi
 

This little thing looked pristine when I picked it up mid October. By mid to late November the first and then second lowest leaves started yellowing. The first photo is from 12/6 and the other was this evening 12/9.

I'm wondering if this is natural senescence or if there might be an underlying problem.

Brown leaf is dry and not slimy. Temp has been 65-75 F, RH 55-75%, watering has been every 5-8 days depending on how dry it seemed (7 avg), gentle air flow from ceiling fan. I have larger paphs in the same media and pots (3.25" wide, 3.75" tall) that definitely dry quicker. This one is a bit wobbly so I suspect the roots don't go very far.

Paphs should stay moist. I doubt you're watering enough.

I agree with ES, but if it's not an underwatering issue, it might be a case in which the existing root system is insufficient.

Might it be worth unpotting to take a look, and possibly move to smaller pot?

It's reasonable to shake out an inch or so of medium to get an idea of how many roots it has. That pot size seems right to me. I wouldn't do a full medium removal and repot if the roots look good.

And remember - Paph roots are light to medium brown and fuzzy.

I gently removed the loose media at the top and this was the view. The fat root running along the surface of the remaining media seems dead (not rotten but not firm, completely "deflated"). The root running down the right side of the stem in the first photo is firm and extends down into the media. If there are other good roots I could not see them.

I'm guessing the best option is to keep it moister and hope new roots grow? Might this also be a good time to finally get some kelp fertilizer?

The medium looks as though it has been completely dry for quite some time. I really think this explains what you see. Many people here report watering Paphs every 2-3 days. I grow them in S/H; it seems clear to me the more I water, the faster they grow.

Yes, Kelpak/Kelpmax might help.

My experience when I was first learning to grow them was they responded rapidly when they finally got enough water. I'm still learning.

I posted here lecture notes I took when Brandon Tam of the Huntington spoke to our Society. Use Advanced Search in the top menu to find them. Search on DVOS and my partial or entire username. Realize you must use the accented ó or the search won't work. Using estaci is enough.

I actually have that post saved already! I'll look through those notes again.

My other recent paph acquisitions get water more often, but this one seems to hold more at the bottom of the pot while, as you noticed, the top entirely dries. I was concerned that roots lower in the pot might get too waterlogged so I held back a bit. Perhaps I will start spraying the surface in between regular waterings. Hopefully a readjustment will set it back on the right track!

As you note, not seeing much in the way of good roots. Keep in mind that the roots develope from the base of the plant in the upper part of the pot. If the upper part of the medium is too dry you won't get good root developement. If you are concerned about the bottom of the pot being too wet have you considered azalea pots? The diameter to height ratio is different than a standard pot.

Another thought struck me. First, once that type of medium dries out it is hard to rewet. Second, while the pot size is appropriate for the size of the plant I think it is too large for the size of the roots in their present condition. Maybe a repot into a smaller, shallower pot with some new, premoistened mix would be helpful.

I repotted it today.

Once out I found three decent sized roots, but only one was firm. I soaked the new media with a bit of kelp extract and plan to water more often. I could see the beginning of two new roots starting around the base of the dead leaf I removed, so hoping for the best. It's awkwardly off center because the one good root is a bit long for the new pot and I didn't want to flex it too much (I think breakage may be what killed one of the others).

Thank you all for the advice and let me know if anything seems amiss!