sick paphiopedilum HELP!
 

Hi All,

I was given this sick looking paph and sadly I am at a loss for what to do with it. I only grow phals (with lots of success) so this one is new to me. Any help or advice as to how to get this once beautiful orchid back on its feet would be soooooo much appreciated!

Please advise on light conditions, feeding, potting mixture, watering etc.

Thanks so much!

Light & Temp = same as Phals.
You can grow in either granular (bark) mix, or spaghnum/bark mix.
Do NOT let it dry out. Water when it is still moist.

Provided that it has live roots, during winter a very light dose of general purpose fertilizer every 3-4 weeks. In spring increase frequency, till you reach every 2 weeks from April through October.

Hmm, that's a tough one. On the plus side, the general type of paph you have, which we usually refer to as maudiae type, is one of the more resilient and easy to grow groups. On the minus side, that plant is unfortunately pretty far gone. Certainly not beyond hope, but it's going to take some TLC & L (the extra L is for luck) to recover.

Overall, I'd say, if you're successful with phals, you'd likely be successful with this plant if it were in good health. They more or less enjoy similar conditions in terms of light levels, temperatures, watering routine, and potting mixes.

In terms of recovery, you'll probably want to keep it a tad shadier than your phals right now. Putting it into some fresh mix might also help rejuvenate it. For the time being, if you can increase the humidity a bit, and allow the mix to approach dryness between watering, that would help. Also, if you happen to have some Superthrive or seaweed extract, it certainly wouldn't hurt to give the plant a little boost. Hold off on fertilizing otherwise for the foreseeable future. The plant is weak, it's likely not got much of a root system, so your average fertilizer is more likely to do more harm than good.

And good luck. If the plant doesn't make it, don't despair, you're definitely facing an uphill battle, and even the best growers would probably have trouble getting something like that to flourish.

I agree that it looks pretty much gone.
Let this be your lesson. It is always best to get a healthy plant and try to keep it that way.
Healthy strong plants sometimes fall victim to all kinds of ailment, but trying to save sick plants is almost impossible.

With that said, have you looked at the roots of this plant? when leaves are turning yellow and looking dry with brown spots like that, the roots either long gone or the base of the plant might be rotting.
Check the roots and get the plant to your nose and sniff for strange smell.