Nodes on paph stem
 

I have a paph that needs to be repotted. There are 3 fans of growth; one has a 3" stalk with brown nodes growing beneath the leaves. They are not pests - they are part of the plant. I thought they might be new roots but they don't get any longer. How should I separate the long stem from the plant? It doesn't seem to have any roots of its own.:(

A picture would be helpful as it's kind of unclear what you are trying to explain

They are likely emerging roots that find the environment unfavorable -too dry, too contaminated, etc.

I find that an open, airy, but moisture holding medium, coupled with high humidity, avoids that.


Ray Barkalow
firstrays.com

It sounds like you have one elongated growth, taller than normal with some space between nodes, and those are roots trying to grow at each node. Because they are well above the medium in the open air they won't usually grow. Some Paphs are prone to these "climbing" growths. It has always seemed to be that old potting mix, over-watering, crowding and insufficient light could promote this, but some Paphs will do it no matter what.

There is no need to remove it, but if you want to try an experiment, cut it off near the base and treat it as a cutting. Get those root nubs into some damp sphagnum and they may grow. Eventually it should start a new growth near the base and you have a bonus plant.

Thanks, everyone, for your help. I'm sorry but I don't know how to post pictures. I thought the nodes looked like new roots starting but I didn't know why they didn't continue to grow. I don't want to repot because there is a large bud growing. After it is finished blooming, I will try cutting the fan off and repotting it.

To add a photo by URL (like if you have the picture on a site like Flickr,) click on the photo icon. It's to the right of the bold, Italic, and underline.

Or you can go edit your first post, scroll almost all the way down and click on manage attachments. It'll be below the text box. You can either add links there, or upload directly from your computer or phone.
Whenever I add photos, it'll only let me upload one at a time.