Phal natmataungensis & kapuaensis tips

[Mr.Fakename]

I'll be getting seedlings of Phal natmataungensis and Phal kapuaensis soon; and there's very, very little information about them.

Kapuaensis is related to gigantea and dowreyensis; natmataungensis is in the Aphyllae section with wilsonii, braceana and other cold liking deciduous Phal.

That's a bit of a long shot question, but does anyone have experience growing those species?

[Mr.Fakename]

I finally got the lil seedlings!

Kapuasensis shouldn't be too much to handle but Aphyllae members can be finicky so we'll see about the natmataungensis.

Trying to successfully grow them to blooming size will be a good way to verify if I know my stuff

If someone ever wondered what those species look like; well for now they don't have many specific characteristics but should resemble those Phalaenopsis kapuasensis
Phalaenopsis natmataungensis

I'll keep notes so it can be of help for future growers.

[DirtyCoconuts]

Originally Posted by Mr.Fakename

I'll be getting seedlings of Phal natmataungensis and Phal kapuaensis soon; and there's very, very little information about them.

Kapuaensis is related to gigantea and dowreyensis; natmataungensis is in the Aphyllae section with wilsonii, braceana and other cold liking deciduous Phal.

That's a bit of a long shot question, but does anyone have experience growing those species?

cold liking? deciduous Phal.?

i had no idea EITHER of these were things....mind blown

sorry for no actual knowledge to help, this is just fantastic new information to process for me

[Ray]

No first-hand experience with those species, but I have grown similar ones.

The kapuasensis looks to be a lot like gigantea in its needs, meaning deep shade and very hot.

The natmataungensis, on the other end, should probably be treated more like wilsonii or honghenensis, meaning shade but much cooler. For what it's worth, mine (mounted) were deciduous if allowed to be cooler and drier in winter, but retained their leaves if I kept them a bit warmer and watered regularly.

[Mr.Fakename]

Originally Posted by DirtyCoconuts

cold liking? deciduous Phal.?

i had no idea EITHER of these were things....mind blown

sorry for no actual knowledge to help, this is just fantastic new information to process for me

The Phal that appreciate a bit of cold and the Phal that are deciduous are the same, it makes it easier to remember

They mostly come from mountainous regions of Taiwan, China, Thailand etc, where temperatures and humidity are less stable throughout the year than Indonesia.

They are the Parishianae and Aphyllae sections. And Phal lowii. Only member of the Proboscidioides. (classification des Phalaenopsis par Olaf Gruss & Manfred Wolff)

Originally Posted by Ray

The kapuasensis looks to be a lot like gigantea in its needs, meaning deep shade and very hot.

The natmataungensis, on the other end, should probably be treated more like wilsonii or honghenensis, meaning shade but much cooler. For what it's worth, mine (mounted) were deciduous if allowed to be cooler and drier in winter, but retained their leaves if I kept them a bit warmer and watered regularly.

Thanks for the input Ray.

I concur with this, and I'll add that lighting also plays a major role.
I think it's why so many growers fail with those mini Phal and give them a bad reputation; people "allow" them to go deciduous and then hope they'll survive in a place that's far too dark.

Regarding deep shade for gigantea, really?
I was advised to put them in the brightest possible spot, because in nature they - reportedly - grow at the top of trees.

[isurus79]

How are these ones doing?

[Mr.Fakename]

Guess I suck at updates, don't I.




Natmataungensis was growing pretty good until it got eaten by a slug and died.
It was doing fine with the "standard" care I provide to other deciduous Phal, which is as much indirect light as possible (enough to give leaves and/or roots a purple tinge), and daily watering in LECA. These plants are somehow hardy so they're left on their own outside until nights get consistently below 10°C.


Kapuasensis took me a while to figure out, hands down the hardest species I've even tried.
It seems to want a humid environment, but not wet roots. Very fast draining potting media and daily watering are what work for my plants.
They like it warm but still currently grow indoors, temps are stable at around 20°C.
They're under fairly bright LEDs, but I can't provide accurate measurements.
These are SLOOOOW, I'm hopping next generation seedlings will be a tad stronger.

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by Mr.Fakename

Natmataungensis was growing pretty good until it got eaten by a slug and died.
It was doing fine with the "standard" care I provide to other deciduous Phal, which is as much indirect light as possible (enough to give leaves and/or roots a purple tinge), and daily watering in LECA. These plants are somehow hardy so they're left on their own outside until nights get consistently below 10°C.


Kapuasensis took me a while to figure out, hands down the hardest species I've even tried.
It seems to want a humid environment, but not wet roots. Very fast draining potting media and daily watering are what work for my plants.
They like it warm but still currently grow indoors, temps are stable at around 20°C.
They're under fairly bright LEDs, but I can't provide accurate measurements.
These are SLOOOOW, I'm hopping next generation seedlings will be a tad stronger.

Too bad to hear about the natmataungensis!

Do you think the kapuasensis would get faster if temps were closer to 30C?

[Mr.Fakename]

Originally Posted by isurus79

Do you think the kapuasensis would get faster if temps were closer to 30C?

That's oddly specific, you want to know if they'd like Texas ? You found a great deal?
They come from lowland Kalimantan (Borneo), so they like it bright, hot and steamy; they should handle your summers just fine!

There's bit more info here, including a thread on a German forum: Phalaenopsis kapuasensis

[tmoney]

hey mr. f. the last time we spoke the kaps hadnt done anything, and well, they still havent!! one of them lost a leaf.

we got 3 of the seedlings, and kept one in the terrarium. i thought that would help, but it actually looked worse than the ones in the window sill. so now it has joined its siblings in the window. at least they are still alive!! but yes, i would agree wholeheartedly that kapuasensis are extremely slow growers