Phalaenopsis kapuasensis

[tmoney]

this one was exciting for us to get our hands on, not only to be a part of a small group of folks from here we knew are growing it, but also because it’s a relatively newly described species (formally described in 2017).
so, we had to have one or two. plants came to us as bare rooted seedlings, though perhaps one of you guys knows if this is a selfing or sib cross, as we don’t know any more about the particular parentage of our plants.

here’s a couple links if anyone cares to read more...

Phalaenopsis kapuasensis

IOSPE PHOTOS

Phalaenopsis kapuasensis

New Orchid Species: Phalaenopsis kapuasensis - BorneoScape

perhaps it will be slow growing since it is closely allied with gigantea?? time will tell, i suppose! we have them bagged, sorta, and in a higher light area next to a heater. trying to baby them thru our winter here. ive shown you mine, now let’s see yours!!

[jcec1]

Exciting stuff - hope they are not slow growing.

[Mr.Fakename]

Dude... You got 3 of them?! Your self control is pretty much non existing

As far as I know, it is a selfing. The mother plant, as well as cultural info, can be found here: RE: Phal. kapuasensis - 6

From personal experience and talking with other owners of the plant, it is a very difficult Phal.
It grows insanely slow and sulks very easily; it is not a good choice for beginners.

It appears to do best in high light, similar to gigantea. I aim for slightly yellow leaves.
As for humidity and heat, the more the better, but healthy plants seem to be doing fine in a wide range of temps and RH.

When happy, it can bloom relatively small. It seems the plant then goes into overdrive and starts growing much faster.

[tmoney]

hey again mr. f...

well, we got 3 because we only got our first true seedling a couple months ago and are not very confident with young orchids (or any orchids, for that matter!) and i figured if we were gonna bother with an order we should make it worth it.

but it was pretty noticeable they all had a lighter green color, similar to our bear king foliage color. glad to hear that since we were a bit worried they might already be kicking the bucket.

im also just speculating if the general weakness of the species is because there hasn’t been enough plants in cultivation to breed nice, home friendly lines from outstanding plants. seems like there are only a couple places working with it?

edit...ok, i just read the german forum page with a few posts from a particular grower....he mentioned a terrarium with no special heating or treatment. so guess where one of our 3 babies is going today?! field trip!!

oh, and just a general seedling question, but is the assumption that seedling need slightly lower light than the adult version a correct one? we still have them in a fairly bright location, but not the full on sun/bright that we have our mature phals in

[camille1585]

Here is my plant. That new leaf has not grown at all since getting the plant mid September. There IS a bit of active root growth however, so that's good news!

It spent 3 weeks in my ICU tent (high humidity and low light) in order to encourage some root growth. The state of the roots when I received it wasn't great... It now lives on my shelves under lights next to Phal gigantea, and I'm trying to think of a way to increase the humidity levels around it.

I consider myself an experienced Phal grower, but this species does make me nervous!

Tmoney, for the light level I would use the same approach as for any other plant : gradually increase the light level, observe, and reduce light if it seems to be too much.

[Mr.Fakename]

Originally Posted by tmoney

im also just speculating if the general weakness of the species is because there hasn’t been enough plants in cultivation to breed nice, home friendly lines from outstanding plants. seems like there are only a couple places working with it?

Very good point! We're at the forefront of Phal exploration, that's what is exciting

[tmoney]

Originally Posted by Mr.Fakename

Very good point! We're at the forefront of Phal exploration, that's what is exciting

that was pretty much the whole reason we regretted not getting one in the first place, fomo and all that....

where’s yours mr. f?! what r u doing for it? one of ours is in the tank now, and since they were all pretty much at the same stage i think it will at least be a nice basic cultural comparison (even tho it applies only to our exact situations since i have no idea what our numbers are for light, temp, and humidity!)

---------- Post added at 09:40 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:31 AM ----------

Originally Posted by camille1585

Here is my plant. That new leaf has not grown at all since getting the plant mid September. There IS a bit of active root growth however, so that's good news!

It spent 3 weeks in my ICU tent (high humidity and low light) in order to encourage some root growth. The state of the roots when I received it wasn't great... It now lives on my shelves under lights next to Phal gigantea, and I'm trying to think of a way to increase the humidity levels around it.

I consider myself an experienced Phal grower, but this species does make me nervous!

Tmoney, for the light level I would use the same approach as for any other plant : gradually increase the light level, observe, and reduce light if it seems to be too much.

thanks for sharing, camille! at least you got some new root action happening, better than nothing. and thanks for the light tip, that’s our usual approach with most plants, but these we started a little higher on the light levels than our other seedlings, hopefully it’s not too much too soon

[Mr.Fakename]

Originally Posted by tmoney

where’s yours mr. f?! what r u doing for it?

2 are mine, the other one is Sade's.

The one in the bottom left I got last year; it was growing fine until it got toasted this summer. It lost a bunch of roots and leaves, but surprisingly pulled through and made a tiny new leaf.

It's in LECA/rockwool, watered every day, high light with direct afternoon sun. It used to be outside until temps dropped below 13°C.

The others arrived at the same time we group ordered, (I don't remember the date) they've been in a box with heat mat and bright indirect light, they're fine but haven't done much.

I just put them under lights for winter, maybe I'll toss the mat inside the terrarium and see what happens.

[tmoney]

your tank is looking good, but how do you find those tiny babies in all that jungle?!

also, how do i get in on your contract growing scheme?? i have a few plants id like you to have coax into some flowers! do you take cash for your services??

[Mr.Fakename]

Finding them is easy, the hard part is finding the appropriate space for everyone. Lesson learnt on using light bulbs vs bars.

Depends, what kinda deal are you offering?