# Paphiopedilum supardii



## JPMC (Jun 28, 2012)

I have had this plant for about 15 years. Over the last 4-5 years it has been plagued by mealy bug and microscopic mites. I thought that it was going to die 2 years ago. Thankfully it pulled through and bloomed. I know that it doesn't suit the "symmetry Nazis", but I like it.





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## Paphman910 (Jun 28, 2012)

Wow! Nice pouch color! So vivid!

Paphman910


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## wolverine329 (Jun 28, 2012)

I really like supardii, did you grow yours Fromm seedling? 15 years is a long wait. I got a seedling for about 2 years now. Very slow growing


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## likespaphs (Jun 28, 2012)

mmm... supardii


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## Spaph (Jun 28, 2012)

The wait was worth it!


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## JPMC (Jun 28, 2012)

wolverine329 said:


> I really like supardii, did you grow yours Fromm seedling? 15 years is a long wait. I got a seedling for about 2 years now. Very slow growing



Mine was a large seedling when I acquired it. It did bloom regularly for few years prior to the pest infestation. It is a slow grower, but once it's mature it seems to grow relatively steadily and put out one new growth with bloom per year.


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## JPMC (Jun 28, 2012)

Paphman910 said:


> Wow! Nice pouch color! So vivid!
> 
> Paphman910



Thanks. This plant seems to have a reddish tone to the mahogany color of the pouch. The image was taken with natural light at mid-day and I think that the color reproduction is accurate.


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## emydura (Jun 28, 2012)

Well done. That is just lovely. Love the pouch colour.


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## Justin (Jun 28, 2012)

love it! i have 6 big ones i kept from a flask. i am hoping the first will bloom next year. Mine grow pretty well. Looking forward to being able to see a supardii flower in person!


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## Rick (Jun 28, 2012)

Very nice color.

Does it usually have 3 or more flowers per spike?

Do you know the parents?

Mine grow pretty fast (as fast as lowii at least). Basket culture and reduced K (increased Ca/Mg) feeding has helped stabilize mine from some of the ups and downs you mention.


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## W. Beetus (Jun 28, 2012)

Stunning color!


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## JPMC (Jun 28, 2012)

Rick said:


> Very nice color.
> 
> Does it usually have 3 or more flowers per spike?
> 
> ...



It's always had 3 flowers per spike. I'm hopeful for more in the future: I planted it in a plastic basket that is within a plastic pot 2 years ago and the growth has been amazing. It's doubly amazing since it's near-death experience at that time. It's never grown so fast or so well so I hope for better in the future.

The parents are not listed. I bought it from Orchids Limited so it may be one of their crosses.

I don't know which basket culture method you mean. The one I use for armeniacum is "all" basket while this plant is "half" basket. I do use the urea-free fertilizer from Robert's Flower Supply that I think also has low K.


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## SlipperKing (Jun 28, 2012)

I have to agree with Paphman...great color. What is the leaf span?


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## Ditto (Jun 28, 2012)

very nice !


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## Rick (Jun 28, 2012)

JPMC said:


> It's always had 3 flowers per spike. I'm hopeful for more in the future: I planted it in a plastic basket that is within a plastic pot 2 years ago and the growth has been amazing. It's doubly amazing since it's near-death experience at that time. It's never grown so fast or so well so I hope for better in the future.
> 
> The parents are not listed. I bought it from Orchids Limited so it may be one of their crosses.
> 
> I don't know which basket culture method you mean. The one I use for armeniacum is "all" basket while this plant is "half" basket. I do use the urea-free fertilizer from Robert's Flower Supply that I think also has low K.



Robert's sells a version of MSU fert (which is urea free) which I used to use, but it is not low K. It does have some calcium and magnesium, but at levels lower than the K. But if you mix it in tap water rather than the recommended RO water, the balance of K to Ca and Mg will be better. I used it for developing my original low K strategy by "diluting" with calcium nitrate and epsom salts, but have since switched to the K-lite material that Ray got Greencare to make for us.

Although many of us were putting some of our rambling parvis in baskets, for quite a while, it wasn't a common practice to putting other Paphs into baskets, especially with media other than bark or chc based mixes. About a year and a half ago I started moving most of my paphs over into baskets. See a thread called "Mark this date for basket culture". I think Dec of 2010.

Any way I also moved lots of my multis into baskets. Roths, stonei, supardii, sanderianum, kolopakingii, gigantifolium, anitum, randsii..... mostly with very good results. Recently I should note that the ones that did best had more limestone gravel than moss, and I've reduced the moss to rock ratio in several baskets.

One of my supardii (which also has a very red pouch) came from OL too. Maybe they're kin:wink:


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## JPMC (Jun 29, 2012)

SlipperKing said:


> I have to agree with Paphman...great color. What is the leaf span?



Thanks for the compliment. It is 24 inches across and the spike is 23 inches from the top of the pot.


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## Susie11 (Jun 29, 2012)

Very nice.


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## JPMC (Jun 29, 2012)

Rick said:


> Robert's sells a version of MSU fert (which is urea free) which I used to use, but it is not low K. It does have some calcium and magnesium, but at levels lower than the K. But if you mix it in tap water rather than the recommended RO water, the balance of K to Ca and Mg will be better. I used it for developing my original low K strategy by "diluting" with calcium nitrate and epsom salts, but have since switched to the K-lite material that Ray got Greencare to make for us.
> 
> Although many of us were putting some of our rambling parvis in baskets, for quite a while, it wasn't a common practice to putting other Paphs into baskets, especially with media other than bark or chc based mixes. About a year and a half ago I started moving most of my paphs over into baskets. See a thread called "Mark this date for basket culture". I think Dec of 2010.
> 
> ...



Thanks for the tip on the fertilizer. I'm going to give it a try. I have moved more plants to this "basket within a pot" culture with good preliminary success. I also placed a violascens into this type of basket-pot and it's currently maturing a flower bud! It was languishing until then.


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## SlipperFan (Jun 29, 2012)

That's a good one.


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## GuRu (Jun 30, 2012)

Lovely P.supardii, I like it very much and furthermore it's nice to hear this beauty survived all these pest attacks. Way to go


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## paworsport (Jun 30, 2012)

Very nice species and plant. It is not my favorite multifloral but after seeing your plant I think I will try.


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