# Slipper ID and help please



## ilmuuu (Jun 25, 2021)

Hello,

I got a slipper orchid from a friend. She has been growing this orchid for a few years, but it never bloomed. The first picture is the orchid when she purchased it. Could anyone let me know which orchid it might be? 

The other three images are the ones I just took. My friend recently repotted the orchid. She mentioned that it has a long and thick root, so she had to use an 8 inch pot. She also used normal soil and perlite as the potting mix. So here are my questions  Is an 8 inch pot too big for this orchid? Should I change to a different potting mix, like bark/perlite/moss? It seems that the orchid has a new grow coming out (with a pink base). Should I cut it out and put in a different pot? Should I bury the orchid to the upper level of the pink base? -- It seems that there are roots coming out from the base. Lastly, does anyone have any idea why this orchid never bloomed?

This is my first slipper orchid. I am very excited. But I never grew one, so I am super inexperienced. I really appreciate any suggestions. Thank you all so much in advance!


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## Paphluvr (Jun 25, 2021)

Based on the first photo your orchid appears to be a Phragmipedium hybrid of some sort. They do like to stay moist but I've never tried to grow them in a mix like yours so I can't render an opinion. As far as pot size I would think a bit oversized but that would be dictacted by the size of the root ball when it was repotted. I would normally pot this lower but the fact that the new growth is so much higher than the old presents a problem. If you leave it as is the roots on the new growth will not have mix to grow into. If you pot it lower ( to accommodate the new growth) you run the risk of rotting the old growth which would be too deep in the mix. Your blinds are closed. How much light does it get and what are your temperatures, summer and winter?


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## ilmuuu (Jun 26, 2021)

Paphluvr said:


> Based on the first photo your orchid appears to be a Phragmipedium hybrid of some sort. They do like to stay moist but I've never tried to grow them in a mix like yours so I can't render an opinion. As far as pot size I would think a bit oversized but that would be dictacted by the size of the root ball when it was repotted. I would normally pot this lower but the fact that the new growth is so much higher than the old presents a problem. If you leave it as is the roots on the new growth will not have mix to grow into. If you pot it lower ( to accommodate the new growth) you run the risk of rotting the old growth which would be too deep in the mix. Your blinds are closed. How much light does it get and what are your temperatures, summer and winter?


Hi Paphluvr, thank you so much for your insightful suggestion! I guess I would change the potting mix to bark/moss/perlite. I took it out to look at the root. It seems like the roots have some white points -- that is a good sign right? However, just like you mentioned, the new growth is too high. How do I solve this dilemma? Should I split it? The new growth does not have long roots yet. I attached the pictures here. Any suggestions are highly appreciated. Thanks!

I live in Iowa, 5b zone. I will take it outside after repotting. Is the light requirement similar to phalaenopsis or cattleya? I expose my cattleyas to direct sunlight in the morning, but shaded after 10 am. Thanks!


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## Paphluvr (Jun 26, 2021)

Yes, the white root tips are a good thing. They show that the roots are growing. Phrags do tend to have the new growth higher than the old but I've never had one this far apart. The nubs at the bottom of the new growth are the potential new roots with nowhere to go. I think the best bet would be to repot with the old growth just slightly lower than in the old mix. Top dress with moistened sphagnum moss to surround the root nubs on the new growth. If you keep the moss moist you'll hopefully get some new roots going into the moss. Hopefully someone with more experience with this problem can provide further insight. Good luck.


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## ilmuuu (Jun 26, 2021)

Paphluvr said:


> Yes, the white root tips are a good thing. They show that the roots are growing. Phrags do tend to have the new growth higher than the old but I've never had one this far apart. The nubs at the bottom of the new growth are the potential new roots with nowhere to go. I think the best bet would be to repot with the old growth just slightly lower than in the old mix. Top dress with moistened sphagnum moss to surround the root nubs on the new growth. If you keep the moss moist you'll hopefully get some new roots going into the moss. Hopefully someone with more experience with this problem can provide further insight. Good luck.


I think that's a great idea! I am afraid of splitting the new one since it has no roots coming out yet. What you suggested is a very safe and reasonable way. Thank you so much! I will try it later.


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## FrankRC (Jun 27, 2021)

1 - Change your potting mix. Depending on how often you water use either Orchiata bark, which you can get from Orchids Limited, or loose sphagnum moss. Tightly packed sphagnum is going to kill your roots.

2 - Not sure what kind of light that plant is getting but it needs a lot more light than what is in the photos. Don't be afraid of high light levels, just keep it out of direct sun.

3 - The elongated rhizome is not unusual in any way, and is probably as long as it is because the plant wants to escape the conditions inside the pot. Phragmipedium behave like this in some natural populations to get above conditions are the roots. Potting mix as you are using is not a good mix for Phrags.

4 - I see longifolium in the background of that hybrid. However, there are so many discredited species names in the genus that are still being used by the commercial orchid industry to sell plants that it would be impossible to correctly name that plant. Even if it had a tag it might not be correct anyway.

Good luck with your plant! Phrags are one of the best genera of orchids to have in your collection!


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## southernbelle (Jun 27, 2021)

All good suggestions above. You might soak the roots to soften them so you can get it into a smaller pot. But if all those roots are healthy (not soft/mushy) then 6” might not be too large. I would question using clay with bark, though for a phrag. It would dry pretty quickly and they like to stay moist. And don’t use larger than Power Orchiata/perlite mix for a 6” pot for a Phrag.


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## richgarrison (Jun 27, 2021)

Just a quick observation from your photos. The first photo from your friend appears to show the plants tag... which when enlarged shows the first parent as starting with 'eric', most likely 'Eric young'.. but more importantly, your friend likely knows what the plant is called if they kept the piece with the tag.


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## awesomei (Jun 27, 2021)

ilmuuu said:


> Hello,
> 
> I got a slipper orchid from a friend. She has been growing this orchid for a few years, but it never bloomed. The first picture is the orchid when she purchased it. Could anyone let me know which orchid it might be?
> 
> ...


Again, from your first photo, that is definitely a Phragmipedium. It is probably some besseae hybrid. One, due to the red color and two, due to the climbing nature of your plant. While phrags love to be continuously moist, I am afraid that mix will be too wet and promote root rot. as far as potting, for plants like this, I usually plant at an angle rather than upright. This will allow the old plant to be well rooted , yet still allow the new plants roots to get into the media without drying out from air. Good luck.
George


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## ilmuuu (Jun 29, 2021)

FrankRC said:


> 1 - Change your potting mix. Depending on how often you water use either Orchiata bark, which you can get from Orchids Limited, or loose sphagnum moss. Tightly packed sphagnum is going to kill your roots.
> 
> 2 - Not sure what kind of light that plant is getting but it needs a lot more light than what is in the photos. Don't be afraid of high light levels, just keep it out of direct sun.
> 
> ...


Hi Frank, thank you so much for your detailed suggestions! I will definitely follow those. I have changed the potting mix to bark/perlite/charcoal with about 10% moss. I put the pot at a close position to my cattleya, so they can share bright shaded light together. So if it is a longifolium hybrid, does it mean that it is a water lover?


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## ilmuuu (Jun 29, 2021)

southernbelle said:


> All good suggestions above. You might soak the roots to soften them so you can get it into a smaller pot. But if all those roots are healthy (not soft/mushy) then 6” might not be too large. I would question using clay with bark, though for a phrag. It would dry pretty quickly and they like to stay moist. And don’t use larger than Power Orchiata/perlite mix for a 6” pot for a Phrag.


Thanks so much! I found a tall and thin plastic pot, perfect for this long phrag  I drilled several holes on the bottom and side to keep air flow. Hope this is a good choice


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## ilmuuu (Jun 29, 2021)

richgarrison said:


> Just a quick observation from your photos. The first photo from your friend appears to show the plants tag... which when enlarged shows the first parent as starting with 'eric', most likely 'Eric young'.. but more importantly, your friend likely knows what the plant is called if they kept the piece with the tag.


Oh my... Thank you so much! It does look like "Phrag" and "Eric"! My friend has lost the tag a long time ago. But the flower, the leaves and the climbing nature all like "Eric Young". Do you happen to grow this phrag before? I wonder what are the tips that I should pay attention to. Also, this orchid is newly repotted, and has a few damage to the roots. Should I keep it to the dry side for a few days before regular heavy watering? Any suggestions are highly appreciated!


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## ilmuuu (Jun 29, 2021)

awesomei said:


> Again, from your first photo, that is definitely a Phragmipedium. It is probably some besseae hybrid. One, due to the red color and two, due to the climbing nature of your plant. While phrags love to be continuously moist, I am afraid that mix will be too wet and promote root rot. as far as potting, for plants like this, I usually plant at an angle rather than upright. This will allow the old plant to be well rooted , yet still allow the new plants roots to get into the media without drying out from air. Good luck.
> George


That's a great suggestion! I will definitely try that. Thanks so much! Is there anyway to slow the process of elongation, for example, high light?


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## awesomei (Jun 29, 2021)

ilmuuu said:


> That's a great suggestion! I will definitely try that. Thanks so much! Is there anyway to slow the process of elongation, for example, high light?


Elongation???


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## richgarrison (Jun 30, 2021)

ilmuuu said:


> Oh my... Thank you so much! It does look like "Phrag" and "Eric"! .....



It's an Eric Young cross... there are many... general phrag conditions and considerations as you are getting from all the folks here... 

i guessed that it may be a Hilo Orchid farms plant and sent them an email on your behalf... ( feeling helpful today ;-) )

if anyone else has an idea as to the grower for this tag... feel free to jump in



<edit> No luck with Hilo... maybe others can help


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