# Paphiopedilum armeniacum basket update



## JPMC (Dec 25, 2012)

This is the same plant from this post (http://www.slippertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17972). So far it's the most vigorous clone of this species I have and has not been out of flower for more than a month or two since I posted it in 2010.





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## Jaljala (Dec 25, 2012)

This is fantastic!


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## Rick (Dec 25, 2012)

That's just insane:drool:


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## The Orchid Boy (Dec 25, 2012)

Most amazing armeniacum I've ever seen! How do you grow it? I'm especially curious about your temps.


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## JPMC (Dec 25, 2012)

The Orchid Boy said:


> Most amazing armeniacum I've ever seen! How do you grow it? I'm especially curious about your temps.



Thank you.

I grow it with my cattleyas. Same amount of light but constantly moist (even in winter). Temperatures are 60F at night and 80F during the day in winter; 10F higher in the summer.


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## Chuck (Dec 25, 2012)

Wonderful!

Chuck


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## cnycharles (Dec 25, 2012)

looking for the jaw-dropping smiley...


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## Ozpaph (Dec 25, 2012)

straight spag??


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## Justin (Dec 25, 2012)

wow, some really nice growing there.


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## eggshells (Dec 25, 2012)

I don't really know what to say... But can I have a piece? Lol


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## JPMC (Dec 25, 2012)

Ozpaph said:


> straight spag??



No. The basket is lined with NZ sphagnum but filled with regular paph mix (fir bark, perlite, and charcoal).


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## SlipperFan (Dec 25, 2012)

Beautifully grown!


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## gnathaniel (Dec 25, 2012)

J, how do you fertilize your armeniacum? Do you supplement Ca or add anything like oyster shell, marble, etc. to the mix? Truly awesome plant!


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## The Orchid Boy (Dec 25, 2012)

I'm VERY tempted to try one now. So just bark mix and sphag in a basket with no super low winter temps? I could do that. Do you have high humidity? How fast does the basket dry out? Words just can't say how awesome your plant is and how jealous I am. 

Any one know if an armeniacum would do ok in straight sphag in a wood basket?


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## JeanLux (Dec 26, 2012)

:clap: :drool: :clap: !!!! Jean


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## JPMC (Dec 26, 2012)

gnathaniel said:


> J, how do you fertilize your armeniacum? Do you supplement Ca or add anything like oyster shell, marble, etc. to the mix? Truly awesome plant!



I use MU fertilizer at 150 ppm or low K fertilizer at 200 ppm weekly. I add pellitized lime every 6 months (1/4 tsp per basket).


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## JPMC (Dec 26, 2012)

The Orchid Boy said:


> I'm VERY tempted to try one now. So just bark mix and sphag in a basket with no super low winter temps? I could do that. Do you have high humidity? How fast does the basket dry out? Words just can't say how awesome your plant is and how jealous I am.
> 
> Any one know if an armeniacum would do ok in straight sphag in a wood basket?



I keep the humidity at about 50% and it dries out pretty fast so that I water it every day in the summer and every other day in the winter.


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## Dido (Dec 26, 2012)

looks really great it is alwasy impressive to see your plants congrats for that one, if you have a clone one day please think on me


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## Brabantia (Dec 26, 2012)

Stunning flowering. You control very very well the culture of this species!


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## NYEric (Dec 26, 2012)

eggshells said:


> I don't really know what to say... But can I have a piece? Lol


Are you back home or shoulod he send it to S.E. Asia?!oke:


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## W. Beetus (Dec 26, 2012)

Great basket!


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## chrismende (Dec 27, 2012)

Always an inspiration! Thanks for posting again, and again.


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## Paul Mc (Dec 27, 2012)

Impressive! Thanks for sharing!


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## Rick (Dec 27, 2012)

Are you watering with RO or local tapwater?


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## JPMC (Dec 27, 2012)

Rick said:


> Are you watering with RO or local tapwater?



I use RO. The tap water here is very alkaline so if I used it I would not supplement with calcium.


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## nenella (Dec 28, 2012)

WOW!!!! fabulous Thanks for posting I will look out for this one.


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## Marc (Dec 28, 2012)

Wonderfully grown!


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## eOrchids (Dec 28, 2012)

I stand in envy as always! :drool:


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## Rick (Jan 3, 2013)

Jim

Why don't you self this thing and get some seed in to Troy Meyers?


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## The Orchid Boy (Jan 3, 2013)

I agree with Rick. Then we all might be able to get a little of this plant!


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## Rick (Jan 3, 2013)

The Orchid Boy said:


> I agree with Rick. Then we all might be able to get a little of this plant!



I was just looking through the TM archives. Armeniacum seed has only been sent in twice (once by me). Both in 2005, and neither attempt produced any seedlings.

Nobody has sent any seed in at all for micranthum.

Charles Wilson (Memphis OS) recently sent in some malipoense seed (with some germination success).

And several successful delenatii attempts.

So for as popular as are two favorite parvi's are, there is not much interest in breeding them.


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## cnycharles (Jan 3, 2013)

interesting observation... maybe people love their parvi flowers so much that they just don't think of desecrating them, or that sometimes it's more of a surprise that there are successful flowerings of these species, so they don't want to stress their plant by pollinating it. I know a little that there has been relatively good success with pollinating and germinating delenatii, but I don't remember hearing many people talking about lots of pollination and germination success of armeniacum and/or micranthum

maybe people just need a 'kick' with the idea to get that ball rolling! (as rick did a few posts ago)


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## keithrs (Jan 3, 2013)

I had a selfing of my armeniacum... which failed! 

I seem to be pretty bad at growing them so far....


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## JPMC (Jan 4, 2013)

I don't think that this plant is too unusual in its vigor. The basket method works well for me with all armeniacums I have tried (so far, three clones). I also had no idea that they were rare as seedlings. I will try to self this plant and see if the it forms a viable pod. If so, I'll send it in to TM.


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## Leo Schordje (Jan 4, 2013)

I think the main reason we don't see many armeniacum grown from seed is that the plants make so many growths over time that divisions seem to be available frequently enough that the expense and time required to raise a batch from seed doesn't seem necessary. 

In the past I sent armeniacum seed pods to 2 different labs (neither was Troy Meyers). For one pod, got no germination, for the second, I had ordered 10 replates, there was only enough germination for 2 replates, and when I received them, the plantlets were strangely elongated, with no roots to speak of. The lab was a lab that has a lot of experience with Paph seedlings, so the lab waived the replate fee because they did not understand what went wrong. At any rate, it is not common to see armeniacum from seed.


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## Rick (Jan 4, 2013)

Leo Schordje said:


> I think the main reason we don't see many armeniacum grown from seed is that the plants make so many growths over time that divisions seem to be available frequently enough that the expense and time required to raise a batch from seed doesn't seem necessary.
> 
> In the past I sent armeniacum seed pods to 2 different labs (neither was Troy Meyers). For one pod, got no germination, for the second, I had ordered 10 replates, there was only enough germination for 2 replates, and when I received them, the plantlets were strangely elongated, with no roots to speak of. The lab was a lab that has a lot of experience with Paph seedlings, so the lab waived the replate fee because they did not understand what went wrong. At any rate, it is not common to see armeniacum from seed.



I approached Troy a little on this, but I wonder if high K in the growth media sets back some of these species.


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## wonderlen3000 (Jan 7, 2013)

JPMC said:


> Thank you.
> 
> I grow it with my cattleyas. Same amount of light but constantly moist (even in winter). Temperatures are 60F at night and 80F during the day in winter; 10F higher in the summer.



Is the temperature year round? So you don't really need the chilling down to close to zero for the plant like most books suggest. ...??


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