# Micranthum



## masaccio (Mar 11, 2020)

My micranthum is been growing well, getting good light (good enough for the rest of my paphs anyway under LED spots). The winter temp is its growing room has been around 60, sometimes slightly lower. It's been resting and I'm hoping for a spike. The plant is only one fan. Lance Birk and other sources talk about resting. I don't know what a resting paph needs in terms of water. No water? Less water? Keeping it basically dry but giving it a little here and there? Thank you for your thoughts.


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## tomkalina (Mar 11, 2020)

We grow our Paph. micranthums cool (55F night temps) dry (watering every two weeks) and bright (2-3,000 fc.) I consider this a resting period for that species, so fertilizing only every third watering with 15-5-15 CaMg @ TDS of 100 ppm in R/O water. This phase begins on Nov. 1 and ends on Feb. 1 each year for this and the other Parvi species.


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## masaccio (Mar 12, 2020)

Thank you so much for these helpful and concise guidelines.


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## Happypaphy7 (Mar 12, 2020)

You can go even lower if possible. I have bloomed a few. blasted a couple. Unless you grow it very cool like near freezing as this species go through in the wild, then you want to water it good. If you have very high humidity and quite cold, then, drying out might be fine, but low humidity and not that cool, then, I would recommend against drying out, definitely not every two week watering for such a small plant in the pot. 
Their roots in the wild, grow buried in the dirt, which is shallow. The air is often very humid and morning dew will drench the plant daily. 
So, think about how this might translate into the pot culture. 
I say big no to drying out. You would likely kill any developing sheath that might be deep down at the center of the plant, or invite some nasty mite infestation. I vote for water, water, water.


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## KyushuCalanthe (Mar 12, 2020)

Agreed. If you grow indoors don't back off the water too much. If you are lucky enough to live in a climate where you can winter it outdoors with relatively high humidity, you can cool it off/dry it off a lot more. I've never tried this species, but I grow its near relative, P. armeniacum, outside, and I water it very little from December - March. Caveat - my plant is finally growing well, but has yet to flower for me.


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## Rockbend (Mar 13, 2020)

For years I've done the fake 'spring showers': doubling up on water in early spring (whenever that is in your location). Seems to trigger flowering in several species.


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## mtbrbee (Mar 14, 2020)

It sounds awful but some advice that i was given was to put in your refrigerator at night in the crisper drawer with the humidity dial set in the higher range.
I thought the advice was nuts but decided to try it.. it was stressful to say the least, i set the temp in the drawer to 41-42 degrees, put them in every night, took them out every morning and within a couple of months they were all in sheath. I have 6 of them and 6 micranthum eburneum 
I cant believe i just admitted that in public! Please don't shame me. The husband was not happy one morning when he woke up before me and opened the fridge to get the cream for his coffee and instead found bunches of orchids...


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## gego (Mar 15, 2020)

You were succesful so I will be mean to my two Paph Gloria Naugle that are just enjoying free board and lodging. They will be sleeping outside starting tonight,,,we"ll see.


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## Anca86 (Mar 3, 2021)

How low is too low with respects to the temperature?


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## Ozpaph (Mar 3, 2021)

?5Celsius


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## masaccio (Mar 3, 2021)

Wow, I missed a lot of this somehow. I have a place I can put it at night next year where it will be a few degrees above freezing - definitely flirting with 30sF. And then can take it into bright light for daytime. Water sparingly but not to the point of prolonged excessive dryness. It might be "interesting" to keep that up for three months but for the rewards, I'd give it a shot. At this point, it's still growing beautiful leaves. It's one of my favorite plants.


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## Happypaphy7 (Mar 3, 2021)

Armeniacnum, micrnathum and even malipoense can withstand slightly freezing in the wild. It is not necessary in cultivation, but that is what they can tolerate for short period. I would not subject them under 5C though just to be safe.


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## Rockbend (Mar 6, 2021)

tomkalina said:


> We grow our Paph. micranthums cool (55F night temps) dry (watering every two weeks) and bright (2-3,000 fc.) I consider this a resting period for that species, so fertilizing only every third watering with 15-5-15 CaMg @ TDS of 100 ppm in R/O water. This phase begins on Nov. 1 and ends on Feb. 1 each year for this and the other Parvi species.



Hi Tom:

Does the long super-dry period work for all Parvi Paphs? Some more than others?
Only a small percentage of my Parvis bloom per year lately, so I'm thinking of increasing the length & severity of my dry rest period.

Thanks, Bill


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## tomkalina (Mar 7, 2021)

We do this for all Parvi species. If they're big enough to bloom, this should help get things going.


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## masaccio (Mar 7, 2021)

mtbrbee said:


> It sounds awful but some advice that i was given was to put in your refrigerator at night in the crisper drawer with the humidity dial set in the higher range.
> I thought the advice was nuts but decided to try it.. it was stressful to say the least, i set the temp in the drawer to 41-42 degrees, put them in every night, took them out every morning and within a couple of months they were all in sheath. I have 6 of them and 6 micranthum eburneum
> I cant believe i just admitted that in public! Please don't shame me. The husband was not happy one morning when he woke up before me and opened the fridge to get the cream for his coffee and instead found bunches of orchids...


I'm thinking wine cooler.


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## NYEric (Mar 8, 2021)

masaccio said:


> I'm thinking wine cooler.


 Hmmmmm


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## masaccio (Mar 8, 2021)

NYEric said:


> Hmmmmm



Yep. and they come in just the right sizes and temp ranges too. Don't search for "wine coolers" though, search for beverage refrigerators.


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## Djthomp28 (Mar 8, 2021)

tomkalina said:


> We do this for all Parvi species. If they're big enough to bloom, this should help get things going.


Tom @tomkalina - do you do this for species and hybrids?


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## tomkalina (Mar 8, 2021)

Djthomp28 said:


> Tom @tomkalina - do you do this for species and hybrids?


Both


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## Rockbend (Mar 9, 2021)

I wonder if the Parvi Paph are like a lot of Dendrobiums: while they come from areas with cool and dry winters, if you can't give them cool, you can fool them with dry.

For example: Den aggregatum has been in catalogs for decades as 'intermediate-cool' BUT they grow giant monster plants with 100+ spikes in South Florida, by using a dry spell only.


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## Happypaphy7 (Mar 10, 2021)

Things like Dendrobium nobiles and Parvi paphs do not come from areas with dry winters.
Dry can be very misleading. It means significantly reduced rainfalls during these winter months, but the area maintains very high humidity during this period which bathes the entire plants on a daily basis.
Field study on Paphiopedilum armeniacum for example reports that the soil (yes they grow on soils over the rocky area) stays moist.
Malipoense typically grows in forest floors with lots of old rotten leaves and soils covering the roots. You can easily imagine this kind of habitat is moist. Similar situation for micranthum.
Epiphytes like Dendrobium nobile will get much drier being up in the tree but remember that they enjoy daily morning shower in the form of dews and highly humid air at all times.
This is nothing like drying them out completely under cultivation.
If you can maintain low enough temperature and high humidity, then you can water them sparingly and mimic the natural environment for them.

South Floria does have a month or two where the minimum temperature drops down to low 60s to high 50s, at times even lower.
This is low enough and long enough period for many species like Dendrobium aggregatum and nobile.

If you keep these plants too warm and dry, forget the flowers. You will end up with dry plants with flat mites feasting on them. lol


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