# My first Paph!



## The Mutant (Mar 26, 2012)

Has arrived! Weeee! I'm sooo happy! I've been looking forward to getting this guy ever since I booked it a bit more than a week ago and now *finally* it's here. :rollhappy:

It feels so thrilling having a completely new orchid genus in my flat and I can't stop running into my kitchen to take some sneak peeks at it in case I've it was just a dream (it's still there so I think it's probably real).

It looked to be in great shape to my newbie eyes. The leaves are firm and so are the roots. It got a little bit of damage on two of the leaves from the transportation, but nothing else. I cut off a yellowing leaf, put it into a fine-grade bark/sphagnum/perlite-mix and placed it on a pedestal together (but still a good bit away) from the Phal crew. I managed to coax it into a 3.5" pot and I really hope it'll like living with me. 

It has a bud, but I'm expecting either an abortion or a bud blast since it has spent two days in a dark box only to end up in the hands of an utter newbie. The odds are not good for this spike.

One question though, did I plant it deep enough into the substrate? I've read the "substrate level"-thread and hope I've gotten it right. 

Oh, it's a Paph. cermanense or Paph. bullenianum var. ceramensis as I think it's also called.


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## Paphman910 (Mar 26, 2012)

Good job of repotting! If you see new root emerging from the leaf axil, you could top dress the medium with moss so the roots grow into the medium!

They like warm humid conditions like Phals!

Paphman910


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## The Mutant (Mar 26, 2012)

Okay, I'll do that, thanks for the advice. My Phals seem to like me so hopefully this guy will do it to.


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## eggshells (Mar 26, 2012)

Good start. It's a nice looking plant. I think it will do good for you.


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## SlipperFan (Mar 26, 2012)

I'd personally put a little more mix in the pot, at least to cover the roots I think I see in the photo.

It looks like a nice healthy plant. Good luck with it.


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## paphioboy (Mar 27, 2012)

Nice healthy bullenianum... Quite uncommon species over here..


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## Ayreon (Mar 27, 2012)

Good luck with it


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## The Mutant (Mar 27, 2012)

SlipperFan said:


> I'd personally put a little more mix in the pot, at least to cover the roots I think I see in the photo.
> 
> It looks like a nice healthy plant. Good luck with it.


I covered the only root that was above the substrate yesterday. I'm so darn new that I've no idea whether the root was alive or not (but I guess it is) so I didn't know what to do, but it felt wrong to leave it exposed so I had to cover it up. :rollhappy:



paphioboy said:


> Nice healthy bullenianum... Quite uncommon species over here..


Thanks! It's a good start that it's so healthy I think, then it has a bigger chance to survive. I bought it from Ayreon here (points to quote below). He's the one growing this baby so kudos to him for that I say. :clap:



Ayreon said:


> Good luck with it


Thank you so very much for this little guy! I love it even though it's just standing on its pedestal. Its mere presence is making me happy. 

******************************************************************************************************************



Okay, so the spike has straightened up and is no longer resting on the leaf as it was... Should I take this as a good sign or is it only playing with my newbie heart?


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## The Mutant (Mar 27, 2012)

I checked the spike when I got home just now, and it has completely straightened out. It seems my Paph liked being re-potted very much (as has been mentioned several times here and on other Paph sources as well). Maybe the chances of the spike and bud becoming something more has increased a bit? I really hope so!


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## SlipperFan (Mar 27, 2012)

Looks like it's doing what Paphs do. Don't worry so much!


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## The Mutant (Mar 28, 2012)

Haha! Of course I'll worry! It's my very first Paph and I've really no idea what I'm doing. I'm like a mother hen fuzzing over her chicks at the moment. This Paph will teach me several things so in a year or two I know what all these little things indicate.


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## The Mutant (Mar 28, 2012)

Just had to up a pic and show you how nicely the spike has straightened up.


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## SlipperFan (Mar 28, 2012)

What kind of pot/basket is that, by the way?


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## The Mutant (Mar 29, 2012)

You mean the cache pot? Um, a plastic one?


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## rdlsreno (Mar 29, 2012)

Nice job.

Ramon


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## The Mutant (Mar 29, 2012)

Thanks Ramon, but I really can't take any credit for it since I've only had it for four days! :rollhappy:

Look what I discovered doing my daily "starting at my poor chids round":






I don't know, but to my inexperienced eyes it looks like a little root nub. :clap:


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## SlipperFan (Mar 29, 2012)

The Mutant said:


> You mean the cache pot? Um, a plastic one?


The white one that looks a bit like a basket.


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## The Mutant (Mar 30, 2012)

SlipperFan said:


> The white one that looks a bit like a basket.


What about it? What do you wish to know? I'm a bit slow at times and being a non-native English speaker doesn't help really.


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## SlipperFan (Mar 30, 2012)

The Mutant said:


> What about it? What do you wish to know? I'm a bit slow at times and being a non-native English speaker doesn't help really.


It's hard to know for sure, but it looks like your plant is in a clear plastic pot, which is placed in the white "basket". Is that right?


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## The Mutant (Mar 30, 2012)

Yup, that's right. I had planned to buy a solid cache pot since I don't want any light to get to the roots, but was told that this cache pot was okay. Should I change it as I had planned to do? The only reason I put the Paph in a clear plastic pot is because they are the ones with the best drainage, unfortunately the "basket" was the only half decent cache pot I had available at home.


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## SlipperFan (Mar 30, 2012)

Why do you want no light to get to the roots? I have all my Paphs and Phrags in clear pots. They are doing fine.


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## The Mutant (Mar 30, 2012)

Because it's not an epiphyte and because I have absolutely no clue? But since you have yours in clear plastic pots, I suppose I can keep it in the cache pot.


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## likespaphs (Mar 31, 2012)

most orchids do not mind growing in clear pots
i also use them so that i can keep an eye on the root zone


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## The Mutant (Apr 2, 2012)

I think the spike is actually growing... 

I've had the feeling that it has gotten a wee bit taller since last week so I took a comparison picture today, and it looks like I might have confirmed my suspicions.

So far, I really like being a Paph owner. 

Last week:







Today:


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