# Paph. sanderianum growing tips invited



## Camellkc (Jan 1, 2015)

Hi paph experts. Happy New Year!

I have a chance to acquire a sanderianum in bloom today. It has a mature growth in bloom, one new growth, one tiny growth and one nearly dead old growth. I would like to invite some comments on what should I pay attention to cultivate this species properly. If you have good memory, I am a multi floral grower at a south facing windowsill.

Thank you in advance for your help.


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## Justin (Jan 1, 2015)

Easy to grow species. some clones can be slower. it likes lower light levels (think Phals) and more water than other multi's. Does not appreciate the media drying out. 

If the buds on your plant are still developing, keep the media very wet and humidity high to push the petals longer. and post pics!!!


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## Camellkc (Jan 1, 2015)

Justin said:


> Easy to grow species. some clones can be slower. it likes lower light levels (think Phals) and more water than other multi's. Does not appreciate the media drying out.
> 
> If the buds on your plant are still developing, keep the media very wet and humidity high to push the petals longer. and post pics!!!



Thank you for the good advice!! I have heard of the theory from many body that if the plant is in bud/bloom do not keep the media wet so as to avoid bud blast and lengthen the blooming time. Is sanderianum do the reverse? It is also sad that it is winter here now and the humidity is not high at all, though I have already turn on the humidifier for most of the day.

Also, can I consider it likes water as much as gigantifolium so that I have to keep the media wet all the time?


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## Justin (Jan 1, 2015)

Camellkc said:


> Thank you for the good advice!! I have heard of the theory from many body that if the plant is in bud/bloom do not keep the media wet so as to avoid bud blast and lengthen the blooming time. Is sanderianum do the reverse? It is also sad that it is winter here now and the humidity is not high at all, though I have already turn on the humidifier for most of the day.
> 
> Also, can I consider it likes water as much as gigantifolium so that I have to keep the media wet all the time?



sanderianum flowers do not last very long anyway so i wouldn't worry about that part. as far as blasting, it depends on where it is in the flowering process. if the buds are still down inside the crown i would worry about blasting, but if they are already coming out of the crown and the spike is growing then start watering it heavily to get the longest petals. 

And yes i try to keep mine wet like gigantifolium.

there are a lot of other sandie growers here so i'm sure others will chime in.


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## Camellkc (Jan 1, 2015)

Justin said:


> sanderianum flowers do not last very long anyway so i wouldn't worry about that part. as far as blasting, it depends on where it is in the flowering process. if the buds are still down inside the crown i would worry about blasting, but if they are already coming out of the crown and the spike is growing then start watering it heavily to get the longest petals.
> 
> And yes i try to keep mine wet like gigantifolium.
> 
> there are a lot of other sandie growers here so i'm sure others will chime in.



Thanks Justin! I shall share it when the blooms are all opened. It is not a good clone but I only wish to get one of them.


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## Stone (Jan 1, 2015)

I have only had 2 years experience with sanderianum. (seedlings not BS!)
The first flask was a disaster. I only have 3 left.
The second flask I have all left and they are actually growing.
The difference? Water, water and more water.

Should be a perfect candidate for growing hydroponic!


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## polyantha (Jan 2, 2015)

Hi, I bought my first sanderianum at the age of 14 and I still have that plant. So I have 8 years experience growing sandies. I am currently rising some dozen young plants from flask with a loss of about 5-10%. One thing I noticed is that some of the plants are faster growing than others. I have a plant that has like five growth or so while the one I bought eight years ago is still a one growth plant. They both started at the same size back then.
I totally agree that the culture is close to the one of a gigantifolium. I found out that sanderianums like expanded clay in the mix like no other species.
It is interesting for ssnderianum plants that there seems to be a juvenile period where the young plants grow extremely slow and an adult period that starts about 5-8 years from flask. Then they speed up their growing rates and clump easily depending on the clone. I hope this helps to some of you.


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## Camellkc (Jan 2, 2015)

Thanks a lot for your advices, which are useful. I would simply treat it as my giga anyway.


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## daniella3d (Jan 4, 2015)

Lucky you to have a blooming size plant and it's actually blooming. I have mine for 6 months and it has only grow 1 inch on one leaf, and now it's starting a little new leave. Can't beleive how slow it grow. I water mine every day and give it 1/4 strength MSU fertilizer every other watering. When I got mine it did not have much root, just one black root that did not have any growing tips and I guess this is why mine is growing so slow. It has put up many new healthy roots now and it's starting to grow a bit faster. I am guessing the more healthy growing roots this plant have, the faster it will grow. Mine is just a small baby with largest leaf of 6''. Maybe in 10 years I will see it bloom.


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## Justin (Jan 4, 2015)

daniella3d said:


> Lucky you to have a blooming size plant and it's actually blooming. I have mine for 6 months and it has only grow 1 inch on one leaf, and now it's starting a little new leave. Can't beleive how slow it grow. I water mine every day and give it 1/4 strength MSU fertilizer every other watering. When I got mine it did not have much root, just one black root that did not have any growing tips and I guess this is why mine is growing so slow. It has put up many new healthy roots now and it's starting to grow a bit faster. I am guessing the more healthy growing roots this plant have, the faster it will grow. Mine is just a small baby with largest leaf of 6''. Maybe in 10 years I will see it bloom.



your experience is not uncommon. some clones can be very slow. it takes a little luck to find a fast-growing one.


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## Camellkc (Jan 4, 2015)

daniella3d said:


> Lucky you to have a blooming size plant and it's actually blooming. I have mine for 6 months and it has only grow 1 inch on one leaf, and now it's starting a little new leave. Can't beleive how slow it grow. I water mine every day and give it 1/4 strength MSU fertilizer every other watering. When I got mine it did not have much root, just one black root that did not have any growing tips and I guess this is why mine is growing so slow. It has put up many new healthy roots now and it's starting to grow a bit faster. I am guessing the more healthy growing roots this plant have, the faster it will grow. Mine is just a small baby with largest leaf of 6''. Maybe in 10 years I will see it bloom.



I understanding your situation. As concluded from others experience, mature plant of sanderianums seems to be easier to care and the growth rate is faster. Due to the limitation of my growing environment, the only thing I could choose is buying an adult plant with bloom. Of coz, it costs much for me too.


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## Stone (Jan 6, 2015)

polyantha said:


> > It is interesting for ssnderianum plants that there seems to be a juvenile period where the young plants grow extremely slow and an adult period that starts about 5-8 years from flask. Then they speed up their growing rates and clump easily depending on the clone.
> 
> 
> 
> Great! only 3 to 5 years to go before they start growing well and then maybe a few more after that before I see a flower. I'm getting too old for this caper


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## daniella3d (Jan 6, 2015)

Mine started to grow a bit faster after it produced many new roots, but it is still slow. I am just happy that it is growing well from the poor condition it was in when I got it.

I have no doubt that it will start to grow faster when it will be larger, it make sense, more roots, larger leaves to support more growth.


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## NYEric (Jan 7, 2015)

Thanks for the info, I need to move mine (little guy) away from the brightest spot and put it on a saucer to keep it moist.


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## daniella3d (Jan 9, 2015)

Is it better to put is in a saucer or transfer it in semi-hydro?


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## Dandrobium (Apr 28, 2015)

What kind of winter temperatures are suitable for sanderianum? I live in a frosty climate and grow in a leaky sunroom. If I had temps down to 60F for 2-3 months and low humidity, would a sandy survive?


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## Justin (Apr 28, 2015)

yes. but it won't grow much.


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## musa (Jul 11, 2015)

Hello,

since december 2013 I have a sanderianum, too. Within 19 month it got 5 new leafes ang grew from a leafspan of 5cm (abt. 2 inches) to 16 cm (abt. 6 inches) with the longest leaf of 12cm.
Im quite satisfied, but I am not sure if you would consider it as a fast or slow growing clone?

Michael


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## orcoholic (Jul 12, 2015)

In addition to above, my sandies seem to really like small pots.


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## Stone (Jul 14, 2015)

orcoholic said:


> In addition to above, my sandies seem to really like small pots.



I'm finding that all my paphs prefer small pots. (but they are all still young)
They just seem to do better with the quick wet dry cycle. (for me) Yet I know lots of growers who always keep them very damp and they do well also so beats me.


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## Paphman910 (Jul 14, 2015)

I have grown many sanderianum seedlings from flask and one common thing is they like good quality water.


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## Dandrobium (Jul 14, 2015)

I've been giving it rain water since I got my sandy seedling in early May. Its in an east facing window in my sunroom where it receives good light in the morning, and decent light the rest of the day. Its kept above 60% humidity (next to humidifier) with ok airflow. There's been virtually no growth so far, looks the same as when I received it. I've used seaweed extract and low ppm 12-4-8 fert w/ micro nutrients & Cal-Mag. I usually flush once or twice a month. Temps are kept between 65 and 85F. Medium is mainly small bark, with some sponge rock & crushed shells, and small sphagnum cuttings.

Am I being impatient? I'm talking 0 growth.


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## musa (Jul 15, 2015)

Hi Dandrobium,
in my opinion sandies need lots of water and also want to be fertilized not too lightly. Did you measure the EC-rate when you fertilize?
It's just two month now, don't be worried, Patience is nessesary.
Michael


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## Dandrobium (Jul 15, 2015)

Musa,
I don't have an EC meter but total ppm is usually around 150 and PH around 6.5. I'll try watering more frequently with it. Thanks
Also, should i get an EC meter if i have a TDS one?


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## musa (Jul 15, 2015)

Hi,
knowing ppm you can calculate the EC. There are lots of calculators online. 150ppm is 0.234 mS (EC). 
I use tabwater of about 0.2 mS mixed with dest. water so I have to fertilize with a much higher EC. Its about 0.4-0.5 mS (=250-320 ppm). I guess that's not optimal but my sanderianum is growing well especially the roots are doing fine. I fertilize only every 7 to 14 days watering and flushing in between. So I would dare to give a little more if the roots are ok. That' my personal experiance in my Environment, so ist hard to say what works for you.
Did you repot it already to see the condition of the roots?


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## Wendy (Jul 15, 2015)

Dandrobium said:


> I've been giving it rain water since I got my sandy seedling in early May. Its in an east facing window in my sunroom where it receives good light in the morning, and decent light the rest of the day. Its kept above 60% humidity (next to humidifier) with ok airflow. There's been virtually no growth so far, looks the same as when I received it. I've used seaweed extract and low ppm 12-4-8 fert w/ micro nutrients & Cal-Mag. I usually flush once or twice a month. Temps are kept between 65 and 85F. Medium is mainly small bark, with some sponge rock & crushed shells, and small sphagnum cuttings.
> 
> Am I being impatient? I'm talking 0 growth.



In my experience sanderianum is VERY slow growing as a seedling. It will put on a spurt as it approaches NBS/BS but until then you just have to be very patient. I did nothing special except to make sure they were warm, shady and got good water and fertilizer along with the rest of the plants. Stop watching to closely....try to forget that you have it. It will grow.


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## Dandrobium (Jul 15, 2015)

Yes I repotted to slightly smaller container (2.5" round, clear, slotted) from a 3"round opaque pot. Roots seem to be in good condition, but are quite delicate. Luckily, none were damaged during the repotting.
I could bump up the fert a bit I suppose. Although I would feel safer doing that if I could see growth!


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## Dandrobium (Jul 15, 2015)

Wendy said:


> ... Stop watching to closely....try to forget that you have it. It will grow.



I've hidden it behind my humidifier to keep it away from my prying eyes. I'll try to keep it better hydrated, and keep my expectations low


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## Paphman910 (Jul 15, 2015)

Dandrobium said:


> Yes I repotted to slightly smaller container (2.5" round, clear, slotted) from a 3"round opaque pot. Roots seem to be in good condition, but are quite delicate. Luckily, none were damaged during the repotting.
> I could bump up the fert a bit I suppose. Although I would feel safer doing that if I could see growth!



Roots are quite brittle so extra care is needed!


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## musa (Jul 15, 2015)

The plant itself looks good, but the roots seem to be quite fragile. In this case I would stop fertilizing for 3 weeks then start again.
Have patience. The pics Show my sanderianum 19 month ago in a 6.5cm pot and today in a transparent 8cm pot. All 5 leaves and all roots you see needed almost 2 years to grow.


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