# Paphiopedilum tigrinum ‘Eye of the Tiger’



## DrLeslieEe (Dec 9, 2021)

Exciting! My tigrinum with variegated leaves is opening it’s first ever flower!!


----------



## GuRu (Dec 9, 2021)

Congrats, Leslie. The colouration of this flower seems to be very intense and dark.


----------



## Guldal (Dec 9, 2021)

Darn, it looks gorgeous! 

I hate, hate, hate, hate.......


----------



## kiwi (Dec 9, 2021)

Nice and dark. I am impressed by the overall health of all of the plants in the photos.


----------



## dodidoki (Dec 9, 2021)

Leslie, don t break ,my heart....I have a nice plant, first time in my life i could get with this to budding stage, and silly of mine i broke its stem when i try to lift my insigne sandeare for a photo....i tried to find some reason of this accident with getting some spirit.( i mean alcohol)


----------



## tomkalina (Dec 9, 2021)

So far so good as far as color. Recommend staking that stem though.


----------



## Greenpaph (Dec 9, 2021)

Beautiful!  So far!


----------



## Duck Slipper (Dec 9, 2021)

Excellent.
Keep us posted when it gets fully open.


----------



## LadySlipper (Dec 9, 2021)

Impressive, thanks for sharing.


----------



## Ozpaph (Dec 10, 2021)

lets see it fully open, please


----------



## P.K.Hansen (Dec 10, 2021)

Looks great. Hate to repeat myself, but I killed both of mine


----------



## Guldal (Dec 10, 2021)

P.K.Hansen said:


> Looks great. Hate to repeat myself, but I killed both of mine


Per, I think, we really need to get that self help, orchid grief counselling group going!


----------



## DrLeslieEe (Dec 10, 2021)

Guldal said:


> Per, I think, we really need to get that self help, orchid grief counselling group going!


I think you are qualified to start a grieving post here on ST!


----------



## BrucherT (Dec 10, 2021)

DrLeslieEe said:


> Exciting! My tigrinum with variegated leaves is opening it’s first ever flower!!
> 
> View attachment 31024
> View attachment 31025
> ...


Wow. This one looks special.


----------



## KyushuCalanthe (Dec 10, 2021)

Mr. T would approve.


----------



## Karp60 (Dec 11, 2021)

DrLeslieEe said:


> Exciting! My tigrinum with variegated leaves is opening it’s first ever flower!!
> 
> View attachment 31024
> View attachment 31025
> ...


Always exciting.


----------



## dodidoki (Dec 11, 2021)

Dear Friend, can you update please your wonderful tigrinum?As I see it has some peloristic character...


----------



## DrLeslieEe (Dec 11, 2021)

Here you go Istvan!

Looks like petals still curled at ends, possibly pelorism?


----------



## BrucherT (Dec 11, 2021)

DrLeslieEe said:


> Here you go Istvan!
> 
> Looks like petals still curled at ends, possibly pelorism?
> 
> ...


I love it. Unique. Still opening, yes?
The pot you have it sitting in for the photo…where did that come from? I think I have one.


----------



## DrLeslieEe (Dec 11, 2021)

BrucherT said:


> I love it. Unique. Still opening, yes?
> The pot you have it sitting in for the photo…where did that come from? I think I have one.


I think it’s still opening… possibly … it’s been 4 days. 

That pot was a gift so not sure of the origin?


----------



## dodidoki (Dec 12, 2021)

Thank you, Leslie, very nice and unique.I think there is a little pelorism, two lateral petals are not typical but -with their colouration and pattern - are almost same as the dorsal flag.


----------



## DrLeslieEe (Dec 15, 2021)

Today the petals look to have expand normally, so not pelorism after all. NS 11.5 cm.


----------



## dodidoki (Dec 15, 2021)

Omg.....breathtaking...


----------



## GuRu (Dec 15, 2021)

It's a great flower.....even if the colouration seems a bit lighted up.


----------



## LO69 (Dec 15, 2021)

Very nice! Are you growing it ( and other paphs too) with organic medium?


----------



## DrLeslieEe (Dec 15, 2021)

GuRu said:


> It's a great flower.....even if the colouration seems a bit lighted up.


Yes backlit and front too lol.


----------



## DrLeslieEe (Dec 15, 2021)

LO69 said:


> Very nice! Are you growing it ( and other paphs too) with organic medium?


It’s in bark, charcoal and perlite. And top with moss.


----------



## GuRu (Dec 16, 2021)

DrLeslieEe said:


> Yes backlit and front too lol.



Leslie, after I wrote my posting I was thinking by myself.....could be caused by the light set, too.


----------



## LO69 (Dec 16, 2021)

DrLeslieEe said:


> It’s in bark, charcoal and perlite. And top with moss.


I always used this type of medium too, next repotting I want to try 50% pumice 50% perlite just to have a coarser material. Here only perlite n.3 Is available and Is quite small. I noticed that almost all orchid nurseries in Europe use only pumice as draining material. 

Do you treat bark with calcium carbonate or dolomite powder before its use?


----------



## DrLeslieEe (Dec 16, 2021)

LO69 said:


> I always used this type of medium too, next repotting I want to try 50% pumice 50% perlite just to have a coarser material. Here only perlite n.3 Is available and Is quite small. I noticed that almost all orchid nurseries in Europe use only pumice as draining material.
> 
> Do you treat bark with calcium carbonate or dolomite powder before its use?


I think media is dictated by your watering schedule and the species in question. If you can find the balance, then plants can grow in anything (based on the many nurseries and collections I’ve seen). I’ve seen paphs grown in leca clay pellets, gravel, NZ moss, tree fern, rock wool, perlite, soil (!!), charcoal, coir, wood chips, hydroponic, live moss and even tree trunks with detritus. 

I don’t treat my bark with any dolomite or calcium carbonate but may add oyster shells when I remember. I do feed them weekly weakly with MSU for RO water alternating with a monthly fish emulsion/sea kelp with a flush in between. I will also do an Epsom feed every couple months, again, if I remember lol. Occasional a CaMag supplement too.


----------



## Justin (Dec 16, 2021)

Love the killer petal color. Congrats! I still need to add this species to my collection after all these years.


----------



## LO69 (Dec 16, 2021)

DrLeslieEe said:


> I think media is dictated by your watering schedule and the species in question. If you can find the balance, then plants can grow in anything (based on the many nurseries and collections I’ve seen). I’ve seen paphs grown in leca clay pellets, gravel, NZ moss, tree fern, rock wool, perlite, soil (!!), charcoal, coir, wood chips, hydroponic, live moss and even tree trunks with detritus.
> 
> I don’t treat my bark with any dolomite or calcium carbonate but may add oyster shells when I remember. I do feed them weekly weakly with MSU for RO water alternating with a monthly fish emulsion/sea kelp with a flush in between. I will also do an Epsom feed every couple months, again, if I remember lol. Occasional a CaMag supplement too.


Thank you! 

In Italy the most growers (small collections and even large scale) use to lime the bark for 2 reasons: first for the degraded bark quality available on the market and second to balance the acidity of urea based fertilizer (Peters or similar) that are widely used.


----------



## sergeharvey (Dec 16, 2021)

DrLeslieEe said:


> Today the petals look to have expand normally, so not pelorism after all. NS 11.5 cm.
> 
> View attachment 31157
> View attachment 31158
> View attachment 31159


I have one that is now several years old - bloomed only once. Most times the buds set but then don't budge for several montha to eventually dry up. Frustrating.


----------



## DrLeslieEe (Dec 16, 2021)

sergeharvey said:


> I have one that is now several years old - bloomed only once. Most times the buds set but then don't budge for several montha to eventually dry up. Frustrating.


I find that when buds set to water and feed plants well (not soggy but slightly moist). Just don’t get buds or leaves wet. Once budded, they usually start within a month to grow and then flower opens in 4-6 weeks thereafter.


----------



## Paphman910 (Dec 16, 2021)

Very different tigrinum flower from the others that I have seen. What is your condition to grow this species? In the first few photos when the flower was half open, I see a Paph randsii. What is the cross?


----------



## DrLeslieEe (Dec 16, 2021)

Paphman910 said:


> Very different tigrinum flower from the others that I have seen. What is your condition to grow this species? In the first few photos when the flower was half open, I see a Paph randsii. What is the cross?


Yes it grows with randsii but on lower level where it’s cooler and shadier. The randsii has no parentage on tag. I’ll look at my records later.


----------



## JLOG (Dec 16, 2021)

DrLeslieEe said:


> Today the petals look to have expand normally, so not pelorism after all. NS 11.5 cm.
> 
> View attachment 31157
> View attachment 31158
> View attachment 31159


----------



## JLOG (Dec 16, 2021)

Very interesting this tigrinum, one of the best that I ever seen.


----------

