# is this right??



## phraggy (Oct 20, 2015)

My sangii which is 11" leafspan and 10" in height from the compost seems to be growing out of the compost on a stalk. Is this OK or what is happening?


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## NYEric (Oct 20, 2015)

Time for a taller pot; those are roots.


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## phraggy (Oct 20, 2015)

Look more like leaves 'diving' down to the roots Eric. I'm afraid that if I repotted and buried the plant down to where the leaves open at their base i would be asking for disaster in the shape of rot..Thanks for your reply. I will take the plant from the pot tomorrow and place a pic of the roots on here to see if you still think what you see in the pics are roots!!

Ed


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## Justin (Oct 20, 2015)

i would put it in a deeper pot.


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## fibre (Oct 21, 2015)

Barbata types grow this way sometimes. I still don't know the reason for this behavior. Maybe the plant needs more light or the mix in the pot is to wet.


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## paphioboy (Oct 21, 2015)

Root nubbins. You can place a small pad of sphag under the root for it to grow on.


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## Stone (Oct 21, 2015)

yep just plant it deeper. No problems there just a happy plant that wants to get going!


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## Bjorn (Oct 21, 2015)

Just struck me that perhaps the light color influences this? I have this stretching under HPS lights, perhaps more blue woluld help? could I be into something? Naoki what is your opinion?


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## phraggy (Oct 21, 2015)

Bjorn said:


> Just struck me that perhaps the light color influences this? I have this stretching under HPS lights, perhaps more blue woluld help? could I be into something? Naoki what is your opinion?



I have this in my greenhouse where it recieves good shaded light. Maybe I will give it a little more and see what happens. I always thought that too much blue made plants more 'leggy'.
Thanks for your input,
Ed


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## Happypaphy7 (Oct 21, 2015)

I'm pretty sure it's not light related, but rather, as mentioned above, certain plants especially in the barbata section tends to do that. 
I grow my Paphs under natural light ( window) and most of them get crazy amount of light through sheer curtain. 

I don't have many that do this ( thank goodness!!), but some plants in the brightest spot have done this, and others in the shade never do this. Go figure!

Plus, I even have parvis doing this!
My Armeni White, but this particular plant has been growing "normally" but it now has over 20 growths. The ones that are growing long and skinny with roots coming out on its sides are the newer shoots that want to get above the older growths. So here, it's clearly trying to get out of the crowd.

I know you grow in greenhouse. 
Unless the humidity is very high or frequent misting is given, those roots won't grow. 
I would plant it a bit deeper and put some moss around the base to keep that area more moist. With this set up, the roots will grow on. 

Good luck!


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## naoki (Oct 21, 2015)

phraggy said:


> I have this in my greenhouse where it recieves good shaded light. Maybe I will give it a little more and see what happens. I always thought that too much blue made plants more 'leggy'.
> Thanks for your input,
> Ed



In general, blue light has the effect in reducing the internode length, so it should make compact and less leggy plant. Fig. 8 of the following link has an example (effect of light on the color of leaves = chlorophyll contents is also an interesting aspect, and it is probably relevant for orchids).
http://cpl.usu.edu/files/publications/poster/pub__2576523.pdf
Lots of Far Red also have the opposite effect. If plants are shaded by other plants, red is absorbed by leaves, so the shorter plants receive higher FR compared to R. This excess of FR signals the plant that they have to elongate to catch up with the neighbor. I forgot the reason for blue sensitivity. But this info is based on crop plants, and I haven't found much scientific information about the effect of light spectrum on orchids. Many orchids are shade plants, so they can't compete with the trees even they try to elongate.


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## Happypaphy7 (Oct 22, 2015)

Great piece of info!
Thanks! 

I would be concerned about the use of shade because to me and many others, the word shade brings up this image of very dark jungle floor where not much light reaches, and this is nothing like where most orchids grow, even paphiopedilums, although different paphiopedilums seem to have different preference of light level.

According to what I have read and seen, good healthy colony or plants of paphs are usually found where they receive good amount of light, whether it be open field with tall grass or bright breaks between taller trees and such.

I'm guessing that as long as they are getting enough light they need to do well, whether it is half day or even quarter day of good sun or dappled sun light reaching down on them through the taller trees throughout the day, they probably don't need to elongate.


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## PaphMadMan (Oct 27, 2015)

I've always thought this would not be an adaptation simply to elongate reaching for light in a shaded environment, but to keep above accumulating leaf litter or crowding from other forest floor plants, or perhaps scrabbling among rocks. Of course they're not trying to compete with trees. Happypaphy's Armeni-White may illustrate this. It could still be triggered by light quality in part. And I presume it would prevalent or be more easily triggered in plants with ancestors actually adapted to those conditions.


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