Deflasking/compotting P. liemianum seedlings

[The Orchid Boy]

So the first one with a little stuff like perlite added would be best? The first bark is, like I said, flat and finer than it looks and I can easily break the bark pieces.

 

[wjs2nd]

Either would work well. You could probably even mix the barks together a little. I usually don't use sphag in my mixes unless it's straight sphag moss.

 

[The Orchid Boy]

Do you think straight sphag would work? I love using sphag. All my orchids except for paphs and a D. aggregatum are in straight sphag. I don't have paphs in it because I've heard that it's not so good for them, but Troy Meyers says they compot everything in sphag. I know when I individually pot the seedlings I'll try some in spha and some in bark.

 

[consettbay2003]

http://www.ladyslipper.com/compot2.html

This works great for me.

 

[wjs2nd]

You can use straight sphag for a compot. However, I have had a lot of luck with small/ fine bark, coal, and perlite.

 

[Ozpaph]

You can use straight sphag for a compot. However, I have had a lot of luck with small/ fine bark, coal, and perlite.

ditto - fine bark, fine charcoal, perlite and some fine CCH

 

[The Orchid Boy]

The flask is here! I think there must be more than 20... Sorry for the fuzzy picture, I'll take a better one later.

 

[Rick]

Choice of mix may end up to do more with the amount of humidity he can maintain, and the type of pot used.

I've had good results in both straight moss and bark/chc mixes with up to 50% by volume chopped moss.

But my minimum air humdity is 60% (average around 70%) and I use shallow berry containers with lots of drainage/air slots.

bark mixes could be better in deeper pots with less drainage/air slots.

 

[Leo Schordje]

I use Tom Kalina's method. It works for me too. Just rinse off as much agar as you can without breaking up the clump.

I have seen beautiful paphs grown in pure NZ sphagnum, including a roth that I witnessed my friend Cathy bring from seedling to blooming over the course of a decade, never in bark. So if you want to use sphagnum, go ahead. It works very well for people who take the time to figure out when to water it.

I prefer bark, but I understand how to use a bark mix better. But that is my preference, I don't feel one is superior to another. Both can work well.

 

[The Orchid Boy]

Deflasked!

I compotted them last night using a fine bark, perlite, charcoal mixture into a clear pot. I used Tom's method and washed off as much agar as I could. I then put the pot into a makeshift terrarium made out of a critter keeper with clear wrap rubberbanded over the top. I will cut more slots and holes over a period of time to harden them off.

The biggest seedling is the size of my middle finger and the smallest could fit on my pinky nail. There is one super husky seedling with wide, long leaves. The thing that surprised me was the long spaces (internodes?) between the leaves. Will they eventually grow out of it? Will they lose lower leaves and grow roots and then I'll have to plant them deeper?

 

[tomkalina]

Glad to hear the flask got there safely. The important thing about compotting seedlings is to make sure you plant them deeply enough so that emerging roots are covered by the mix. Aerial roots will not elongate, callus over and become non-functional.

 

[The Orchid Boy]

So I just had to cover the roots that grew in the agar, not the aerial ones? Because that's what I did, I didn't cover the aerial roots. And the spaces between leaves? Will they outgrow it?

 

[tomkalina]

As long as the base of the seedling is 1/4" deep in the mix, that should be fine.

 

[The Orchid Boy]

I planted them just a little deeper than they were in the agar. Thanks for the flask Tom and thanks for all the help everyone.

 

[Stone]

From what I've noticed with those elongated seedlings with much space between the leaves and a root poking out here and there up the stem (aerial roots), that you must cover the whole stem up to the upper most set of leaves because that is the place where the actual plant proper will form. And thats where the new roots will come from. (if that makes sense) It doesn't seem to bother the plant if cover a few leaves. Then at next repot, you can remove the stem and all the useless old flask roots.

 

[The Orchid Boy]

From what I've noticed with those elongated seedlings with much space between the leaves and a root poking out here and there up the stem (aerial roots), that you must cover the whole stem up to the upper most set of leaves because that is the place where the actual plant proper will form. And thats where the new roots will come from. (if that makes sense) It doesn't seem to bother the plant if cover a few leaves. Then at next repot, you can remove the stem and all the useless old flask roots.

Hmm... Some of the seedlings look like a "normal" paph. If I didn't separate them, I would cover some seedlings. Do I need to recompot? What should I do?

 

[Bob in Albany N.Y.]

I say leave them as they are. If there are aireal roots they will stop growing but the plant itself should still be just fine.

 

[Stone]

You can leave them for now but eventually you will need to cover up to the top fan of leaves or they will not put out new roots.

 

[keithrs]

I would not repot them! Just add alittle mix if needed. On your terrarium, make sure you have good air movement as stale air will cause fungal problems.

Do you have pics of you compot?

 

[The Orchid Boy]

Here's the compot right after I did it: