First multifloral paph!

[Morja]

This lovely little paph philippinense ('Tokyo Twister' x 'Germany Select') came in the mail almost a week ago- with a spike to boot, which is fun! The flowers are of course a bit beat up after a USPS journey from Florida to Montana, but overall the plant appears healthy. I usually repot new things immediately, but I am hesitant because this is in bigger bark/perlite/charcoal chunks than I currently have on hand. I nested it immediately in another glass pot to keep some humidity at the roots as the poor plant is probably wondering where all the humid Florida air went! (I've also noticed that othe paphs thrive in a well drained nested pot situation, and with lower humidity levels this may be a key practice for me).
This one appears to be a compact grower. We'll see if it stays that way!
Any input on culture is welcome. It is getting a little partially filtered afternoon light where it is, as well as being on the edge of my grow lights. When it's not so tall with a spike I will put it closer in to the cattleyas and monitor leaf color.

 

[Justin]

Looking good! Sounds like you have the right plan.

Coarse media was probably great for Florida conditions, but where you are a more moisture retaining small bark mix would probably work better.

 

[Morja]

Looking good! Sounds like you have the right plan.

Coarse media was probably great for Florida conditions, but where you are a more moisture retaining small bark mix would probably work better.

That's good to know, because I have a ton of that. Thank you!

 

[big923cattleya]

Me personally Morja, I repot every plant that I buy right away. Well 95% of what I acquire. I do so regardless of departure point or vendor location. I am kind of quirky that way. I want to know right from the get go, what the roots look like and I want it growing in my media or mix as soon as possible. I just feel better that way.

 

[Morja]

Me personally Morja, I repot every plant that I buy right away. Well 95% of what I acquire. I do so regardless of departure point or vendor location. I am kind of quirky that way. I want to know right from the get go, what the roots look like and I want it growing in my media or mix as soon as possible. I just feel better that way.

I agree, thank you! I usually do this, because I learned the hard way with my first couple of online purchases that often things are shipped on the edge of rotting to death. I want to see the roots ASAP! I just wasn't sure if the fine mix I have right now would be okay, so I wanted to post first. I don't have room to store much in my current life setup, so I don't want to buy another size mix right now if I can help it. The finer mix bag I have is giant and fills up almost my entire storage space of orchid things!
That said I think I will repot today!!

 

[Morja]

@big923cattleya Good thing I repotted!
Not the worst root system I've ever seen, but not the greatest either, and quite a few dead ones.

I didn't want to overpot, but I also saw the beginning of a couple new growths and wanted them to have at least a little room.

Also, with the shorter root system, I could fit it in a short deli container with drainage holes, nested in a taller one with some rocks on the bottom. Its own personal humidity tray, if you will.

This is not typically what I would choose, as I prefer to have a little more depth, but everything else I had available to me this size was just so deep (the size of the nest pot) that I wasn't sure about it. I will repot it within the year if I need to, if it's not liking this shallowness- or if I learn here that this was a horrible idea! I'm sticking to clear containers because I am inexperienced and like seeing what the roots are doing.
The other option was to do a tall deli container, and fill the bottom 1/4-1/3 with rocks. Probably should have done that to give roots more room to reach down... hmm.

 

[Morja]

Little update, a few weeks ago I switched it to a slotted pot that I nested in a decorative pot with water in the bottom of it (not touching the roots) to give the root system localized high humidity. This is something I have seen others on this forum do for their multiflorals, with net pots. I think it loves it! Noticed lots of new root tips growing today. New leaves have continued growing without much of a hitch despite being new to my conditions. Happy!


New growth continuing to emerge:

 

[Jpari]

It sure looks like your Paph. is off and running! Good luck with it. I don't know if you are aware of this, however, it is worth mentioning that when your plant gets to the point that you may want to divide it, the new growths of Paph. philippinense do not initiate new root growth for at least a year. So, plan accordingly when you divide.

 

[Morja]

It sure looks like your Paph. is off and running! Good luck with it. I don't know if you are aware of this, however, it is worth mentioning that when your plant gets to the point that you may want to divide it, the new growths of Paph. philippinense do not initiate new root growth for at least a year. So, plan accordingly when you divide.

That is excellent to know, thank you!

 

[My Green Pets]

Dustin from Here...But Not grows in Calgary, Canada, in very similar conditions to yours in Montana I would guess. He has wonderful success with Paphs and I recommend reading his growing guide if you haven't. Your phil looks like it's really happy in the new pot!
https://herebutnot.com/paphiopedilum-care-culture-and-tips-for-keeping-paphs/

 

[Morja]

Dustin from Here...But Not grows in Calgary, Canada, in very similar conditions to yours in Montana I would guess. He has wonderful success with Paphs and I recommend reading his growing guide if you haven't. Your phil looks like it's really happy in the new pot!
https://herebutnot.com/paphiopedilum-care-culture-and-tips-for-keeping-paphs/

Thank you for linking this, I have looked at some of Dustin's stuff and I am totally a fan.