Hello from Wa

[Roots]

Hello. Last January I bought two paphs in spike and really enjoyed their blooms. But it was when they started growing new fans later in the spring that I was really bit and my collection stared growing.

 

[Duck Slipper]

Good job!
It’s a disease and I think you might have it? Just don’t know how bad yet.

 

[Djthomp28]

I love the excitement over the new growth. That excitement will take you far.

What type of paphs do you have?

 

[big923cattleya]

"Orchiditis" speciosa is the disease. There is no known cure. How sad are we?
We only seem to feel better if we buy more orchids. One orchid, two orchids, eight orchids, the more we buy, the better we seem to feel. I think that we are "self medicating" when we do. unfortunately the euphoria of a new purchase wears off quickly.
Symptoms?
Uncontrollable purchasing of orchids
We seem to drool when we see an orchid that we have to have.
Never enough money in our wallets/pocketbooks
It is never a pretty sight.
Uncontrollable worrying about temperature, light, watering and fertilizing. I could go on!!!
As I said, there is no known cure. We can even kill all of our orchids and we still want more, more, more!
Welcome to the party!!!


What gets me is the drooling!!!!

 

[Roots]

Ahh, I think it is paphalogical! I doubt that one is very novel on this site. But I do have all of big923's symptoms. I seem to have it worse for the parvisepalums (parvisepala?) I have picked up a leighlyn koopowitz, an armeni white, and a green smoke, who has yet to start putting up a fan. But the drooling can happen over pretty much any paph. I have already learned so much from lurking on this site. I am looking forward to continuing the process a bit more overtly. Thanks for the welcome and the diagnosis.

 

[NYEric]

Resistance is futile.

 

[Heather]

Welcome! There seems to be a nice small community of vendors in WA. Are you near ECO? They do a lot of events with other growers…not sure they have many slippers these days tho…

 

[Rob in Puyallup]

Hi from Puyallup, WA!

I used to have a large collection of paphiopedilum species which I had to rehome when I moved into an apartment nearly 25 years ago. I still have a few paphs, a mexipedium and an assortment of other orchids from various genera under lights and in a windowsill. One day I'd like to rebuild that paph species collection. They are an interesting group, their variation fascinating!

 

[Morja]

Welcome from Montana/Idaho! We're all "sufferers" of the sickness here. Enjoy!!!!

 

[Roots]

What a nice welcome everyone. Thank you. I do in fact live close to ECO. My first two paphs and several later acquisitions came from there. They seem to have inherited a large selection from a grower in CA. The orchids were struggling a bit. I haven't been back to see how they are recovering.

You are right next to me in Puyallup Rob. I am sorry for your orchid loss. I had to give up a small collection several years ago when we thought we were going to move abroad. It is very hard to part with them. What species are you still growing? I will have to pick your brain some about growing under lights. I think that is where I am headed.

 

[orchidlife]

Welcome from Ca.
I grow pretty much all my orchids exclusively under lights in my 'orchid room' accept cymbidiums, large zygos and some catts. It seems I have steered towards paphs (about 150+) and phrags (about 30+

 

[southernbelle]

Welcome from Ca.
I grow pretty much all my orchids exclusively under lights in my 'orchid room' accept cymbidiums, large zygos and some catts. It seems I have steered towards paphs (about 150+) and phrags (about 30+

What a nice welcome everyone. Thank you. I do in fact live close to ECO. My first two paphs and several later acquisitions came from there. They seem to have inherited a large selection from a grower in CA. The orchids were struggling a bit. I haven't been back to see how they are recovering.

You are right next to me in Puyallup Rob. I am sorry for your orchid loss. I had to give up a small collection several years ago when we thought we were going to move abroad. It is very hard to part with them. What species are you still growing? I will have to pick your brain some about growing under lights. I think that is where I am headed.

I grow exclusively under LEDs in a 9 x 12 climate controlled grow room. About 80 catts 20 phals. I’m in VA.

 

[LadySlipper]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[Roots]

Welcome from Ca.
I grow pretty much all my orchids exclusively under lights in my 'orchid room' accept cymbidiums, large zygos and some catts. It seems I have steered towards paphs (about 150+) and phrags (about 30+

Oh my, they are all so healthy looking! Are they in bloom now? Would you know what the beautiful all white paph is in the centerish? What kind of lights are you using. I have some pretty high powered lights that I use for my garden seedlings but I think they are too much for paphs. And the mount takes up way too much space. Your set up is very economical with space-if you can call a whole room for orchids economical . I am jealous.

 

[Roots]

I grow exclusively under LEDs in a 9 x 12 climate controlled grow room. About 80 catts 20 phals. I’m in VA.

All these orchid rooms. I want one. Do you grow primarily polyanthas with your catts? Do you reduce the temp in the winter? How do you control the temp in the room? I definitely don't have a room to devote to orchids. I do have a basement, but it would be too cold most of the year. I was thinking of using prop mats, but I don't know if that would be too much heat for the roots.

 

[Roots]

I don't know if this is the right place to ask this..... I have lived my life almost entirely outside social media. I don't know if I should respond to individual messages or not or even how to get two messages "quoted" in one reply. Thanks for any pointers.

 

[gonewild]

If you have the time reply to individual messages unless the reply is repetitive, then one reply covers all.

 

[orchidlife]

Oh my, they are all so healthy looking! Are they in bloom now? Would you know what the beautiful all white paph is in the centerish? What kind of lights are you using. I have some pretty high powered lights that I use for my garden seedlings but I think they are too much for paphs. And the mount takes up way too much space. Your set up is very economical with space-if you can call a whole room for orchids economical . I am jealous.

Thank you, yes and yes. Yes they are all healthy(fingers crossed that continues) and yes there are a plethora of blooms out now! I have alot of paphs AND phrags (and other genera) so seems like something is always blooming.
I use BotanicalLed lights mainly of different wattages. 4 ft High output/spike producers for catt shelf and shelves with large space for tall plants, 4ft and 3 ft medium for for most other shelves and some low output for close shelving.
After reading your response I went up and took these pics!
All white paph is Joseito #2 x delenatii v alba that bloomed 4 flowers. Just lost the 1st one last week.
If you have basement space you might consider a grow tent? Of course heat, fans and light are needed

 

[orchidlife]

Oh my, they are all so healthy looking! Are they in bloom now? Would you know what the beautiful all white paph is in the centerish? What kind of lights are you using. I have some pretty high powered lights that I use for my garden seedlings but I think they are too much for paphs. And the mount takes up way too much space. Your set up is very economical with space-if you can call a whole room for orchids economical . I am jealous.

Just looked in the centerish of that picture! The tall plant you mean?Thats not a paph but a dendrobium nobile

 

[Ray]

Just looked in the centerish of that picture! The tall plant you mean?Thats not a paph but a dendrobium nobile

Where? I don't see an dendrobium in there anywhere.