Paph culture tips

[Elena]

Actually, I might have learnt something this winter and I'm curious to see if other people had similar experiences.

I think my tigrinum really hates drying out. Because we had such an unusually cold winter I made sure I was extremely careful with watering and kept the plans on the drier side to avoid any potential problems with rot, etc,. Most plants coped just fine but my tigrinum seedling (which grew very well in the previous months) lost a couple of leaves. The good news is it resumed growth as soon as I increased water so at least it's not a sulker.

 

[NYEric]

So, what you're trying to say is, "In my experience, tigrinum does not like to be grown dry."??? oke:

 

[Elena]

Something like that Except that what I really want to know is if anyone else had a similar experience or if I'm barking up the wrong tree with the dryness being the cause.

 

[Paul]

So, what you're trying to say is, "In my experience, tigrinum does not like to be grown dry."??? oke:

that's bizarre... I have let mine (seedling) dry completely for 1 month under cool temps and no problem.

 

[NYEric]

Both responses are OK. One person may have the plant next to a window in an apartment; while the other is in a greenhouse with higher relative humidity.

 

[paphioboy]

Sorry for being off topic, but I'm just curious about Paul's 10-52-10 fertiliser as I am using the same (from Thailand). Will such an abnormally high P content bring harm to the plants? The only improving results that I've seen are that my plants no longer have brown tips on the leaves 9previously caused by lack of p, I think).. Any ideas?

 

[SlipperKing]

Something like that Except that what I really want to know is if anyone else had a similar experience or if I'm barking up the wrong tree with the dryness being the cause.

Acturally Elena "barking up a tree" is ironic in that tigrinum does grow in trees. Like it's cousins, lowii, dianthum. This is why I suggested basket culture for this species. The technique will allow fast draining, always moist conditions which is easy to check by the weight of the basket.

 

[SlipperKing]

Sorry for being off topic, but I'm just curious about Paul's 10-52-10 fertiliser as I am using the same (from Thailand). Will such an abnormally high P content bring harm to the plants? The only improving results that I've seen are that my plants no longer have brown tips on the leaves 9previously caused by lack of p, I think).. Any ideas?

You're not off topic Paphioboy. This the same ratio of fertilizer that Sanderianum recommended and uses on his Parvis all the time.

 

[paphioboy]

You're not off topic Paphioboy. This the same ratio of fertilizer that Sanderianum recommended and uses on his Parvis all the time.

Thanks, Rick. Its just that I've never seen such a high proportion of P recommended in any literature. Is this particularly recommended for slippers? I'm afraid of any potential consequences of oversupplying P for other genera. TIA.

 

[cnycharles]

I tried a paph bellatulum and a paph concolor in s/h, and the roots on both plants are gone, no new roots formed. Since reading that they both like hot conditions and this fall/winter it has been pretty cool in my apartment (and s/h culture can cool plants down a little) I'm sure the plants weren't growing or happy at all. I put one in some live sheet moss and the other is resting after being washed and then sprayed for mealybugs and will also go in sheet moss (live moss, just not sphagnum) to see if I can coax some roots back. The bellatulum was a three growth plant, but now two separate (and one dried up) growths.

 

[SlipperKing]

Thanks, Rick. Its just that I've never seen such a high proportion of P recommended in any literature. Is this particularly recommended for slippers? I'm afraid of any potential consequences of oversupplying P for other genera. TIA.

Remember Paphioboy I said Parvis not any of the rest. But I use to switch to a hight "P" in Sept every year for two months and then switch back. I think I had better blooming when I did that.

 

[NYEric]

From Paul on lowii and haynaldianum -
hello,
in my little experience (2 years being growing them), they don't need limestone. They like to be watered with good water, not too hard water. They don't like to dry (I grow haynaldianum in pine bark + peat, lowii is in pure rockwool growcubes). They don't need high fertilizer rates. they grow under medium to quite high light (like Phals). They like temperate to warm climate (14-15°C min)
Lowii are bigger (25-30cm leaves) here than haynaldianum (20cm leaves).

 

[Paul]

From Paul on lowii and haynaldianum -
hello,
in my little experience (2 years being growing them), they don't need limestone. They like to be watered with good water, not too hard water. They don't like to dry (I grow haynaldianum in pine bark + peat, lowii is in pure rockwool growcubes). They don't need high fertilizer rates. they grow under medium to quite high light (like Phals). They like temperate to warm climate (14-15°C min)
Lowii are bigger (25-30cm leaves) here than haynaldianum (20cm leaves).

yep that's it!!
I find that haynaldianum needs (or tolerates) higher light than lowii. I hope to bloom these guys this year.

 

[NYEric]

Thanx.

 

[paphioboy]

I tried a paph bellatulum and a paph concolor in s/h, and the roots on both plants are gone, no new roots formed. Since reading that they both like hot conditions and this fall/winter it has been pretty cool in my apartmen

charles, I beg to differ.. Concolor may be a warm grower but bellatulum prefers being kept intermediate/cool. Believe me, I've killed 3 bellatulums under 'hot' culture..

 

[Eric Muehlbauer]

I have found the opposite....haynaldianum thrives under the same lighting that I give to Maudiae hybrids....lowii prefers higher light, but while it can take strong light, I find it doesn't need light as strong as, say, philipinense...Take care, Eric

 

[Rick]

Acturally Elena "barking up a tree" is ironic in that tigrinum does grow in trees. Like it's cousins, lowii, dianthum. This is why I suggested basket culture for this species. The technique will allow fast draining, always moist conditions which is easy to check by the weight of the basket.

Not sure what you mean by "cousins" Rick. Lowii and parrishii are pardopetalums (multi florals), and tigrinum is a single floral subgenera, paphiopedilum (closer to villosum if you are looking for a more related and similar epiphytic species to compare too).

Also dianthum in Vietnam is usually not found in trees as opposed to it's close "cousin" parrishii in Burma.

 

[Rick]

I could throw in on allot of these, but I think exul and druryii have done very well for me.

Both of these really like very bright and hot summer conditions. 90-100F is not a problem as long as the humidity is high, and light at 4000 to 5000fc is fine too.
Winter is cooler (high 50's low 60's). Humidity is still high, but watering is cut way back. During the summer they get light watering w/RO water every couple of days, with the heavy watering with fertilizer 1 day/week.

I use the ANTEC basic CHC mix with a good amount of oyster shell in the mix, and course limestone gravel in the bottom of the pots.

I fertilize with MSU 1X/week just about year round, but may skip random weeks during the winter. I usually add a dash of Superthrive and Protek (to balance the pH) to the fertilizer mix.

 

[cnycharles]

charles, I beg to differ.. Concolor may be a warm grower but bellatulum prefers being kept intermediate/cool. Believe me, I've killed 3 bellatulums under 'hot' culture..

the culture sheet I have for bellatulum shows average temperatures, and in winter the day temps qualify as nearly hot to hot, but the big thing is that the night temperatures are definitely cold! it's one that needs the big temp swing and cold at night to save up the energy. someone else here pointed out that they will fade if kept constantly warm, so they probabaly would do better if cool but likely depending on your growing conditions (or mine), a spot somewhere warm to cool would do best. doing s/h for me hasn't been all that great since for a large period of time my temps are decidedly lukewarm (for many plants) with very little temperature swing. if I could have kept them cold but very bright then they may have done better

 

[kentuckiense]

Anyone have a good online source for that 10-52-10 fertilizer?