So it went through several sets of hands before you - at any stage it could have become mis-labelled. Id still ask Sam (not for a refund) if any others have flowered.
Paph. philippinense
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So it went through several sets of hands before you - at any stage it could have become mis-labelled. Id still ask Sam (not for a refund) if any others have flowered.
phraggy
Well-Known Member
John the bed is lined with plastic and is around 3" deep with sharp sand as the filling. I water each plant individualy and at the same time the sand gets a real heavy watering ---- no spillage at all and it promotes a very high humidity.
Ed
M
MaryPientka
Guest
John, I think it's lovely! Thanks for the potting advice.
John M
Orchid Addict
Thanks again everyone!
So, I e-mailed Sam. I'll let you all know what he says.
Phraggy, thanks. My greenhouse is very humid for most of the year. I am always struggling to dry it out more. Plus, I'm a heavy waterer. I'd flood a plastic lined tray full of sand. However, I can get a heating matt. They come in varying lengths. I should try one and see if the plants I place on it grow faster.
I should say that I first tried using net pots as a result of reading Rick's enthusiastic endorsement of using Vanda baskets for many of his Paphs. The idea that baskets and net pots are NOT the right thing to use for Paphs is simply wrong. As long as I am an attentive grower and I water when the plants need it, not when I get around to it, I'm finding the same as Rick. A basket, or net pot is a HUGE improvement. In my case (humid greenhouse with cloudy days and short days with low light in winter), an overpotted Paph in a net pot does not dry out too fast. But, it has perfect drainage and lots of moisture AND air reaching the roots. I've started using the net pots for everything. Cattleyas, Oncidiums, etc., are all hung up and allowed to briefly dry out completely, inbetween each watering. Paphs dry on top and around the sides, briefly. I suspect that the core is still slightly damp as the weeds don't begin to wilt before I do the next watering. Phrags are put on the wire bench where they are more handy to the watering wand. Some water loving Phrags are set on a flat piece of plastic, on the bench. So, they have air reaching the entire top of course, as well as all around the sides of the net pot. However, the bottom of the pot, as it sits on a sheet of plastic, does not get airflow. This way, the mix stays wet a little bit longer and the pots get rewatered before the mix ever really begins to show any sign of drying at all.
However, because I filter my perlite (using a 1/8" opening size of metal hardware cloth, stapled to a square wooden frame), to remove all the tiny sand-sized bits and dust, my mix, although fine grade, has a nice open and airy consistency that is not clogged with perlite dust. I find that about 2/3 of the perlite volume in any new bag is removed in the process of filtering out (or washing out with a spray of water), the dust. It makes the perlite I do use about 3 times more expensive, by volume; but, I don't kill plants by clogging up my mix with perlite dust. Since the normal horticultural grade perlite is pretty cheap and available virtually EVERYWHERE, it's still not terribly expensive anyway, even if I'm only using 1/3 of the total volume I get in a bag, for my orchids. I wish the manufacturers would do a much better job of grading this stuff so that a bag of large horticultural perlite is actually mostly filled with pieces that are the right size. It would save me money; but, it would also save me the trouble of having to spend the time separating the dust from the good bits. However, the dust and fine particles that I filter out are mixed with house plant/container plant potting soil and I mix it in with my garden soil, helping to prevent compaction and to improve drainage and air penetration.
So, I e-mailed Sam. I'll let you all know what he says.
Phraggy, thanks. My greenhouse is very humid for most of the year. I am always struggling to dry it out more. Plus, I'm a heavy waterer. I'd flood a plastic lined tray full of sand. However, I can get a heating matt. They come in varying lengths. I should try one and see if the plants I place on it grow faster.
I should say that I first tried using net pots as a result of reading Rick's enthusiastic endorsement of using Vanda baskets for many of his Paphs. The idea that baskets and net pots are NOT the right thing to use for Paphs is simply wrong. As long as I am an attentive grower and I water when the plants need it, not when I get around to it, I'm finding the same as Rick. A basket, or net pot is a HUGE improvement. In my case (humid greenhouse with cloudy days and short days with low light in winter), an overpotted Paph in a net pot does not dry out too fast. But, it has perfect drainage and lots of moisture AND air reaching the roots. I've started using the net pots for everything. Cattleyas, Oncidiums, etc., are all hung up and allowed to briefly dry out completely, inbetween each watering. Paphs dry on top and around the sides, briefly. I suspect that the core is still slightly damp as the weeds don't begin to wilt before I do the next watering. Phrags are put on the wire bench where they are more handy to the watering wand. Some water loving Phrags are set on a flat piece of plastic, on the bench. So, they have air reaching the entire top of course, as well as all around the sides of the net pot. However, the bottom of the pot, as it sits on a sheet of plastic, does not get airflow. This way, the mix stays wet a little bit longer and the pots get rewatered before the mix ever really begins to show any sign of drying at all.
However, because I filter my perlite (using a 1/8" opening size of metal hardware cloth, stapled to a square wooden frame), to remove all the tiny sand-sized bits and dust, my mix, although fine grade, has a nice open and airy consistency that is not clogged with perlite dust. I find that about 2/3 of the perlite volume in any new bag is removed in the process of filtering out (or washing out with a spray of water), the dust. It makes the perlite I do use about 3 times more expensive, by volume; but, I don't kill plants by clogging up my mix with perlite dust. Since the normal horticultural grade perlite is pretty cheap and available virtually EVERYWHERE, it's still not terribly expensive anyway, even if I'm only using 1/3 of the total volume I get in a bag, for my orchids. I wish the manufacturers would do a much better job of grading this stuff so that a bag of large horticultural perlite is actually mostly filled with pieces that are the right size. It would save me money; but, it would also save me the trouble of having to spend the time separating the dust from the good bits. However, the dust and fine particles that I filter out are mixed with house plant/container plant potting soil and I mix it in with my garden soil, helping to prevent compaction and to improve drainage and air penetration.
Very nice, thanks for sharing. I have no experience in flowering a Paph. philippinense, and I have this clone. The Orchid Inn site said that some of these bloom album and, if I remember correctly, there was a higher price for those that appeared to have album characteristics. I hope mine is one.
Spaph
Well-Known Member
Lots of great info in this post! For not being an alba, this turned out really nice, keep up the great growing!
SlipperFan
Addicted
I'd take that one over an album anytime!
paphioboy
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Beautiful phili, John.. Seems that the season is here. Recently saw several specimen philis (probably imported from Taiwan/Thailand) on sale at a local nursery.
Interesting. I wonder if foliar feeding might be the way to go for paphs, given that you do grow some amazing specimens.
Interesting. I wonder if foliar feeding might be the way to go for paphs, given that you do grow some amazing specimens.
John M
Orchid Addict
I started foliar feeding mainly to save on the cost of fertilizer. When we soak a pot with fertilizer solution, most of the fertilzer is lost as the excess water drains out the bottom, leaving only a residue of fertilizer in the pot where the roots can use it. So, I water heavily with clear water; but, I only use a coarse spray when feeding. This way, I use about 1/10th the amount of fertilizer. In a 1,440 sq ft greenhouse, that translates into big savings and there was virtually zero difference in the way my plants grew and performed for me.
paphioboy
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Thanks for the explanation, John. But I was thinking more along the lines of; by only foliar-feeding, is that why you probably experienced much less root problems (less salts/scorching) than the rest of us? But does anyone know if paphs actually absorb nutrients through the leaves?
John M
Orchid Addict
I have no idea if Paphs absorb relatively more, or less nutrients through the leaves than other Orchids. However, I spray with a coarse spray, so, some fertilizer solution must always run down the leaves and drip into the pots. However, the solution does not have enough volume to drain right through the pots, only to be wasted on the greenhouse floor. So, I'd guess that the roots actually do get fed; just not flushed with fertilizer solution. They don't need to be flushed with fertilizer solution. They should be flushed with clear water inbetween fertilizer applications. Of course, getting such small amounts of fertilizer solution, which is quite weak to begin with, they must be sprayed fairly often with the solution...about once a week in the summer and once a month in the winter.
phraggy
Well-Known Member
Scores Zero marks--- why do fanciers prefer blooms with all,or most, of the colour taken out of them. You've probably guessed that I don't ike albums in any form --- unless I can find one I like!!
Ed
Kawarthapine
Kawarthapine
John:
I understand and agree w your rationale for commercial scale fertilizer applications. I wonder though if you have noticed any reduction in root growth?
Are the plants brought up on foliar intake of nutrients any different from those w soil based fertilization?
Thanks,
D
I understand and agree w your rationale for commercial scale fertilizer applications. I wonder though if you have noticed any reduction in root growth?
Are the plants brought up on foliar intake of nutrients any different from those w soil based fertilization?
Thanks,
D
John M
Orchid Addict
No, I haven't noticed any reduction in root growth.....in fact, I noticed the opposite. I noticed an increase in overall growth, including foliage, flower and root production. I believe that feeding the roots in the pots regularly, meant that all the potting mix became saturated with fertilzier solution and while the excess did drain out and get wasted (which was my original reason to switch to foliar feeding only), a lot more of the fertilizer salts were retained in the pot (as opposed to when I just foliar feed and only a little bit of fertilizer solution drips into the pots). As a result of less fertilzer "lingering" in the pots, I believe that means there's less to come out of solution and form harmful, toxic salts/crust, as the potting mix dries out. Of course, the moisture that remains in a pot (whether it be on the potting mix particles or absorbed and it's inside them), holds the fertilizer chemicals "in solution"....still disolved in the water. But, as the potting mix dries out, the fertilzier concentrates until it reaches toxic concentrations, especially when it finally comes out of solution and begins to return to it's solid form (crystals). That's when root burn occurs on a large scale. I believe that foliar feeding only, actually has the effect of increasing root growth, not decreasing it.
emydura
Well-Known Member
I potted up my haynaldianum in a 14 cm basket like I normally do. Lined it with sphagnum and filled it with Orchiata (9-12 mm). It had a pretty good root system and a new lead just starting. We'll see how this goes.
The only problem I have with baskets is we don't have a great variety of size options to choose from. We only have 8 cm, 14 cm and 20 cm pot. They are big jumps especially from 14 to 20 cm.
The only problem I have with baskets is we don't have a great variety of size options to choose from. We only have 8 cm, 14 cm and 20 cm pot. They are big jumps especially from 14 to 20 cm.
John M
Orchid Addict
That looks perfect, David. I bet in a year or two, you're showing us your big, bushy haynaldianum. Being in a basket, mine needs watering more often; but, it really, really does like the regular, cyclical drying out, followed by a good drenching. Good luck!
