paph armeniacum what to do with it?

The photo's aren't really good sorry. The plant its all wrinkly on the yellow and I know that it doesn't have much of a root system. It came with a small root system and I can't believe it budded. I bought it cheap on an internet auction. It used to have 3 leaves before blooming but blooming sucked the energy out of the third leaf. It would be quite miraculous if it will send out a growth for me

It's under fluorescent lights. It's planted it coconut husk and chips, fine bark, perlite, sponge rock, charcoal and the smallest amount of peat(I don't know why I put peat in there). The sphag moss is just a thin layer on top, it doesn't do much but give humidity as it dries.

And I just saw a round bug crawl up from the base. not good...It moved very fast. Faster than a aphid although it looked like one because of a round body. I squashed it so i can't ID the bug. I do have a aphid infestation with my fukien tea tree

I have a feeling I should put more media around the plant. Humidity is low...I will now put a bag over it.

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Fren
Orchidacea are the largest and most diverse of the Angiospermae, and includes 800 genera and 30 000 species

Heh... looks like you may have no problem if you keep at this one...

I have had worse than this, and almost no roots... I found the secret when a Paph. is like this, is having packed sphagnum moss, and keeping it pretty moist. Normally when using sphagnum moss, you keep the medium damp and pretty open. I have a feeling that you will have this plant kicking out stolons in no time...

-Pat

Okay Thanks for the encouraging info. I'll repot it in sphag or make the top layer of sphag thicker.

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Fren
Orchidacea are the largest and most diverse of the Angiospermae, and includes 800 genera and 30 000 species

Good luck, Fren - it would be a super save!

Pat, great info! Thanks!

McJulie

Ah, the ol' Sphag and Bag trick again. I am in the process of observing its results on an onc. NoID. The psudos are all but shrivelled and only one of them has anything resembling green in the leaves. Two weeks into it and I saw a neat little growth at the base of the best psudo a couple of days ago. I realize this is not an onc. but Pat seems to have had experience. Follow his advice until proven otherwise.

OR

You could always do like one of our famous members has done and throw it in the trash and then pull it out as it recovers!!! hehe Hmmmm, what ever happened with that plant?

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Steven

In Flower/Bud:
Phal Aurelia Franklin peloric, Paph Magic Lantern, Paph philippinense, Phal Leopard Prince x Brother Danseuse

and a few others too.

Low Bud/spike?

It's still alive, just finished blooming. Two old bulbs, one leafy one.... The threat of the compost bag is most effective!!!

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Diane

"NA BEAN DO'N CHAT GUN LAMHAINN"

Please keep us updated on your plant! I really feel as if you can save it. It does look VERY tired, but with some care and careful watch (you want to check everyday for ANYTHING happening, primarily to eliminate possibility of rotting), it will come back. Also, if you are daring, try and clip that yellowing leaf to where the ovate-ness begins... yellowing leaves are usually normal, but there is something wierd about that leaf (could there be a pest inside the leaf fold?). This species is a weed, so I have confidence that it will revive in your care.

Just a similar story... at Selby Gardens, they trimmed a large specimen of a Scaphyglottis species. For about a week, I saw the plants in the bucket of plant waste and garbage, and decided to garbage pick the next day I was there. The next day upon closer inspection, almost every clipping was in bloom! They also threw away some cuttings of Bulbophyllum blumei, which were in spike... I guess your best stuff comes from the trash...

-Pat

I pulled off the yellow leaf that was dry and leathery. I was suprised to find a orange powder covering the leaf's inside where it touches the main plant. What's this powder? A fungus? I don't think its spider mite since the powder is so fine and there's no webs. I'm glad I pulled it off. Its growing on one leaf now. The roots are nearly useless, just like before, so silly of me to let it bloom.

I found tiny white bump at the base where the yellow leaf once covered. I might have hope! Time for my plants rebirth!

Anyways I dumped out half the potting media and packed the pot with sphag moss. I have a bag covering the pot loosely.

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Fren
Orchidacea are the largest and most diverse of the Angiospermae, and includes 800 genera and 30 000 species

I think you need to dump all the old media and just go with sphag. I also think a spraying with a mild Physan 20 solution is a good idea... don't like that orange powder...

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Diane

"NA BEAN DO'N CHAT GUN LAMHAINN"

I had a similar situation with my Paph. Pinocchio about 6 months ago. Someone handed it to me saying "why don't you buy this one, there's a bud on it." I bought the plant (a first bloomer with just 4 or 6 leaves) and after getting it home I realized there was just one half rotten root in there. (can't judge a book by it's cover or a plant by its bloom, huh).
I tried to just leave it alone for a few weeks because at that time the thought of sacrificing a bloom was out of the question for me. I let it bloom too. But when I got down to just two leaves and NO root at all!!! (snip, snip)
I read through these forums for at least an hour trying to find the best course of action. I removed all the old mix (which you should definitely do if you found that orange powder/pest or whatever it was), dipped the base of the plant in rooting hormone, and planted the little two leaves in the smallest little pot I could find, I think a 2.5" pot. (I put it in a little bit of bark mix because at the time I didn't have sphag). I sprayed it with an antifungal after repotting it. After that I just kept it moist, left it alone, and resisted the urge to pull it out and look at it's stumpy roots every week...
Last week while watering I noticed you can see the tops of at least 5 or 6 other roots coming out from the base....and a new side growth!! But those two little leaves looked pretty pathetic for the last 6 months.
I think you can save this plant too. I would change the mix and put it in a smaller pot---since it doesn't have roots it doesn't need much of a pot and less of a change of it rotting.
Here's a pic of mine---I haven't changed the pot I put it in yet....hope it helps...Good luck---armeniacum is a beautiful paph, I wish you many many side growths

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