paph. culture

pretty_bug01 · #1 05-13-2006, 11:47 AM

Long time no see guys. Finally the semester is over with. Anyways, I just got a paph. don't remember what the name of it is. It is a hybrid and in the other room, it's pink with small blooms. The bloom does not have the long droopy "Ears". Since I just got an apartment, my conditions changed so I have low light, no direct light. My question is how much do I water it, how often and what about fertilizer? Does it need a humidity tray? Thanks for the help.

Jmoney · #2 05-13-2006, 01:30 PM

humidity trays are minimally useful if you ask me, the greatest utility being catching the run-off. might add 4-6% to the humidity in the immediate area. paphs want to be evenly moist, never drying out fully. they should NOT however remain constantly wet like phrags, or else the roots may rot in short order. light depends a great deal on parentage. your standard paph will exist under low light but will rarely bloom. most paphs prefer bright shade, and a few would be happy alongside cattleyas.

pretty_bug01 · #3 05-13-2006, 08:57 PM

It's a paph. Drewenttii. Does that help at all?

bench72 · #4 05-14-2006, 06:24 AM

Paph Drewettii is a primary hybrid cross between lowii and niveum...

gosh, I just googled what it looked like and it is lovely! I need one!!!

I better leave the culture info for others...

pretty_bug01 · #5 05-14-2006, 01:19 PM

Do they like bark or sphagnum moss?

Btw. I got it at Loew's. Do you have those in Australia? It was 26 dollars and it has three different plants in it. I don't know what you want to call them.

Jmoney · #6 05-14-2006, 02:34 PM

lowii and niveum both appreciate good light. much brighter than a phal. maybe minicatt level. they will tolerate phal light but will grow and bloom much better with higher light. should be easy growing, however.

I don't use sphag for paphs, I'm sure there are people out there who do but most probably do not. most paphs actually like a neutral or even basic medium and sphag is definitely acidic. that said, I sometimes use sphag to try to revive a rootless wonder.

word of caution--niveum being a brachypetalum is prone to having brittle root bases (i.e. right at the base of the plant). not sure how much is passed onto hybrids but be careful when unpotting and repotting. nothing pisses me off more than seeing a perfectly good root snap off right at the base because I wasn't careful enough.

maegg · #7 05-14-2006, 03:43 PM

My paphs like a mixture of bark, charcoal and perilite. Any good orchid mix works although I am partial to a particular brand. PM me and I'll tell you what I use. I pot them in clay pots and like most orchids, you want to keep them in a small pot or they spend too much of there time digging around the pot and not enough time blooming. Mine grow well amongst my catts until the summer gets too hot and I bring them in then. I only use sphagnum moss on seedlings that are weak or just out of the flask. Otherwise it breaks down too early. Also paphs like to be repotted every year or so depending on who you ask.

pretty_bug01 · #8 05-14-2006, 10:10 PM

Well, I can leave it outside for most of the day to get it enough light, however, during the winter that won't be possible. Will it be able to rebloom if it is under lower light levels during the winter vs. the summer?

Jmoney · #9 05-15-2006, 12:23 AM

exactly what kind of light are we talking about? i.e. which exposure, how far away from the window, etc.

pretty_bug01 · #10 05-15-2006, 04:06 PM

Well, I live on the side of a mountain at the bottom apartment of a duplex. They have a deck on the top one which shades most of the direct light that would have come into the window. I think it is an east window, but I am not sure. It does not have much light at all.