Fully Open Paph?

[TwoStems]

I've had this Paph cross for a few months now, and for the last few weeks it's been like this. I know it took a long time to open, but is it destined to stay like this forever? It almost seems..."stuck". Sorry for the crappy cell phone pic...
Thanks for any insight, this is my first time owning Paphs.

[catttan]

Looks like it's fully open. It's quite nice actually.

[TwoStems]

Thank you for some reason I had the impression it would be more "upright", with the top and bottom being more vertical than at angles. At least I know it's not a weird deformity!

[catttan]

Thank you for some reason I had the impression it would be more "upright", with the top and bottom being more vertical than at angles. At least I know it's not a weird deformity!

Yes, what you expected would be termed 'more desirable' when viewed and judged at shows. This is not a deformity but rather more genetic, inherited from one or both the parents.

[TwoStems]

Ah, thanks for the clarity!

[Brutal_Dreamer]

Oh yes, fully opened. Great slipper orchid, Ali.

cheers,
BD

[TwoStems]

Thank you
Can't wait for my black cherry paph to open so I can post that one too!

[PaphMadMan]

Nice colors and clean striping on the dorsal sepal on this one. It looks like this is as open as this flower will get, but not necessarily as open as it could get on subsequent bloomings. Paphs rarely look their best on their first blooming - big mature plants often improve flower quality dramatically. And it is hard to be sure, but to me it looks like this flower may have been a bit stunted by dry air or slight lack of moisture as the flower was expanding. They do get 'stuck' that way sometimes.

If you're sure it wasn't too dry you might want to check on the health of the roots and repot if necessary. First rule of thumb for Paphs - if there is any doubt about the health of the roots or the quality of the media, repot immediately! They LIKE it, minimum of once a year, and don't hesitate to go more often than that.

Also, many Paphs do have a characteristic face-down droop when they flower, and many spikes are not naturally vertical. Staking the spike upright too early just makes the opening flower react by turning even more downward. Wait till a flower is fully open before staking if you can, keeping the plant always facing the light at the same angle as the spike develops, then position it at the angle that shows the flower off best AFTER it is open. A perfect flower wouldn't need this, but you might as well get the maximum enjoyment out of the flowers you have.

[TwoStems]

Guessing from your name, I'd say you're one of the experts in this area Thanks for the in depth advice!
I try to keep it fairly damp, and I run a humidifier near all my orchids. I will probably be repotting both my paphs into s/h once they are done blooming. I didn't stake this one until it began opening (but it wasn't fully open yet) so that could be part of the problem. I was concerned because the spike was getting wiggly and it looked like it wouldn't support the flower. I think this is it's second blooming, there is an older set of leaves in the pot. I have a smaller 'Black Cherry' paph that I believe is on it's first bloom. I staked this one earlier, before the bud started opening. I didn't realize you had to keep them facing the same direction toward the sun all the time, so this might have contributed to the issue as well - though the buds were already formed when I got them... We'll see how the other one does opening, it's about 1/2 way there now. Now I know better for the future!