A few orchid related questions

[HHLL38]

Oh, well then!

I got it from my local orchid society, they have an annual auction to raise funds, I saw it and couldn't not buy it.

I'll go take a picture of it now so you don't have to wonder.

I'll search for this Jason, maybe he can give me some pointers.

Currently, it's a DIY project for my father and I, he had a few old fluorescent light fixtures laying around and I have introduced him to the world of orchids, so I conned him into trying to build a few growth spaces for me and my little apartment.

[HHLL38]

This is my Paph, does sequential mean that the old bloom will die off when the new one opens?

The flower i'm noticing looks a little worse for wear, i'm so pumped I managed not only not to kill it, but to get it to want to flower again!

This is the first orchid i've ever flowered, although I guess this doesn't count %100.

I've got seedlings in the mail, that'll be the true test.

[mauraec]

Hi Sam - What a beautiful paph! Even though it's not registered (yet), I did a general search for it and found at least one nursery that's selling it.
This is what their photo looks like:




As I said, At least technically, Valwin is a Standard-Complex red, with Winston Churchill, also a standard-complex, as one parent. Winston Churchill is NOT a multi-floral paph. Standard-Complexes were the rage after the interest in Maudiaes died down. They used paphs from the Barbatum Alliance (used in the Maudiaes) along with, for instance, at least at first, paphs in the insigne section. Winston Churchill is the progeny of Eridge and Hampden, registered in 1951. It has the "bulldog" look, which gives its progeny more roundness, although a shorter stem, and was part of the search for the best red standard-complex hybrids and as such is one of the most significant breeders. On the other hand, as I said, Paph. moquetteanum IS a species multi-floral, sequentially flowering paph, of the "Cochlopetalum Alliance" - (kind of like the classic paph. rosthchildianum, but does not have the same look, i.e., very long, dangling side petals, another multi-floral.

If you're following me, good for you, because I get extremely lost in all this hybridizing. I have a feeling that, in crossing Valwin and moquetteanum, the breeders were looking for a sleeker hybrid, with a longer stem, and, perhaps, sequential flowers. "Sequential" means that as one flower fades, the next one down the stem is opening. I'd be surprised if the breeders got all they wanted with yours, or it would have been registered already (most likely). It's hard to tell from your photo how long the scape (stem) is, but they did get at least a partial sequential bloomer.

Okay, take a breath, - what this means for you is that that second bud should open as the first one starts to fade (sometimes even before), as long as its genes are strong and it is kept under optimum paph conditions - which means medium light, regular household temps (although cooler at night is preferred, especially when the plants are setting spikes), a LOT of humidity, and medium (NOT low) light. Yours is probably a cooler grower than the Maudiaes, but it should do fine anyway. Unless your windows are draft-proof, don't put it right on, or really close to the windowsill. Paphs hate drafts, and the bud may blast (die) on you, but they also like high moisture combined with fairly high humidity. I don't use the percentages because humidity and "relative humidity" confuse me. This boils down to me growing mine either to the side of my southern window, or under growlight, combined with a humidifier, and a fan set on low. That said, whatever you're doing seems to be working, so just make sure the potting mix stays damp but not wet.

What did you order seedlings of? I LOVE this paph and I WANT one. I think I'm going to go after it later today.

Sorry for the inundation of information, but if you're interested in paphs at all, you owe it to yourself to learn all you can about them. If you like, I can pm you with some suggestions for books, although the internet is full of info, naturally. I just happen to like real books.

Good luck - if the other bloom starts to open, we'd love to see a photo of it. if you set the plant in front of a fairly plain background, the plant will stand out nicely.

Maura

PS - Forgive me for inconsistent use of capitalization - and I may have called some groups "sections" and some "alliances" - my head doesn't clear up significantly until afternoon.

[HHLL38]

What a wealth of information you are!

I think I picked out a few things here and there, basically, my paph was an attempt to bring out desired genes, but considering it isn't registered, it didn't quite make the cut for some reason.

I'd say the stem is about 8 inches high, fairly thick and fuzzy.

When I got it, I thought it would be one growth per "plant", there are new growths in the same pot which I presumed would spike and flower before/as/after the current flower died.

I have noticed the old flower fading some, starting to curl around the edges, ect. So perhaps it's time for the next one to bloom!

I'll certainly take a better picture when/if this occurs.

I got seedlings of:

Dendrobium Kingianum
Brassavola Nodosa
Phalaenopsis amboinensis
STANHOPEA wardii

And two other assorted ones, i.e I didn't choose them.

I didn't particularly like Paphs, but the one i've got has brought me great pleasure, perhaps i'll consider them in the future.

I've always wanted a Paph. Mailpoense. Which, if i've gathered this right, is the more "typical" Paph look?

I must say, I like mine more than whosever nursery that is, no offense.

Now, do Paphs reproduce via tubers? Or are the other growths in the pot essentially keikis?

[Dorsetman]

Valwin x moquettianum will make something like Delophyllum or Delrosa ; not a true successional, although when fully mature it may make say 4 flowers, opening one after the other - occasionally you may get two at the same time. Usually they start off less ambitious, and improve yearly as long as the plant is improving.
The Maudiae types ( and a few other) paphs which are normally single flowered - e.g. sukhakulii, will occasionally produce two, but often at peculiar angles , so that neither is shown to perfection ; personally with that kind I take off the weaker bud at the first opportunity so as to make the remaining one as good as possible.

[mauraec]

Well, there you are - Geoff has said in, ever so many fewer words, what i was trying to say, but I think you got most of my meaning. I'm not sure there IS a typical paph, but I don't think most people are familiar with the look of paph. malipoense, which is a Paph. Parvisepalum. Paph. delenatii. micranthum, vietnamensis are also in that group. These paphs. have very nice, solid, subtly mottled leaves, and some have a light fragrance (delenatii is supposed to smell like a rose, and malpoense like raspberries), but the look is something of a bulldog paph that inflated its lip and then deflated it a bit - I guess they remind me of all the helium balloons as they deflated when I was a kid. Having said that, these paphs have lots of fans, one of whom is Harold Koopowitz, a top expert on slipper orchids I mention this because he has hybridized a number of these paphs, many carrying his family name. I have a delenatii, and a delenatii x malipoense, which is called "Lynleigh Koopowitz". I got them as little more than seedlings, so no blooms yet.

Paphs reproduce by putting out new growths attached to the older ones, and then spread from there. They have roots rather than pseudobulbs, and the new growths are just that - new growths. They multiply more like cattleyas that dens or phals that have keikis, which are often a sign that the mother plant is going to kick the bucket soon. A healthy paph will become quite large fairly quickly. There has been a lot of dismay expressed over hybrid paphs becoming just ordinary boxstore orchids, but since they still can't be cloned (as with dendrobiums, for instance), each plant is either a division of a larger one, or a seedling of the parent. You may notice that they are a good bit more expensive than other supermarket orchids, like phals, dens, and even some oncids. If you kind you like it more than you thought you would, that's great because your environment supports low-medium light growers well and probably won't support bright light growers like most angraecums, dens, catts, cyms, and, I'm afraid, neofinetia falcatas. We have several and they get the brightest indirect light from our southern exposure, and still need supplementary lights to give them a full day's worth of daylight. Of course, there are ways to get around that, but high intensity lamps and other stuff like that is not my area.

Again, more information than you wanted, but i hope some of it helps.

Maura

[HHLL38]

Thanks Geoff, I hope I get two blooms at once!

Maura, I really love the shape/color of Malipoense, I think I may purchase one in the future!

That's terrible news, i just love the little guys! Perhaps once my Orchidarium is complete I can get a whole mess of Neofinetias.

Perhaps I should change my focus to Orchids that are more suited to my growing conditions. This area is tough, when it's bright, it's really bright, and when it's not, it's quite dark. Hard to grow anything without any easy middle ground.

For instance, in early November, there were two solid weeks of bright, bright sun. My dend loved it, grew roots like mad. But now it's much darker, and no one seems to be happy except for the Paph. and I'm not sure if it's happy so much as not sad.

I've got an NENYOS meeting this weekend, the holiday spectacular. Hopefully there'll be some better suited orchids to my conditions for sale. I feel terrible for the Oncid alliance guys, they're not fairing very well. :\

So I shouldn't bother with Dends either? They might be my favorite.

[Dorsetman]

I have some thoughts about Neofinetias which may be helpful, Maura ? Remember that they come (primarily) from Japan, which is not a tropical country ! They are called "Furun" - wind orchids ; they grow on mountain ridges in windy places.
Sure, they like it wet and warm in the summer when they grow, but keep them too wet and warm in the winter and they don't realise that they should be making flower buds, and carry on growing and producing keikis instead.
So a slightly chilly dryish winter rest is what they neee to flower properly.
I reached these conclusions when studyng for my recent talk, and promptly applied them to all my -plants ( I have maybe six or seven different clones) hanging them close to the glass where it is 5 degrees cooler than on the bench, and incidentally keeping them out of the way of the Vandas and other vandaceous stuff which is still sprayed regularly, albeit not as often as in the summer , so drier too. Next year I'll amaze you wall with my flower display ( I wish) !