I need help in dividing 7 growth paph

[desertgal]

Hi....As you all know by now I love yellow orchids. I purchased a
Paphiopedilum Dollgoldi Orchid 7 Growth Yellow Paph. It is in a 4 inch pot.
The largest growth has 10 inch leaves from tip to tip and the smallest has 4 inch leaves. From the bottom of the pot to the tip of the tallest leaf is 8 inches. One of the largest leaves is yellowing. My questions are should I divide it or leave it alone? If I do divide it how and how many growths? I am not happy with medium, it appears to be clay balls and I cannot judge the wetness of the medium. Should I just put it a larger pot (maybe 5 inch orchid pot with slits) and use a different medium? If so can I use fine bark with perlite and charcoal? What percentages of each? Or make suggestions
(are you listening PoP)?

I have also included a small picture of my new lighting. The bulbs are the twisted flourescents that use 23 W and give 100 W of light. They do not get hot but seem to be supplying a lot of light.

Thanks for your help,

Katie

[orchid-man]

I would not divide that plant ,its not big enough yet.As for pot size,I would say that it is in the correct size.

[Piper]

I wouldn't divide it either, Katie. You're better off with a larger healthy plant that might put up more than one spike.

Soak the roots to soften them for 10-15 mins before you unpot it. Then work carefully. Some Paphs have extremely fragile roots. Parvis are the most notorious, and Dollgoldi is a Parvi cross. Those suckers just fall off in my hands even when I'm being super careful.

You can probably go back into the same pot, but you won't know for sure until you see the root mass. Make sure it will fit snuggly in the pot, but you don't want to jam the roots in either. Just avoid moving to too big a pot. The roots should have contact with the pot walls.

I've had the most success with my Paphs in spahagnum moss. Good quality New Zealand long fiber, or its equivalent. Everybody has their own preference for potting mix, however. Paphs don't want to dry out. They want to be evenly moist all the time. That's harder to acheive with bark, which is why I like sphag.

Well, that's my two cents! The plants look great - good luck with them! Can't wait for some blooms!

McJulie

[Diane]

paphs don't like to be divided. I would repot in the same size pot with a bark mixture, such as the one you mentioned. The lighting looks nice.

[Mahon]

Same here: Don't divide... how else will you achieve a specimen sized plant!

The yellowing leaf looks natural... it is "sucking" nutrients and sugars to the main plant. Don't cut it off until it turns brown or crispy...

-Pat

[Gin]

to the above . Gin

[Mehera]

Wow. Someone gave me a dollgoldi seedling which is about the size of your smallest growth. Looks like I won't be seeing flowers for a while.

[desertgal]

Thanks for all of the advice. I will not divide them and I'll wait impatiently for the flowers. Someone once told me "Never pray for patience, for how will you know you have patience if God doesn't send you trials to test your patience?" Haven't asked since!

Katie

[bench72]

Sorry to be coming in on this so late... I've been shopping

Ditto to what everyone has said about not dividing. My reason is because I like to see plants with multiple spikes! If it isn't too awkward or heavy, then let it keep growing into a specimen. (Plants naturally divide themselves in time... the oldest growth wither and die and you are left with two or more plants that you can separate next time you repot)

I would also put it in the same pot. It looks like there's still plenty of growing space for the plant.

As for the medium, I'm not gonna suggest what to use, instead, I'm gonna tell you to use what you are comfortable with, e.g the medium that most of your collection is in. The reason is that you will already have an idea of how fast or slow your preferred medium dries out, so you have a better chance of figuring out if you're over or underwatering.

Finally, I am awed with the size of your plant. Interestingly I also repotted my Dollgoldi yesterday, but mine only has one mature growth and a pup coming out the side.

Can't wait for yours to bloom, Katie!


cheers
P.o.P.

[Brutal_Dreamer]

Good advice - don't divide. That plant will reward you with beautiful blooms soon enough, Katie.

Cheers,
BD