Please, I Need advice on repotting paphs

[desertgal]

I have the bark mix soaking and am planning on repotting 12 paphs this weekend. They came from the vendor in a large bark mix that dries out too fast.
I purchased a paph mix that is seedling size. It has fir bark, charcoal and perlite. I have powdered rooting hormone and wonder if it would be beneficial to dust the roots with it. I also have Osmocote Smart Release Plant Food and am considering mixing some in with the bark mix. Would that be too much fertilizer for paphs? Also, Do I repot in the same size pot? Do paphs like to be root bound or do they like room to grow?

Thanks in advance!!

Katie

[Brutal_Dreamer]

Hi Katie,

Do use the rooting hormone, but don't mix in the Osmocote - that would be too much. The pot size should be a pot that will fit your watering schedule. If you are using small bark, a big pot will stay wetter longer and that could cause root rot. You just want something that fits your watering schedule.

Cheers,
BD

[Mahon]

I agree with BD... Also, don't be afraid to crowd the roots some (unless we're talking Paph. kolopakingii or Paph. gigantifolium here ).

-Pat

[smartie2000]

I dont get why anyone would pot in a large bark mix for paphs unless they really wanted to water almost everyday....

anyways

I should mention to be careful with the roots. They seem to be more delicate than other orchids and try not to damage the root hairs. Parvis(chinese paphs) roots break of easily. But don't be afraid to unpot them, I do it all the time to check them out. Some dont like to be disturbed like sanderianum, but most paphs won't mind. Try not to break the root tips

[Ron-NY]

with Paphs I pot to root size. Use the smallest sized pot that the roots fit in comfortable.

[Jmoney]

a grower once warned me against using osmocote in anything less than a 6" or larger pot, due to risk of root burn. I've only used it for the things I really don't want to bother with, like the large cyms my parents have (back when I took care of the plants).

[Piper]

I use Osmocote in smaller pots without trouble, except for Paphs. I've burned some of those to the big compost heap in the sky.

McJulie

[desertgal]

Thanks everyone. I just repotted several paphs and I did not use the Osmocote. It is no wonder that they were not doing well. The mix on top was huge but there was a lot of rotted mix underneath. I think the grower just threw on new mix on the top to make it look good. I did use the rooting hormone and only upsized on one larger plant. Four paphs are still in bloom and one is about to open a second bud. So more repotting a little later on.

Katie

[smartie2000]

....I've repotted phals and paphs in bud and bloom because the media was not right for me with no big adverse affects....I don't think they mind but its not recommended in those colourful books for some reason. (I noticed in some of those colourful books they unpot or repot plants to do some staging for the pictures too lol)

[Piper]

Repotting any blooming plant risks blasting the flower. If it's a new acquisition, I'd ask how long it's likely to bloom.

With Paphs and Phals I'll risk the blasting. They're such long bloomers, I don't want them in crappy media for months on end, rotting the roots.

For shorter bloomers like Catts and Dends, I'll let them finish before I repot.

McJulie