Paph Question

[-k-]

I purchased a Paph after it had bloomed was cut and re-potted; my question is should I maintain a water schedule of every 7 days? It's spring time here.
Room temp Night: 60 - 65
Room Temp Day 70
Room Humidity: 65% constant

Tkx!!!!!

[jay]

It is too difficult to say you should water any orchid on a certain schedule. The reason is there are so many other conditions from one location to another. You should water when the media is approaching dryness, but not dry. Don't keep it soggy or wet, but Paphs don't like to dry out. One way to determine this is the skewer method.

http://www.orchidgeeks.com/forum/new...f-orchids.html

Here is a general culture sheet for Paphs.

AOS | Paphiopedilum

Hope this helps.

[-k-]

Also... Since it is spring and there is new growth any thoughts on whether or not I will receive a bloom sometime over the summer, going to start using 30-10-10 fert for all my orchids starting in a week...

[jay]

What type of Paph is it?

Generally Paphs take a whole year or more to go from new growth to flower. Some are slower than others.

[mayres]

I agree with Jay, that for the most part we should water our orchids "when they need it" instead of on "our schedule". HOWEVER, with that said - I probably have a climate similar to yours and I basically water my paphs weekly - whether they need it or not - so far it has worked out really well. In the hottest part of the summer I might water them twice per week (previuosly posted incorrectly "month"). They are all in fine bark and perlite. My only problem with root rot stemmed from not repotting a few of them soon enough.

[kmarch]

Originally Posted by -K-

I purchased a Paph after it had bloomed was cut and re-potted; my question is should I maintain a water schedule of every 7 days? It's spring time here.

Watering frequency is highly relative. Depending on a number of factors in addition to the conditions you listed, things like how much air circulation, what kind of potting mix, etc also affect how frequently you should water. So I encourage growers to not go by watering frequency.

Instead go by the plant's cultural requirements. Paph, as a rule, like to be kept evenly and gently moist. By that I mean never dry but never waterlogged. So water however often (or seldom) is necessary to maintain these conditions. Use the skewer method to gauge how moist the mix is inside where the roots are. You may find that once a week is sufficient or you may find you need to water every 5 days or you may even find you water more frequently in summer and less frequently in winter.

[kmarch]

Originally Posted by mayres

... I basically water my paphs weekly...In the hottest part of the summer I might water them twice per month. ...

Mayres, did you mean to say you water less in winter rather than summer? Or maybe you meant in the hottest part of the summer you water them twice a week rather than month?

[-k-]

Ok great... the potting mixture is of mostly bark, coal, and moss, it's a nice mix. I find the skewer technique to be difficult with this type of medium. The air circulation is good, no problems there! I spend time with all my plants on a daily bases and look them over fairly well for changes in conditions, so I am confident I am on the right track!

Tkx everyone!

[mayres]

Kevin - absolutely! "Twice a month" should say, "twice per week"! Thanks for the correction. I think my brain is going one way and my fingers are going another half the time? I probably should have someone proof all my posts before pressing the "post quick reply" button below?