Caring for Paphs

[Anton]

I am considering getting some Paphs in the new year and although I have read posts about them, I have been unable to ascertain whether they are a difficult plant to look after.

Are they as easy as Phals, or do they rquire more TLC?

Happy New Year to ALL the Forumites, tonight is Australia's New Years Eve.

[mayres]

Happy New Year to you Anton!
I have only been growing 5-6 paphs for a year and a half so far, but my impression with the maude types is that they are equally easy to grow/care for as phals. I now have recently acquired three complex crosses so we'll see how they go. The species spicerium is easy. I've heard some of the expensive crosses can take years and years to bloom. I'd encourage you to go for it! They are nice and you will readily come to see why some people grow slipper orchids exclusively - or nearly so. The maude types also have VERY attractive foliage - which can vary significantly with patterns and tones of green. mike

[Aniko]

Happy New Year! Best wishes to all of you, Orchid Geeks.

Anton, I have the same thoughts: to add a paph (or some?!)to my little collection next year. I'm waiting to find the opportunity, we have not as much choices up here in CT. Meantime the number of my phals are growing - they are available everywhere and are so rewording - I can't stop loving them...
Aniko.

[prisana]

I just got my first Paph yesterday. The store clerk thought it was an artificial plant so she shoved it into the bag??!!, much to my horror. It's a Paph. Maudiae "red" , very beautiful (in a hairy-sort-of-way) It's hard to take your eyes off of it. I've been staring at it since yesterday . I hope I'm not way over my head in taking care of it . I sent my first odontoglossum to orchid heaven after only about 3 months, almost 2 years ago.

[Aniko]

Very funny story, Prisana.
I'm glad for you, I'd like to see a picture of your treasure.I'm sure this time You'll be able to keep her happy!
Aniko.

[prisana]

Aniko, I took a bunch of pics yesterday. I'll post it for all to see after I figure out how to get this thing working.--prisana

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

I am only moderately experience with Paphs, but I would suggest that the plants need repotting often, once or twice a year, as they really object to stale mix, and I think that is the only real problem with Paphs. Otherwise, I suspect they are pretty easy and can probably be grown with Phals well enough. Keep pyrethrins off of them, which I notice many ready mixed insecticides contain.

[Ellen]

I've been growing paphs for a while now, and find that they are some of the most forgiving of all orchids. They are at least as easy to grow as phals, maybe even easier. They bloom like clockwork, and it's always amazing to see the bud grow and open. I highly recommend the mottled leaf varieties, which thrive indoors, in standard phal conditions. I pot them in a mixture of small bark, charcoal and perlite. The charcoal helps keep the medium fresh. The green leaf varieties like it a bit cooler, but still do OK in home conditions.

[prisana]

Cynthia, Thanks for the tips on paph , it was in the plastic pot from the store and I put it in a clean clay pot without messing with the mix, since it's still in bloom. I saw that the mix it came in had mostly sphag mix with some perliet and coconut husk in it. Is this the normal mix for paph or I can use bark mix with pete humus next time I repot ?

[Maddy]

I've got one of the red "hairy" maudiaes and a green and white one. The red one seems much more vigorous than the green and white - it's about twice the size, although both were close to the same size initially.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Paphs are sort of simi-terrestrials. When I started growing orchids 45 years ago, they only sold 2 kinds of mix, orchid bark and Cymbidiium/Paph mix. The Cym/Paph stuff was a mixture of medium bark, fine bark, and a little bit of very fine stuff. The object was to not let the Cymbidiums and Paphs dry out. Back in those days almost no one grew Phals because they were only white, and how many white Phals could you use, so I don't remenber what they were grown in, but I would guess bark as they were epiphytes even tho we don't want them to dry out completely these days. Now days, I grow Paphs in the same mix I grow everything else in, but I can control the moisture pretty well.

[prisana]

Hi Ellen, I'm sorry I didn't see your post , we must have been typing at the same time, thanks for the tips on paphs . I haven't been able to find charcoal or small bark mix. Although I've heard of Aussie Gold that is supposed to be excellent..but pricy. I assume you can't use bar-b-q charcoal because they are made with lighter fluid ? Is there any other option besides the mix you recomended?--
Maybe I should start my owen thread, for I'm kind of stealing Anton's thread right now..sorry Anton.

[mayres]

Small (fine) bark with perlite works well for me too. NO. Do not use BBQ charcoal. Bags of horticultural charcoal can be purchased in most garden areas of places like lowes, home depot, Walmart, multi-department stores with grocery sections, etc. in bags for only a couple dollars. mike

[prisana]

Thanks, Mike I will look again..maybe I was just looking in the wrong places for a wrong thing.

[kmarch]

Hi Anton,

i see you posted this some time ago. Are you growing Paphs yet? i live in Melbourne and have about 200+ Paphs. Let me know how you're going with them.

cheers,

-Kevin

[Anton]

Whoops, forgot about this posting, just as well I read the whole list of "70 Most Recent Threads" like Cynthia and was able to pick up on it.

Haven't had a chance to look for Paphs as yet, waiting for Adelaide's extended heat wave to settle down ( 2 months now) so that I can get down the back yard and work on my aviary conversion to hot house.

Then, once the inside is set up I am going to source agricultural bubble wrap as insulation and a heating medium.

I have been told by "SHE WHO MUST BE OBEYED" ...NO MORE plants inside.

What's a man to do ........... ? Cut flowers and chocckies don't do it any more.

Closer to the time, I'll get in touch with you Kevin for some help.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Anton, how cold does it get where you are? If it only gets down close to freezing, I think bubble insulation might be over kill. It is certainly not necessary for hot weather, tho I like the diffusing quality of bubble insulation. If I lived in a mild climate, I might not bother with the bubble insulation. For hot weather (and any clear day for that matter), you need an evaporative cooler. This is probably THE most important item you can add to a greenhouse. Note my recent post where I describe over heating of my GH. Note, it is winter here right now, and it have been quite cold.

[Anton]

Oh, it gets COLD here ! .............. Down to at least 50F !

We do on rare occaisions get down to 28 to 32 F, but that is early in the morning generally after a cloudless dewy night. Might happen once or twice in a year.

Didn't happen last year, it was the warmest, driest winter since records have been kept here in Adelaide.

The whole country is still in the grip of a 100 year drought.

So you don't think that 50F is too low ?

What about covering the GH with clear plastic in winter ?

[kmarch]

Hello All,

I recently posted a general cultural guide to Paphs on another thread. Some may find it useful here so here it is again. Let me know if you have questions.
------------------

Like all orchids Paphs are easy to grrow if you have the conditions they like. Here's what most of them like:

TEMPS - Intermediate 75-85F daytime (summer) down to 60-65F nighttime (winter). My Paphs sometimes get as cool as 55F without much of a problem. Paphs like nice fresh air so consider a nice little bun fan or other small fan on a lower setting for a fresh breeze. Keep them away from hot, dry drafts (like forced air heat ducts).

LIGHT - Medium to low - In a home, most east or even north windows will do ok (especially for the Makuli). If you have them in a south window, a little shade, blinds or a sheer, will be helpful in the summer.

POTTING - Paphs like nice fresh mix so repotting every year is recommended. You do not need to increase the pot size with every potting, I frequently use the same size pot and add fresh potting mix. The mix should be somewhat moisture retentive as Paphs like to be kept evenly and gently moist. I have had good success with a mix of medium and small bark, chopped sphagnum, a bit of peat, perelite, charcoal (keeps it fresh) and sometimes a bit of sand or leaves (oak).

HUMIDITY & WATERING - Paphs like a bit of humidity if you can manage it. Some folks like to grow them on a kitchen windowsill (kitchens are usually a little higher in humidity). Call up your local orchid society and ask about the quality of your city water. Paphs like to be kept gently and evenly moist; never dry and never waterlogged. How often you water will depend on how much moisture the mix retains, how warm or cool it is, and what kind of pot you have them in. Clay pots dry out faster than plastic. Warm weather dries the mix out faster than cool weather. Before i moved to Australia I lived in Michigan where I watered about twice a week in summer and once a week in winter. Also, never let water sit in the crown of the plant.

[Anton]

What about letting them sit in a humidity tray, but allowing their feet to get wet ? That way they can draw up the moisture they need.

Or, doesn't this technique work with Paphs ?

Evidently this is a technique that is used widely by commercial growers here for other species with a lot of success, but just wondered whether it would work with Paphs.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

What are you planning to do for the covering. Where you planing to make it a shade house in summer and only cover it in winter? My experience is only with full time GHs. I am currently covering my GH with agricultural plastic sheeting, the flexable stuff. I insulate my GH with the bubble wrap, but we get down to 10F, and go below freezing often.

[Anton]

You got it, just plastic in winter as I want to have warm species in there and need to keep it to a reasonable temperatre level all year round with humidity kept up.

[kmarch]

Hi Anton,

I would use a humidity tray to raise the "local" humidity around your Paphs, but I would not let them sit in water. Paphs like gentle, even moisture, I don't think they like "wet feet". Being water logged would be especially bad in the cool months. Phragmipediums on the other hand like to sit in water as mine are at this moment.

Cheers,

-Kevin

[Anton]

No, the Phal is tinkling it's toes in water, not a Paph.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

If you are going to take it off every spring, you may find it easier, and maybe even cheaper, to use hardware store plastic sheating, thickest you find, and just toss it every spring. I found that the hardware store stuff last about 6 months in the sun. The AG stuff is supposed to last 4 years, 365 days of sun. Mine has been up 4 years now in sunny Arizona, and will be looking for degredation. I have a buffer, as I have 3 layers, and when the outter one starts to go, I have the delay in the other 2 to give me time to get new material. Then I add over the top of the old, and pull out the old from the inside as it starts to degrade.

[Anton]

That's what we call builders' grade plastic. They use it for reducing salt damp, so it needs to be thick and tough.

Thanks for the tip, that seems the best course of action for me.