Phal. or Paph. for gift

[boxerfan]

I'm trying to decide which orchid would do the best at my Mother's house. She keeps it fairly dark in the summer to stave off the summer heat and doesn't run the A/C much. There's good air circulation with ceiling fans running in every room. She also has a screened porch, with a ceiling fan that receives partial sun. Summers here get into the upper 90's to lower 100's with 50%-80% humidity being common. Winters are very mild with lows averaging in the 40's-50's. I can't be too sure if my Mom will stick to a strict watering schedule, the plant is liable to dry out between waterings. Thanks for the advice. Lisa

[kmarch]

If your Mom's watering habits mean that the plant will dry out between waterings, then neither Paphs nor Phals will be suitable. Both Paphs and Phals require constant, even, moisture at the roots.

Regardless of what kind of orchid you get for her, also give her a culture sheet for that orchid. IMHO a culture sheet should always accompany the gift of an orchid. You can find excellent culture sheetsfor both Paphs and Phals on the American Orchid Society website.

[mayres]

You may get an argument from the slipper fans, but my vote is to get her a phal. They actually like hot temps - growers typically grow them in the 80's to low 90's to maximize growth potential. Even though they should ideally not be dried out completely, they will tolerate being on the dry side occasionally. If she is inclined to go too long between waterings then you want to make sure her phal is planted in a mix that will retain water for a longer period of time. If she is inclined to overwater, then something like medium to large bark would be best. I'd suggest you give her a bamboo skewer with her orchid and tell her to use this as her litmus test as to when to water - as described many times in this forum. Good luck - mike

[janet_a]

yeah, i would tend to go with the phal too. you sort of can't go wrong with them; just print out the AOS culture sheet for it and give it to her.

also, slippers are sometimes an acquired taste; there are lots of paphs out there i wouldn't take if you paid me; too ooky looking.

[kmarch]

Ooky? Now be nice, there are lots of Paph fans here.

[jerrymeola]

I have lots of customers who want to give their mothers an orchid but complain that they either water too much or too little.

The solution I came to was to pot Phals and Paphs hydroponic reducing water problems.

Phals I pot in Hydro with a saucer glued to the bottom of a clay slit pot. Tell the mother to refill the saucer when it gets empty and it is done. Too much watering goes on the floor and mother's quickly learn to stop.

Paphs I will show in a posting soon but these also are hydroponic in a crystal vase without any drainage.

Paphs can grow in total water, and when used with hydro they stay evenly moist. I use Worm Tea in the vase and that satisfies the need for fertilizer as well. It takes about an inch of liquid a week and if I am going away I fill the vase and it takes three weeks or more to be used up.

Paphs have lower light requirements than Phals and crystal looks much better than a plastic or clay pot.

[boxerfan]

Well, I picked out a nice Phal. for my Mom for Mother's Day. The only tag it came with read "Phal. Hybrid" (like I couldn't figure that out for myself ) If anyone has any clues as to which Phal. Hybrid it might be, I'd appreciate the information. It has about six open blooms on it, six getting ready to open and four or so still forming. It has healthy leaves and beautiful roots. I've posted pictures below. Thanks for the input, Lisa