Happy Paph?

[articuno75]

I finally repotted my Paph Ho Chi Minh, but I did it in Coco husk, Perlite and Charcoal with a wee bit of Stalite instead. I was going to do S/H, but I couldn't muster the courage to do it. (I know I'm chicken! ) I'll wait and try it on a NoId and gain experience from that. I just couldn't toss my precious into something that I didn't fully understand or trust. Understandable right?

Moving on to brighter things. How can you tell if your Paph is happy? I've been watching this puppy like a hawk and it's put out a couple of new leaves. New leaves= new growths= repotting, correct? I couldn't tell about the roots cause it was in a black pot, but after pulling it out of the pot it was in, they sure look healthy. I still don't see any signs of a spike. But being a new Paph owner, I am clueless on what to look for.

As for the repotting itself, did I do it correctly? I know it's not suppose to wobble inside the pot. So when I'm able to lift it by it's leaves and can pick it up pot and all, that right. Right? I stuck it in a clear pot too. Now the blind can see.

[janet_a]

rumour has it that paphs with delanatii in the background can be tricky in s/h, so better to go with what you know.

my hsinying rainbow is about to bloom; when it finishes, i'm going to have to repot it, and hopefully i won't kill it in the process. (it's my first paph.)

[kmarch]

A few things:

If you're growing roots and leaves it's safe to assume you have a happy paph. In my opinion, after blooming or in spring is a good time to repot. Others may disagree which probably means the best time to repot depends a little on your circumstances.

Now that it is getting into spring for you, it's hard to say when your Ho Chi Minh might bloom. Here's why (NOTE all months and seasons are expressed as for the Northern Hemisphere):

Paph delenatii in the wild gets winter night time temps around 10C (50F) and winter day temps around 27C (80F). In the summer it gets night time temps around 17C (63F) and daytime temps around 32C (90F). Noticably cooler (though not in the extreme) in winter. In late summer/autumn/early winter (mainly Sept through Dec) the rain is heavy, averaging about 19 inches per month. The rest of the year (January through August) sees much less rain, averaging about 4.5 inches per month.

In the wild Paph delenatii typically blooms in December, triggered by cooling autumn temps and heavy autumn rain.

Paph vietnamense gets quite a different treatment in the wild. In the winter, the nights get down to below 0C (below 32F) while winter days average about 30C (85F)!!! Now THAT'S a temperature drop! Summer nights average about 20C (68F) and days average around 38-39C (101F). Winters are dry, less than 2 inches of rain per month average and the peak of summer is very wet, about 16 inches of rain per month.

In the wild Paph vietmanense flowers in March after a cold, relatively dry winter.

The question then arises: What then will trigger Ho Chi Minh to bloom? Cool and wet like delenatii or cold and dry like vietnamense? At least they both have the "cool" thing in common.

My Ho Chi Minh, I have about 5 of them, are getting very near to blooming size and could well bloom this winter for me. My approach (which hasn't killed any yet though I have had them for about 1.5 years) is to let them get cool (10-15C) and let them get just a little drier than other Paphs.

As you are going into spring/summer and as cool appears to be one of the bloom triggers with both species parents, I would not expect it to bloom for several months. On the other hand, if it takes after the vietnamense parent, it could be spiking now that's its March.

[janice]

Jenny I use a lot of S/H and I had put two Paphs into it last Fall - they did not do well and I repotted back into a mixture - they seem much happier. I have read Paphs can handle S/H but my experience was not favorable. So I think you made a good decision....try a NOID sometime....

[patticake]

Good call on the repot mix, Jenny. I do my experimenting with my rescues, etc.- With the few Paphs. that I have, I got surprised with the bloom stalk. It starts out looking like it's going to be another leaf in the center of the others, and then it gets a little bigger, and you say, "Cool! It's not a leaf, it's a blossom!" As it gets bigger, it becomes a lot more obvious- of course. How many leaves does your Ho-Chi Minh have?

[janet_a]

our local public garden had their orchid fest last weekend, and a couple vendors had many ho chi minh's in bloom; of course, they could have been shipped from elsewhere in high bud....

[articuno75]

Originally Posted by patticake

Good call on the repot mix, Jenny. I do my experimenting with my rescues, etc.- With the few Paphs. that I have, I got surprised with the bloom stalk. It starts out looking like it's going to be another leaf in the center of the others, and then it gets a little bigger, and you say, "Cool! It's not a leaf, it's a blossom!" As it gets bigger, it becomes a lot more obvious- of course. How many leaves does your Ho-Chi Minh have?

I keep checking.... No spike As for leaves, I lost count at around 30+ . I think there's 4 growths, but might be more. I can't tell cause it's so congested inside there! (I'm pretty sure there's 4 though.)

I've been keeping it on the dry side with the fan on it and the apartment being dry. So I'm wondering if it needs the wetness.....Hmmmm.

I can't upload pics. System Glitch? So I will as soon as I can.

Janice~ Maybe they came from Florida? Hehehe.

[patticake]

Hey Jenny! When I was talking with Glen Decker of Piping Rock- he said to keep them on the moist side but not soggy. Pretty much what I had read, but it was good to hear it from him as I was standing there surrounded by beauties! He also said they like to be a little pot bound. I remember seeing the picture of your plant when you got it. It's a beauty! Be patient... It might need some more time. Glen said that a lot of Paphs. bloom between Nov. & March. All I can say is, when it DOES bloom, I need pictures!

[kmarch]

patticake, Until Jenny's Ho Chi Minh blooms, here's a pic of one to tide you over.

[patticake]

Originally Posted by kmarch

patticake, Until Jenny's Ho Chi Minh blooms, here's a pic of one to tide you over.

Mercy, that's sweet!! Kevin, if she has 4 new growths, will each of those get a bloom in the center in a few months

[kmarch]

Originally Posted by patticake

Mercy, that's sweet!! Kevin, if she has 4 new growths, will each of those get a bloom in the center in a few months

Perhaps. At least each growth could bloom. Whether in the next few months....not sure.

[janice]

Jenny, how did you get your repotting so tight??? My Maudaie is much smaller but I am sure if I pull on it that it would come out...which makes me question my repotting skills??

[articuno75]

Janice~You'd think I was crazy,,,,but I use a spoon.
I spoon in little amounts of medium at a time, then I tamp it in place. I use the back of the spoon to wedge the medium down the sides and tamp some more. Once I get the pot filled I tap continously until all settles and I fill with more until the pot can't hold any more.

Hope this helps.

Patti~ Thanks for the info! I'll bring the moisture levels up and see what it does.

Kevin~ I'll have to share the pic with Patti until my blooms...

[brookn]

Jenny, how did you get it packed in so tight. I must admit that when I repot anything I am afraid of squishing roots. I have not tried a Paph as of yet, but I am watching your progress, to see if I can get the guts to do it. I love the Ho Chi Minh they are so pretty, and yours sounds really big. I am sending good blooming thoughts. You will spike, you will bloom hee he.

[articuno75]

Roots are delicate, but not as delicate as you might think. Kind of like the watering the Phals like they're on fire thing.

Oh I so wish the forum would let me upload photos!!!

[brookn]

I hope we can upload photos soon, my kingianum looks like one of the buds is going to open maybe in the next day or so. I am excited.

Yeah, hosing the Phals doesn't bother me, so I guess I should get over the don't squish the roots thing. When I first started hosing all the chids I felt guilty, cause everyone recomended not to get them wet in the crowns, and I was just in too big a hurry.

[kmarch]

Originally Posted by brookn

...everyone recomended not to get them wet in the crowns....

This is a good example of not distinguishing between what a plant needs and how we deliver it. Even so, a lot of orchid culture is a balancing act isn't it? You can hose down some orchids if it is done early or perhaps if the air is good and they dry off quickly, etc, etc. Or you can't leave water in the crowns if your humidity is high (it won't evaporate) or maybe if the humidity is high but it's also warm, etc., etc. There's a lot of interconnected cultural things that we need to figure out and balance isn't there?

[janice]

Jenny, thanks for sharing your "spoon" technique. I too am afraid of damaging roots. I used an old large wooden spoon to bury my underground dog fencing..............so believe me I know how to use a SPOON!!!! I really think I leave my medium too loose at times. My Paphs. are much happier in the bark medium and not the S/H. They are smiling at me this morning!!! I am awaiting some blooms now!!!