Photo heavy: My first time mixing a mix. Re-potting 2 adult paphs.

[VEEKTOR]

I have two adult Paphs that have been in their mix over a year now.

So I picked up some Bark, Pearlite and some Charcoal and mixed it up.

But I don't think I like this bark, I used some "Black Gold" medium and small Fir bark.

I hate ordering on line so I need to find a local place that sells a good bark for paphs.

What type bark would you suggest?

Here is the first one in its old mix.



Here it is fresh out of the old mix.



After having this plant over a whole year I am a little disappointed these roots aren't a little more robust.



Here it is in my new mix.



And Paph #2 a lovely NOid.



The roots on this one are nice, but I can't take credit for them. I've only had this one a month or two.



A slightly Bigger Pot-



The new Mix- It just looks messy...



Oh well... if its no good its never too soon to re-pot a paph i guess...

[Ron]

Hi, their is hundreds of different type of mixes you can use, some work some kill the plants and other keep them just alive
Check out this Professional Paph nursery
Paphiopedilum & Phragmipedium Intro Page - AnTec Laboratory
I have been useing CoCo nuggets 12 to 18 mm for a year now, growth this year was very good, perhaps 200% better than the pine bark mix.
I do not bother to add anything extra in my mix, keep it simple as possible.
I tipped a few out the other day to check the roots and they are very good.

After all it is just a medium to hold the plant upright and all a good root penetration throughout the mix, all good air circulation when watering.
Good water retention without becoming soggy.
All nutrients are supplied by you to the mix, mix does not supplie any nutrients.
Best of luck, you can only learn your way by trail and error

[dounoharm]

they look like you did a good job....the mix looks sufficient.....i use basicly the same for mine and they do well....the first one looks like the roots are very dry....how often are you watering? see how they do in the new mix, and dont let them dry out like you would another orchid....paphs like even moisture...

[retroresale]

Beautiful Paphs!! Believe it or not I have had the best luck with Miracle Grow orchid mix with my paph. Go figure. I have a couple of phals in it too as an experiment. I water half as often with it. It really holds the moisture. The only other orchid mix I have near me is Better Gro, but my lowes carries both the "Special Orchid" mix and the Phal mix. I really like the Special Orchid mix. It is probably my favorite, and it looks very similar to what you are using.

[berkeleysgr8]

I have a Paph that I moved over to Hydroton (s/h) about 6 months ago... maybe a little less. It hadn't bloomed in almost 2 years and really needed re-potting. It's got a new spike on it now. I'd recommend trying that if you choose to divide one of your current plants down the road (then you can compare the growth in your usual medium vs in semi-hydroponic).

[Fishmom]

You are not too far from Calwest Tropical, which sells a variety of media for orchids. Orchiata, a bark product, comes highly recommended. They also sell coco chips.

For pre-mixed media, you can't beat Repotme.com

[orchids4me]

It looks like a well rounded. Media for Paphs. They like to bve moist but not to to wet and that media looks like it will keep them happy
You did a great job

[otis 226]

I agree. Looks like you did a fine job repotting and I think the mix used will work out well. I've heard several times that when experimenting with orchid media, one needs to wait about a year to really be able to judge its effect. I don't know if thats true, but by then you'd be ready to repot again!! Thanks for all the good pics too. I enjoyed them. And I'm Very glad I'm not the only one who HATES ordering plant stuff online!
Cheers,
Tony

[Fishmom]

Originally Posted by otis 226

And I'm Very glad I'm not the only one who HATES ordering plant stuff online!
,

You're right on this one! It's great to be able to get just exactly what you want, but I HATE paying shipping charges and effectively doubling the cost of whatever I'm ordering. I'm usually willing to drive a bit, even with gas as high as it is, or wait until something becomes available, so I can buy from a brick-and-mortar merchant. If we don't do that, we won't have them around for the long run anyway!

(Jumps down off soapbox)

[bearded orchid]

I don't mind ordering online when I find something good... Often times you can order in bulk or with special shipping options to negate the higher prices on postage. I don't have very many options where I live at so the closest quality orchid venue for me is roughly 7 hours away in a neighboring state.

[Fishmom]

Well, if I had to drive 7 hours, I'd feel just the way you do, bearded orchid! I live in the SF Bay Area, which is near to being the shopping center of the universe!

[neworchid555]

The re-potting looks good

[PaulB]

Originally Posted by Fishmom

You're right on this one! It's great to be able to get just exactly what you want, but I HATE paying shipping charges and effectively doubling the cost of whatever I'm ordering. I'm usually willing to drive a bit, even with gas as high as it is, or wait until something becomes available, so I can buy from a brick-and-mortar merchant. If we don't do that, we won't have them around for the long run anyway!

(Jumps down off soapbox)

Actually, I checked out Cal West Tropicals a few months ago at the suggestion of a local nursery bud. I found them online. Their website doesn't do them justice, though.
Prices seemed very good, but when I went to checkout, the shipping was insane. More than my purchase.
I figured it was cheaper to just drive there and check the place out. I went mostly because I was interested in Ochiata and they have it. It's in Riverside, CA. Glad I did. A lot of the stuff they sell is in bulk, so ya get a bit of a price break. They also have a nursery in a different location. Really a candy store for orchid geeks. They also sell a lot of Hydroponic systems and supplies.
If you can get there, its worth the ride.

[Daethen]

Ron, thanks for posting that link. I am finding it a great read.