If the plant is healthy, leave it as is. The HD bark is on the small side. Schultz's is what they around here. Paphs usually come potted in bark.

I use a mix of seedling bark, bonsai pumice, little fine chc and a pinch of soil if I have to repot. They seem to like that. It holds a bit more moisture

It should be in active growth. What kind of conditions do you have it in? They really need a decent bit of light. The low light recommended just does not do much for them.

Clara

I just brought the plant home today and was trying to decide where to put it. My friend was growing it in a south facing bay window. What kind of light are we talking about? Like Phals? Catts? or Oncids? I have 55w lights how far should they ultimately be once they acclimate?

The plant has two medium size plantlets so I guess they could be new growths.

Thanks,
Larissa

Repotting: It's winter where I am Zone 6, New England. I would only repot in spring or if the plant is in active growth.

Media: I have 1 paphiopedilum maudiae hybrid in 70% fine bark + 20% diatomite + 10% worm casting (being terrestrial).

Light: I grow it completely under light 2 CFL's: 27w 2700k/"red" (equiv 100w incandescent), 27w 6500/"blue" (equiv 100w incandescent). It flowers and grows fine. They are generally slower growers than most other orchids. I have seen many paphiopedilums (mottled and strapped-leafed) growing (splendidly) in the Bornean rainforest (forest floor) and they are in far darker lighting that my current light setup in Boston. alvin

Please pardon the tone of this response-the one I just typed and lost was much more eloquent.

The type of Paph you have will grow in a wide variety of media. Your growing location and watering habits will dictate some of it, but you'll still have a lot of options.

I frequently attach a link for new growers of Paphs to the AnTec labs website. Scroll down on the homepage to the links to culture pages. Just excellent information.

Enjoy the new kid, they're very cool plants.

-O-

Here is a link that might be useful: AnTec website

Orrin- Thank you for the link to that great site it has given me a better idea as to light and other cultural conditions that are needed.

Chip- how far from the cfls are you growing yours? What kind of footcandles are we talking to get it to later bloom?? I have 55w cfls 5000K I'm wondering how close to get them.

I examined the plant more closely than I had at my friends house. ( it was a very impromptu gift ) Other than what look like 2 halfway grown growths I don't see anything new do they put out more that one growth at a time? If so do they do this all at once or are new growths staggered? Also, I discovered to my dismay that the plant has some evidence of scale :(. Can I use Safers or neem oil on it or it overly sensitive to chemicals?

Larissa

Hi lwowk/Larissa:
My pair of 27w CFL's are about 2 ft away from the paphiopedilum x maudiae. The back-of-the-box info says a 27w CFL (=100w incandescent) has 1750 lumens. Note that I flower phalaenopsis equestris and amabilis, and Amesiella monticola under identical light set up. And these generally require more light than paphiopedilums which generally live on the forest floor. 55w CFL would be very bright by contrast. I would experiment and see how plant responds with growth, leaf color, etc. The only downside is that paphiopedilums are slow - and it could take weeks for an inciting event to express itself in plant growth. But if it burns, it should happen within 1-2 days. Play it by sight/ear.

My 2 new growths that came out in August are still growing, slowly. Your plant is new(?) and probably spending its energy acclimating to your environment than into keiki growth - so don't worry. Plus it's winter. Do watch watering in winter.

SCALES: I use Q-tip with 70% ethanol, checking 1-2 times a week. Persistence is the key. My Q-tipping rate eventually overtakes their multiplication rate and they disappear. Scales are cunning and hide in the most unlikely places. I have no experience using Neem or Safers on paphiopedilum. Check the link. Good luck, alvin

The pattern of growth with a Paph is when an unbloomed, full-sized growth puts out one or two new growths from the base (no, they are not keikis, keikis grow on flower spikes), you can look for flowers shortly. When those new growths go on to mature and start to put out their own new growths, that's when they will bloom. So new growth on a Paph means bloom time is coming, doesn't matter what season it is.

I grow my Paphs in two different ways. I have some in s/h which they love, some in a fine bark/perlite/charcoal mix which they love. Some have had to be moved from one to the other when they didn't love it. Some Paphs grow in areas of limestone outcroppings, and those do much better with a bit of calcium in the mix. I think An-Tec mentions which they are. There are also some Phals that want calcium for the same reason.

Hi Larissa!
When they acclimate, grow close if you can, the more light the better :-)! They grow faster the closer you get. Paphs get "stallie" b/c the tendancy is to grow them low light, high water. That why they are prone to root rot. It is very hard to re-hab paph roots. A closer grow helps keep them well heated too. Keep an eye out for that. More than u wanted to know, but FYI

Start it out at 2' and pull in from there at 2-3 week increments. I have some a 6" or less from 42's. They love it and actually do better under lights than outside. Good you have a window too, use them both together. If you are only under the 55, you will have no choice but to grow tight to the bulb.

Clara
La Diabla de la Luz

Thanks for all the great information! This plant has definitely bloomed in the past there are remnants of 2 dried spikes that had been cut.

Larissa

Hello.

I have a rescue Paph Helvetia ... I say rescue, but its in good condition. It was just finished blooming and taking up to much space at the nursery. It's not in active growth. I haven't repotted yet, but I plan on repotting this next week, because its in potting soil! The soil is dark black with white balls. Do you think I should leave it until it starts growing, or repot it anyway? It also looks to me like its getting alittle moldy, like white wispy mold.

I thought that was a really bad choice of potting mixture, but am I wrong??? I dont have much experience with Paphs.

texasopt,

scroll up the thread, hit the AnTec link, and read for awhile if you want to learn about Paphs painlessly and fairly quickly.

As I mentioned in an earlier post on this thread, a great many Paphs (certainly most of the hybrids) will grow and even thrive in a great variety of media, but that depends on other cultural aspects (light, watering, humidity etc). Every aspect of culture relates to the others. I would think that if a 'potting soil' mix is light/fluffy/loose/airy enough, a lot of Paphs would be fine with it assuming everything else falls in line. There was a bloke in my local orchid society who grew his Paphs in a store-bought pre-mixed cactus medium, and his plants were very nice (I gave him a 1st place ribbon when I judged a show once). The medium (aside from some of the pickier species) is less important than where and how one grows the plants in it (unless one is a chronic over/underwaterer, and knows it; then the medium should probably be adjusted to one's own bad watering habits).

OK, surely I've said enough for the moment.

-O- (the orignial 'Paph-head')