| Paphiopedilum Culture Paphiopedilums, or slipper orchids, originate from the jungles of the Far East and Indonesia. They are semi-terrestrial, growing in humus and other material on the forest floor, on cliffs in pockets and occasionally in trees. LIGHT Paphs generally like shady conditions but can stand early morning sun hitting the plant directly say up till about 9:30-10:00 am. The plants then prefer about a medium light intensity for the balance of the day. The bright, hot mid-day & afternoon sun can cause the leaf temperature to soar, which will result in burning if your plants are exposed to it for an length of time. TEMPERATURE Paphs are generally split into two groups, the warm growing mottled-leaf types and the cooler-growing, green-leaf types. Warm-growing mottled-leaf types should have a maximum temperature of about 28oC, but a little high from time to time will do no real harm, & a minimum at night temperature of around 15oC. Cool-growing types also like their maximum temperature at about 28oC but their minimum temperature can get down to about 8oC. These plants can all be grown in the warmer temperature range & still achieve excellent results. Care must be taken to protect the plants from rot setting in when the weather is colder. Keep the humidity level lower during the cooler months, & do not let water stand on leaves or in the crowns of the plants. During the hotter month’s you will need to shade more heavily and increase humidity and air movement available to the plant. WATER These plant's like their roots to be moist constantly, as they have no pseudobulbs, they store most of their water in their leaves. The medium should be moist but never soggy, & never dry. Water once or twice a week. Humidity for paphs should be about 40% to 50%, one way to achieve this is to set the plants on a tray of gravel, partially filled with water, but keep the water level below the top of the gravel so that the plants never sit in water. As the water evaporates from the gravel the humidity immediately around the plant is increased. During the warmer month’s misting your plants in the morning can help increase humidity as well. AIR MOVEMENT Air movement is essential, especially when humidity is high. If you are using a fan don’t have the fan directly on the plant as the direct air flow from the fan can chill the plant. Position the fan so that it creates air movement, not causes a draft. FERTILISER During their growth period paphs enjoy a regular but weak dose of a high nitrogen type fertiliser, about once every two or three waterings. Care must be taken when you are mixing their fertilisers that it is not a strong mixture, as the fleshy roots on these plants are covered with fine hairs & these are extremely susceptible to burning from the salts in the fertiliser. It's important to give the plants a good flush with clear water monthly to wash out any excess fertiliser salts, which if left to build up will burn roots. As the flower bud appears switch to flower booster fertiliser such as “Phostrogen” or something similar, but again only weak feeds. In cool weather, fertiliser applications cut back to almost nothing. POTTING Paphs should only be repotted about every two years, or if there are signs that the medium decomposing. Seedlings however appreciate being potted on every six months or so. Mixes for paphs vary tremendously but the most common is fine grade bark, a bit of shredded sphagnum moss can be added to improve moisture retention of the mix, but still maintaining excellent drainage. Divide large plants by pulling or cutting the fans of the leaves apart, into clumps of 3 to 5 growths. Smaller divisions will grow, but may take some time before they bloom. Spread the roots over a small amount of medium in the bottom of the pot and fill with medium, so that the junction of roots and stem is buried 15mm deep in the centre of the pot. Repot your paphs only during their growth period, i.e when a new growth emerges from the side of the existing plant, this will insure that the plant will continue its vegetative growth cycle with a minimum of setback. As paphs have very sensitive roots, often few in number you must be extremely cautious when taking the plant out of its pot. Each root is covered with tiny hair-like structures, which are very effective water gatherers. The less damage caused to these roots the quicker the plant will recover. |