"Jeffo" wrote in message
...

"K Barrett" wrote in message
news:8cOWb.162392$U%5.725768@attbi_s03...

"Jeffo" wrote in message
...
Hi All,

I mostly lurk here, absorbing information, then with all the Paph talk
lately I just had to share this. Bought my mottled leaf Paph
(Shadowlands
x
Spellbound) Nov 2002, flowered early in Jan and has done well
vegetativly(?)
since. Nov I started looking for a bud, but no luck. Looked into the
culture
and my habits a bit more and started watering *slightly* more,
diluting
the
fert more, and trying to keep the humidity higher. I'm not sure
whether
any
of that helped, but the good part is that for the last week I've been
watching what I hoped was a bud and can now confirm that it is! Now
the
trick is to NOT ease up on care.

Now for the questions:

i) Is it normal that they flower this late, or is this a
culture/environment
thing?

I'd say its right on time. IMHO early Jan vs mid Feb are about the same
time frame.

ii) The oft asked what size to repot to when it comes time? Currently
in
a
2.5" square pot, plant has two large leafy growths (~12" leaf span)
and
two
smaller shoots.

IMHO after blooming, or when new roots appear. Paphs can be repotted
anytime, but why not repot when the roots can penetrate the new medium?

iii) When I repot, should I keep the growths that have flowered? I'm
thinking they will spawn more side shoots.

That, and they will still photosynthesize and provide nutrition support
to
the new growths.


Any other observations comments are also appreciated.

I like you comment about not letting up on consistent care. Since one
never
knows when the plant will start its budding primordia it pays to keep
care
consistent so it can have the proper nutritional support for that bud.
Assuming we aren't talking about a plant that needs dry rest in order to
bloom, like some dendrobiums etc.

K Barrett



Thanks K, I'll be waiting to repot, but part of me is impatient and wants
to
play. I'm learning to be careful when things are going good. That is when
it
is easy to let things slide. Like when the wick on one of my humidifiers,
the one for my orchids, started declining. The humidity was dropping
slowly
and I could have let it go, but it only takes two minutes to change, then
things are back to where they should be.

Cheers,
Jeffo



Well then go ahead and repot the paph. I'm never one to stand in the way of
someone's learning. Paphs can be repotted just about any time, even in bud.
My comment about waiting was just to cover my ass in case you didn't know
why one usually waited for new root growth in order to repot, or in case
someone decided to take me to task for not telling you.

What sort of medium will you be using? I've tried several things on mine
and haven't been really happy with any of them. But my best results has
been with fine bark with perlite (3:1) and a plastic pot. Usually I try to
find one that accomodates the roots, but I tend not to be able to find one
of those, since the roots (the 2-3 that seem to grow for me) are long and
wind around the bottom of whatever sized pot I use. So I tend to clean the
pot and put the plant back into it.

Any advice is welcome.

K Barrett