Any ideas on proper Paph staking would be welcome. Thanks.


Well, how to stake the flower depends on several factors. If the plant is a
complex paph like Winston Churchill for instance it would be staked once the
flower was completly open. You cut the wire about 2 1/4 of an inch taller than
the total height from the top of the mix to the bottom of that portion of the
pouch where it meets the meets the petals. Form a loop at the end and insert it
behind the pouch with a slight upward motion and at the same time insert the
straight portion into the mix to support the stem. By doing it in this manner
the flower is pushed slightly forward making a more dramatic presentation. When
grooming complex paphs it is not unusual to place cotton balls behind the pouch
to flatten the petals. They are removed just before presenting them for judging
or for use in an orchid display at shows.

In the case of primary hybrids, wait until near completely open, then simply
cut a length of wire about 1 inch shorter than the the height between the top
of the mix and the bottom of the pouch. Form a loop and put the stem into the
loop and insert the straight section into the mix.

For multi-blooming paphs you can handle them much like with phals except you
want to have a more upright posture rather than the sweeping presentation
favoring phal spikes. Pick the center point of the stem and put the stake in
between the flowers much like you would stake phals.

Hope this helps.

BTW: Grooming a paph does not violate any rules. In fact a multitude of awarded
complex paphs would either never get awarded or would have scored lower points
had they not been groomed. One other grooming trick is the use of adhesive tape
to flatten petals but this requires a good bit of skill to prevent damage to
the flower.