Gene Schurg wrote:

After reading all these posts about Paph sanderianum it sounds like it's
impossible to grow?

I have some crosses with sanderianum in the heritage but no species of it.
I've been fixated on roths and never really looked at the sanderianums.

What makes this so challenging to grow?

Trying to learn more,
Gene

My experience when it comes to rare paphs (expensive) is that the growers don
not do any selection from their flaskes. When I unflask a flask, I tend to
keep the larger fast growing seedlings and dump the rest. When someone
unflasks a roth. or a sanderianum, I have a feeling that no seedlings are
thrown out. Some of those slow growers (RUNTS) are sold cheaply and end up
taking a year or two to die. I have seen many growers (including me) buy $50
sanderianum only to watch them sit there for a year or two then slowly die!
For now I think you better know who you buy from and be ready to pay good $$$
for a good "fast" growing sanderianum. Me, I think I'll wait another year or
two till the stock improves and the prices go down a bit. Remember when roths
used to sell for $10 an inch. A good seedling can now be had for under $50.

Happy Growing.