The Orchid Garden

Drowned Paph

Question:

Long Snip to save bandwidth Thank you for a very informative article on paph growing condtions. — Gideon Singer In Beautiful Vancouver BC Web site: members.shaw.ca/gsinger

Response:

you hit the nail on the head Jerry   thank you Rick

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I think you’re mixing up paphs and phrags – most phrags (except cadatum and it’s hybrids) DO like to sit in water during the summer months. Wouldn’t suggest it w/ paphs. i understand the concept of the pebbles and more humidity but i would swear that i have read somewhere about setting the entire pot in a tray of water about 1/2" deep.   I’ll look again for the article. Rick message The idea is to set them on a tray full of wet pebbles (to increase surface area) in order to enhance the local humidity.  The plant’s pot should not come in contact with the wet pebbles or the water. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info! would you then suggest not having these plants sitting in trays of water during growth periods and just keeping an eye on them and keeping them watered? Rick in message

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Without knowing the details of the setup, I’d be concerned that the plant may have been sitting right in the water, keeping it too wet. In S/H culture, where there’s lots of air flow to the roots, they adapt just fine, but in most other media, that is not the case. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info! Ray, what am I missing here?   Isn’t this one of those green things that like  to be sitting in a tray of water during it’s growth season? I read this and become leery of leaving my roths. and Victoria rageanes in trays.  Also the same in semi hydro (similar to) seem to be lovin it! — Stress not over the little things; and the large ones will disappear! Rick~ wrote in message Dip the base in a rooting hormone, place it in a damp but airy medium in a plastic bag to keep the humidity high and pray. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info! message Hi All, We have a paph which has had the potting medium soaking wet for a while now. Please don’t ask how it got that way!!! (( The root has rotted completely, but there is still lots of greenery up top. Is it possible to save this plant? All help would be appreciated. Please post answers to RGO, as my return address is fake to prevent spam. Thanks, Delphinus

Response:

Ray/Rick That is what happened to our paph. The medium was moss and it just soaked up too much water. The roots just rotted. I’m happy to see that I started a thread that may prevent someone else from making the same mistake. Small consolation though. Delphinus – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Rick, That depends on the medium and the plant. If you’re talking an inert medium such as clay spheres, then the water can wick up into the medium, but it stays airy and won’t decompose.  If you’re using a more traditional, organic medium, it can decompose, or become so soppy that the roots die. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info! i understand the concept of the pebbles and more humidity but i would swear that i have read somewhere about setting the entire pot in a tray of water about 1/2" deep.   I’ll look again for the article. Rick message The idea is to set them on a tray full of wet pebbles (to increase surface area) in order to enhance the local humidity.  The plant’s pot should not come in contact with the wet pebbles or the water. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info! would you then suggest not having these plants sitting in trays of water during growth periods and just keeping an eye on them and keeping them watered? Rick message Without knowing the details of the setup, I’d be concerned that the plant may have been sitting right in the water, keeping it too wet. In S/H culture, where there’s lots of air flow to the roots, they adapt just fine, but in most other media, that is not the case. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info! Ray, what am I missing here?   Isn’t this one of those green things that like  to be sitting in a tray of water during it’s growth season? I read this and become leery of leaving my roths. and Victoria rageanes in trays.  Also the same in semi hydro (similar to) seem to be lovin it! — Stress not over the little things; and the large ones will disappear! Rick~ in message Dip the base in a rooting hormone, place it in a damp but airy medium in a plastic bag to keep the humidity high and pray. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info! message Hi All, We have a paph which has had the potting medium soaking wet for a while now. Please don’t ask how it got that way!!! (( The root has rotted completely, but there is still lots of greenery up top. Is it possible to save this plant? All help would be appreciated. Please post answers to RGO, as my return address is fake to prevent spam. Thanks, Delphinus

Response:

I love Paphs but always had trouble with them until a couple of years ago, when I drastically changed my way of growing them. I’m a postgraduate science student and I decided to read a few scientific papers about soil and atmospheric conditions around India, South East Asia and Borneo. This is going to be a bit long-winded but I hope you like it. Most people overwater Paphs because they don’t understand how they grow in the wild. Paphs generally grow in very shallow soil or humus pockets where there is a a maximum of 1-2 inch layer of humus/leaf litter, but generally a lot less than this. Below this litter there is the ground rock and, as a result, the whole place has very good drainage. The humus is NOT soil and looks a lot more like half decomposed old plant debries, with lots of dry leaves and sometimes a bit of moss here and there. This stuff is full of air pockets and dries quite fast under tropical conditions, even during the rainy season when it rains for hours (generally in the late afternoon) as this is also the hot season and the compost will be barely moist the following day.  The heat in the morning and noon dries the soil and creates a very humid atmosphere around the leaves while decreasing the humidity around the roots. Many Paphs need extremely good drainage, specially those sections containing lithophytes (as opposed to tropical woodland terrestrials) that grow on rocky hills and mountain slopes, where there is only a little humus in pockets among the rock faces of the hills/mountain slopes, hardly any large vegetation covering them (trees and such) and, as a result, good air movement that keeps the atmospheric humidity relatively low. To these species belong bellatulum and company as well as rothschildianum and company and they will rot in a question of a few days if the compost they grow in becomes stagnant. This is also the result of acidity (stagnant organic media become acidic very soon) as these species tend to come from limestone country or grow in ultramafic soil and as a result their roots can’t cope with the coupling of wet feet and the excesive acidity produced by bacteria decomposing the wet and dead organic matter (bark chips and Paph roots!!!). The fact that most Paphs are terrestrial misleads people into thinking that a good terrestrial mix for orchids is the best growing medium for them. WRONG!!! (at least in my humble opinion, that is). These media retain too much moisture and become sour (acidic) in no time once they start to break down. However, they can be used sucessfully if you are prepared to repot your Paphs every so often. Paphs actually like to be repotted and you’ll find that they will produce lots of new roots shortly after being repotted. If you prefer to repot only once a year or every two years then I recommend bark as a growing medium for Paphs. I have found that they don’t like to grow in a medium consisting only of inorganic material. I grow all of my Paphs in standard pots, which I fill  to half of their hight with large gravel (nearly 1 inch in diameter, limestone is ideal for certain species, as already mentioned, but any type of stone will do) to provide good drainage and large air pockets. Then I put the Paph inside and fill around the roots with large grade bark pieces for all the medium to large species and medium grade bark for the small species. I do not compact the bark and leave large air pockets in this layer as well. The small species related to bellatulum (section brachipetalum, I think) also get a top dressing of medium gravel to keep the surface of the compost dry and help water to drain away from the crowns of the plants. Small Chinese species (micranthum and company) don’t need this extra protection. I don’t encourage moss on top of bark anymore as I’ve found that it accelerates the decomposition of the compost and makes it sour after only a few months (at least under my conditions). Strangely enough the roots of many orchids will grow happily in the moss but die once they penetrate in to the bark layer below after it has gone slightly sour. Several of the Paphs are potted in the way I described but with clear plastic pots instead of normal plastic pots and I water all the Paphs when I see that the lower part of the bark layer is nearly dry in those pots. This might take 4-6 days in summer (I live in Scotland and the max-min temperatures are 18-28 degrees C at that time) and every 10-12 days in winter (13-20 degrees C). Indian species such as Paph insigne an its relatives stay in a slightly cooler place and get watered every 15-17 days (10-17 degrees C). They are in a very bright place where they get about 2-3 hours of dappled sunshine in the late afternoon (which we only get in summer in this part of the world). All Paphs get repotted once a year at the end of May unless they are in bloom. The bark mix decomposes rapidly after one year and Paphs seem to hate mushy bark even if you keep it reasonably dry.. The surprise of my life has been the discovery of growing orchids in pure sphagnum moss. All my seedlings are now weened in the stuff when they come out of their flasks and those few plants that start to rot or I want to propagate are potted in it as well. Sphagnum has antibacterial properties and, even though it is acidic, it does not harm the roots of lime-loving plants. The harm is generally the effect of microbes that like acidic conditions and against which lime-loving plants have no defences, but these microbes can’t survive in living or fresh sphagnum (beware of old, dead, compacted sphagnum as it will decompose and harbour bacteria). I have several Paph seedlings growing in pure sphagnum and they love it. They have much better root systems than seedlings in bark mixes and, to my surprise, these are all seedlings of limestone lovers. The most surpising is Paph sanderianum, which grows like mad, as well as Paph St. Swithin, which always tended to rot before I started to treat my Paphs as "cactae that like a humid atmosphere". And that’s enough of my ramblings. Happy Growing Tony

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Ray/Rick That is what happened to our paph. The medium was moss and it just soaked up too much water. The roots just rotted. I’m happy to see that I started a thread that may prevent someone else from making the same mistake. Small consolation though. Delphinus Rick, That depends on the medium and the plant. If you’re talking an inert medium such as clay spheres, then the water can wick up into the medium, but it stays airy and won’t decompose.  If you’re using a more traditional, organic medium, it can decompose, or become so soppy that the roots die. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info!

Response:

For those of us with GH humidity,  this is quite a trick. I like the gutter guard support. Thanks. SuE – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I had this problem a while ago with my Paph. insigne. Many of you probably remember my ong winded worries over that occaision. Wel I treated it with fungicide as suggested, did up a pot of beautiful fresh bark, placed an inch of sphagnum moss over the top of the bark and stood the plant on top of the moss in the most humid portion of my bush-house available. OH…. The plant was held in place by a cylinder of plastic mesh called "gutter gaurd" inserted into the media 1" deep around the edge of the pot, and which extended about 6 inches above the pot. Well after many many many months of waiting, the plant has finally sent out new roots, the gutter gaurd has been removed, and the plant has sent out three new growths. Hip Hip Hooray!!! So my recommendation would be to try such a solution and see how you go. Unless there is a better solution already posted… ( the group is not propogating perfectly for me so I am missing some threads here and there… ) Kye.

Response:

I had this problem a while ago with my Paph. insigne. Many of you probably remember my ong winded worries over that occaision. Wel I treated it with fungicide as suggested, did up a pot of beautiful fresh bark, placed an inch of sphagnum moss over the top of the bark and stood the plant on top of the moss in the most humid portion of my bush-house available. OH…. The plant was held in place by a cylinder of plastic mesh called "gutter gaurd" inserted into the media 1" deep around the edge of the pot, and which extended about 6 inches above the pot. Well after many many many months of waiting, the plant has finally sent out new roots, the gutter gaurd has been removed, and the plant has sent out three new growths. Hip Hip Hooray!!! So my recommendation would be to try such a solution and see how you go. Unless there is a better solution already posted… ( the group is not propogating perfectly for me so I am missing some threads here and there… ) Kye.

Response:

I just found  one of my paphs with questionable to no roots.  It broke into several pieces when I unpotted it. There are four sections with lovely green leaves.  Do I put them in water?  Rooting hormone and the bag? Doesn’t sound like sphaghum would be good: I killed a lovely BLC that way. Can you recommend the appropriate course? With great thanks, Cherie – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Dip the base in a rooting hormone, place it in a damp but airy medium in a plastic bag to keep the humidity high and pray. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info! Hi All, We have a paph which has had the potting medium soaking wet for a while now. Please don’t ask how it got that way!!! (( The root has rotted completely, but there is still lots of greenery up top. Is it possible to save this plant? All help would be appreciated. Please post answers to RGO, as my return address is fake to prevent spam. Thanks, Delphinus

Response:

I think you’re mixing up paphs and phrags – most phrags (except cadatum and it’s hybrids) DO like to sit in water during the summer months.  Wouldn’t suggest it w/ paphs.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – i understand the concept of the pebbles and more humidity but i would swear that i have read somewhere about setting the entire pot in a tray of water about 1/2" deep.   I’ll look again for the article. Rick message The idea is to set them on a tray full of wet pebbles (to increase surface area) in order to enhance the local humidity.  The plant’s pot should not come in contact with the wet pebbles or the water. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info! would you then suggest not having these plants sitting in trays of water during growth periods and just keeping an eye on them and keeping them watered? Rick message Without knowing the details of the setup, I’d be concerned that the plant may have been sitting right in the water, keeping it too wet. In S/H culture, where there’s lots of air flow to the roots, they adapt just fine, but in most other media, that is not the case. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info! Ray, what am I missing here?   Isn’t this one of those green things that like  to be sitting in a tray of water during it’s growth season? I read this and become leery of leaving my roths. and Victoria rageanes in trays.  Also the same in semi hydro (similar to) seem to be lovin it! — Stress not over the little things; and the large ones will disappear! Rick~ in message Dip the base in a rooting hormone, place it in a damp but airy medium in a plastic bag to keep the humidity high and pray. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info! message Hi All, We have a paph which has had the potting medium soaking wet for a while now. Please don’t ask how it got that way!!! (( The root has rotted completely, but there is still lots of greenery up top. Is it possible to save this plant? All help would be appreciated. Please post answers to RGO, as my return address is fake to prevent spam. Thanks, Delphinus

Response:

Hi All, We have a paph which has had the potting medium soaking wet for a while now. Please don’t ask how it got that way!!! (( The root has rotted completely, but there is still lots of greenery up top. Is it possible to save this plant? All help would be appreciated. Please post answers to RGO, as my return address is fake to prevent spam. Thanks, Delphinus

Response:

Dip the base in a rooting hormone, place it in a damp but airy medium in a plastic bag to keep the humidity high and pray. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info!

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi All, We have a paph which has had the potting medium soaking wet for a while now. Please don’t ask how it got that way!!! (( The root has rotted completely, but there is still lots of greenery up top. Is it possible to save this plant? All help would be appreciated. Please post answers to RGO, as my return address is fake to prevent spam. Thanks, Delphinus

Response:

Ray, Thanks for your advice. We will give it a try and hope for the best. Delphinus – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Dip the base in a rooting hormone, place it in a damp but airy medium in a plastic bag to keep the humidity high and pray. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info! Hi All, We have a paph which has had the potting medium soaking wet for a while now. Please don’t ask how it got that way!!! (( The root has rotted completely, but there is still lots of greenery up top. Is it possible to save this plant? All help would be appreciated. Please post answers to RGO, as my return address is fake to prevent spam. Thanks, Delphinus

Response:

Ray, what am I missing here?   Isn’t this one of those green things that like  to be sitting in a tray of water during it’s growth season? I read this and become leery of leaving my roths. and Victoria rageanes in trays.  Also the same in semi hydro (similar to) seem to be lovin it! — Stress not over the little things; and the large ones will disappear! Rick~ message – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Dip the base in a rooting hormone, place it in a damp but airy medium in a plastic bag to keep the humidity high and pray. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info! Hi All, We have a paph which has had the potting medium soaking wet for a while now. Please don’t ask how it got that way!!! (( The root has rotted completely, but there is still lots of greenery up top. Is it possible to save this plant? All help would be appreciated. Please post answers to RGO, as my return address is fake to prevent spam. Thanks, Delphinus

Response:

Without knowing the details of the setup, I’d be concerned that the plant may have been sitting right in the water, keeping it too wet.  In S/H culture, where there’s lots of air flow to the roots, they adapt just fine, but in most other media, that is not the case. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info!

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Ray, what am I missing here?   Isn’t this one of those green things that like  to be sitting in a tray of water during it’s growth season? I read this and become leery of leaving my roths. and Victoria rageanes in trays.  Also the same in semi hydro (similar to) seem to be lovin it! — Stress not over the little things; and the large ones will disappear! Rick~ message Dip the base in a rooting hormone, place it in a damp but airy medium in a plastic bag to keep the humidity high and pray. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info! Hi All, We have a paph which has had the potting medium soaking wet for a while now. Please don’t ask how it got that way!!! (( The root has rotted completely, but there is still lots of greenery up top. Is it possible to save this plant? All help would be appreciated. Please post answers to RGO, as my return address is fake to prevent spam. Thanks, Delphinus

Response:

would you then suggest not having these plants sitting in trays of water during growth periods and just keeping an eye on them and keeping them watered? Rick message – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Without knowing the details of the setup, I’d be concerned that the plant may have been sitting right in the water, keeping it too wet. In S/H culture, where there’s lots of air flow to the roots, they adapt just fine, but in most other media, that is not the case. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info! Ray, what am I missing here?   Isn’t this one of those green things that like  to be sitting in a tray of water during it’s growth season? I read this and become leery of leaving my roths. and Victoria rageanes in trays.  Also the same in semi hydro (similar to) seem to be lovin it! — Stress not over the little things; and the large ones will disappear! Rick~ message Dip the base in a rooting hormone, place it in a damp but airy medium in a plastic bag to keep the humidity high and pray. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info! Hi All, We have a paph which has had the potting medium soaking wet for a while now. Please don’t ask how it got that way!!! (( The root has rotted completely, but there is still lots of greenery up top. Is it possible to save this plant? All help would be appreciated. Please post answers to RGO, as my return address is fake to prevent spam. Thanks, Delphinus

Response:

The idea is to set them on a tray full of wet pebbles (to increase surface area) in order to enhance the local humidity.  The plant’s pot should not come in contact with the wet pebbles or the water. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info!

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – would you then suggest not having these plants sitting in trays of water during growth periods and just keeping an eye on them and keeping them watered? Rick message Without knowing the details of the setup, I’d be concerned that the plant may have been sitting right in the water, keeping it too wet. In S/H culture, where there’s lots of air flow to the roots, they adapt just fine, but in most other media, that is not the case. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info! Ray, what am I missing here?   Isn’t this one of those green things that like  to be sitting in a tray of water during it’s growth season? I read this and become leery of leaving my roths. and Victoria rageanes in trays.  Also the same in semi hydro (similar to) seem to be lovin it! — Stress not over the little things; and the large ones will disappear! Rick~ message Dip the base in a rooting hormone, place it in a damp but airy medium in a plastic bag to keep the humidity high and pray. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info! Hi All, We have a paph which has had the potting medium soaking wet for a while now. Please don’t ask how it got that way!!! (( The root has rotted completely, but there is still lots of greenery up top. Is it possible to save this plant? All help would be appreciated. Please post answers to RGO, as my return address is fake to prevent spam. Thanks, Delphinus

Response:

i understand the concept of the pebbles and more humidity but i would swear that i have read somewhere about setting the entire pot in a tray of water about 1/2" deep.   I’ll look again for the article. Rick message – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The idea is to set them on a tray full of wet pebbles (to increase surface area) in order to enhance the local humidity.  The plant’s pot should not come in contact with the wet pebbles or the water. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info! would you then suggest not having these plants sitting in trays of water during growth periods and just keeping an eye on them and keeping them watered? Rick message Without knowing the details of the setup, I’d be concerned that the plant may have been sitting right in the water, keeping it too wet. In S/H culture, where there’s lots of air flow to the roots, they adapt just fine, but in most other media, that is not the case. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info! Ray, what am I missing here?   Isn’t this one of those green things that like  to be sitting in a tray of water during it’s growth season? I read this and become leery of leaving my roths. and Victoria rageanes in trays.  Also the same in semi hydro (similar to) seem to be lovin it! — Stress not over the little things; and the large ones will disappear! Rick~ in message

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Dip the base in a rooting hormone, place it in a damp but airy medium in a plastic bag to keep the humidity high and pray. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info! message Hi All, We have a paph which has had the potting medium soaking wet for a while now. Please don’t ask how it got that way!!! (( The root has rotted completely, but there is still lots of greenery up top. Is it possible to save this plant? All help would be appreciated. Please post answers to RGO, as my return address is fake to prevent spam. Thanks, Delphinus

Response:

Rick, That depends on the medium and the plant. If you’re talking an inert medium such as clay spheres, then the water can wick up into the medium, but it stays airy and won’t decompose.  If you’re using a more traditional, organic medium, it can decompose, or become so soppy that the roots die. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info!

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – i understand the concept of the pebbles and more humidity but i would swear that i have read somewhere about setting the entire pot in a tray of water about 1/2" deep.   I’ll look again for the article. Rick message The idea is to set them on a tray full of wet pebbles (to increase surface area) in order to enhance the local humidity.  The plant’s pot should not come in contact with the wet pebbles or the water. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info! would you then suggest not having these plants sitting in trays of water during growth periods and just keeping an eye on them and keeping them watered? Rick message Without knowing the details of the setup, I’d be concerned that the plant may have been sitting right in the water, keeping it too wet. In S/H culture, where there’s lots of air flow to the roots, they adapt just fine, but in most other media, that is not the case. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info! Ray, what am I missing here?   Isn’t this one of those green things that like  to be sitting in a tray of water during it’s growth season? I read this and become leery of leaving my roths. and Victoria rageanes in trays.  Also the same in semi hydro (similar to) seem to be lovin it! — Stress not over the little things; and the large ones will disappear! Rick~ in message Dip the base in a rooting hormone, place it in a damp but airy medium in a plastic bag to keep the humidity high and pray. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info! message Hi All, We have a paph which has had the potting medium soaking wet for a while now. Please don’t ask how it got that way!!! (( The root has rotted completely, but there is still lots of greenery up top. Is it possible to save this plant? All help would be appreciated. Please post answers to RGO, as my return address is fake to prevent spam. Thanks, Delphinus

Response:

thank you for all your replies and valuable info Rick

That is one way some people kill phrags…. and swear by it. Paphs do not want so much moisture. Most Phrags need to have more air than I can give them with the pot sitting in water. I do grow some in the semi-hydro (see Firstrays.com) suggested by Ray. SuE

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – i understand the concept of the pebbles and more humidity but i would swear that i have read somewhere about setting the entire pot in a tray of water about 1/2" deep.   I’ll look again for the article. Rick message The idea is to set them on a tray full of wet pebbles (to increase surface area) in order to enhance the local humidity.  The plant’s pot should not come in contact with the wet pebbles or the water. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info! would you then suggest not having these plants sitting in trays of water during growth periods and just keeping an eye on them and keeping them watered? Rick in message

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Without knowing the details of the setup, I’d be concerned that the plant may have been sitting right in the water, keeping it too wet. In S/H culture, where there’s lots of air flow to the roots, they adapt just fine, but in most other media, that is not the case. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info! Ray, what am I missing here?   Isn’t this one of those green things that like  to be sitting in a tray of water during it’s growth season? I read this and become leery of leaving my roths. and Victoria rageanes in trays.  Also the same in semi hydro (similar to) seem to be lovin it! — Stress not over the little things; and the large ones will disappear! Rick~ wrote in message Dip the base in a rooting hormone, place it in a damp but airy medium in a plastic bag to keep the humidity high and pray. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info! message Hi All, We have a paph which has had the potting medium soaking wet for a while now. Please don’t ask how it got that way!!! (( The root has rotted completely, but there is still lots of greenery up top. Is it possible to save this plant? All help would be appreciated. Please post answers to RGO, as my return address is fake to prevent spam. Thanks, Delphinus

Response:

That is one way some people kill phrags…. and swear by it. Paphs do not want so much moisture. Most Phrags need to have more air than I can give them with the pot sitting in water. I do grow some in the semi-hydro (see Firstrays.com) suggested by Ray. SuE – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -i understand the concept of the pebbles and more humidity but i would swear that i have read somewhere about setting the entire pot in a tray of water about 1/2" deep.   I’ll look again for the article. Rick message The idea is to set them on a tray full of wet pebbles (to increase surface area) in order to enhance the local humidity.  The plant’s pot should not come in contact with the wet pebbles or the water. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info! would you then suggest not having these plants sitting in trays of water during growth periods and just keeping an eye on them and keeping them watered? Rick message Without knowing the details of the setup, I’d be concerned that the plant may have been sitting right in the water, keeping it too wet. In S/H culture, where there’s lots of air flow to the roots, they adapt just fine, but in most other media, that is not the case. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info! Ray, what am I missing here?   Isn’t this one of those green things that like  to be sitting in a tray of water during it’s growth season? I read this and become leery of leaving my roths. and Victoria rageanes in trays.  Also the same in semi hydro (similar to) seem to be lovin it! — Stress not over the little things; and the large ones will disappear! Rick~ in message Dip the base in a rooting hormone, place it in a damp but airy medium in a plastic bag to keep the humidity high and pray. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info! message Hi All, We have a paph which has had the potting medium soaking wet for a while now. Please don’t ask how it got that way!!! (( The root has rotted completely, but there is still lots of greenery up top. Is it possible to save this plant? All help would be appreciated. Please post answers to RGO, as my return address is fake to prevent spam. Thanks, Delphinus

Response:

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