New to Paphs- need help diagnosing symptoms

[Arielinwonderland]

My Paphiopedilum sanderianum didn't have a root system when i adopted it so I've had it in sphagnum that I don't allow to completely dry out, and housed in a little terrarium to increase local humidity. After returning from a 10 day vacation (my plant sitter may not have watered it) the plant looks chlorotic, and deeply unhappy. I've had the plant for 5 or 6 months and it hasn't grown any new roots.

I need help saving this baby, because I've wanted one for years and totally adore it.

[MrHappyRotter]

Is there any way you can get it into a more traditional mix and potting technique? Can you elaborate more on your care routine and give more specifics on the growing environment (temp, light, water, etc)?

My first impression is that it's sunburned (i.e. direct lighting on that portion of the leaf overheated it and killed a section). But at the same time, it looks to be in an unconventional set-up so that could also be a contributing factor.

[PaphMadMan]

I agree it does look like it could be sunburn, but there may also be a nutrient issue. If it got a bit dehydrated that could accelerate other problems developing in a weak plant. Even without roots it needs to get some fertilizer. It won't absorb much, but any solution in contact with the leaves and stem base will contribute a little.

The high humidity and sphagnum treatment is your best course of action for a rootless Paph. You might want to consider a root promoting product like KelpMax. Fresh sphagnum wouldn't be a bad idea. If it isn't firmly anchored in the pot and it flops around even the slightest bit, that inhibits root growth. Wedge it between 2 stakes to hold it absolutely still, or find another way to immobilize it. Good luck.

[estación seca]

Has the newest leaf grown at all since you put it in there?

[greenpassion]

I don't grow paphs, but AM a firm believer in kelp max. It couldn't hurt to try!

[stonedragonfarms]

A few points to consider about sanderianum:
1. In nature they are cliff (limestone) dwellers; as such they need steady water, calcium in the mix (ie crushed oyster shell), relatively high light (for paphs) & constant movement of air
2. They grow at relatively low elevation in Borneo; even warm (80-90f) day temps, with a marked cooling after dark (70f)
I've not grown sanderianum, but I have grown some of the other strap leaf species (rothschildianum, stonei); they like a moisture retentive mix (I use 1:1:1; chopped tree fern fibre: chopped long fibre sphagnum: pumice, with a handful of crushed oyster shell mixed in); I've always grown in deep plastic rectangular pots. In the house I water 2x a week; in the greenhouse, as often as daily depending on the time of year (daily summer, about 2x a week in winter)
Looking at the pictures that you posted, I would suspect that the plants roots have been kept too wet and have perhaps rotted off. It looks like you have a layer of hydroton in the bottom of a glass vessel topped with a layer of sphagnum moss: am I correct in assuming that there is no drainage in the pot?
I'd parrot the advice above, a. remove it from the sphagnum/pot its currently in and either switch it to fresh sphagnum in a very small pot (the pot should just accommodate the roots), as mentioned, it will need to be staked--it should not wobble at all. Under this culture, water when the moss is almost dry (the best method that I know of to determine this is: pack the pot full of dry moss and weigh it (pot and moss); write the weight on the side of the pot. Next, remove the moss, soak it to hydrate it, squeeze the water out of it, repack the pot and weigh again. Record weight on side of pot (you might call it the damp weight). Finally, remove the moss, wrap the plants base/rootball & pot it up. After you water it and allow the pot to drain for 20-30 minutes, weigh the pot a final time and record this weight as well. You will now know the "dry weight", "damp weight" & "wet weight" of the plant; it is important to remember that if you are staking the plant, the weight of the staking apparatus will need to be included in each of the weights (technically so too does the weight of the plant itself)...
b. Alternatively, remove and repot in what most would call seedling mix (ie fine bark & perlite); i would add crushed oyster shell to the mix if you go this route. Again, you will want a pot that will just accommodate the root system of the plant. As per above, you can weigh the pot/mix at each stage to determine when to water. In this mix too, I would stake the plant.
Finally, I too use kelp-based micronutrients both as a fertilizer supplement and as a soak for new plants. I would probably mix up a litre of solution (follow the recommendation on the label) and soak the entire plant in it 2-4 hours before potting it.
Good luck,
Adam

[Optimist]

That potting situation is dubious. You need drainage. A lot of these strap leaf paphs grow wedged in splits of rock on sides of cliffs where rainwater or mist is constantly drizzling past their root zones, but there is also plenty of air getting to them. Other paphs do live in the ground, but it is literally leaf compost over rock. The only "paph" type plant I would actually immerse in water would be a phragmapidium because they do tend to live on the marsh edge of waterways.

When ground is watered, the rain continues down through the soil to the water-table below. The top remains damp for a while depending on the make up of the soil. Even wet ground is not consistently wet.


I think what would make your paph happy is to go to a hardware store or garden center and get small size (1/2 inch or less) orchid mix, and re-pot that paph in a well-draining ceramic pot. If you do want a top dressing of moss make it about 1/2 inch or so.

You certainly can also use lecca, but it means more watering. If you want to add sphagnum moss to the lecca , chop it up and mix it all together.

It is sad to see this happening to a rare species like Sanderianum.

[PaphMadMan]

Repeating here, as well as emphasizing.

I think those who have recommended potting this Paph in something other than sphagnum may have missed the point that it is rootless. The best chance of getting roots before the plant succumbs completely is in high humidity with moist (but never soggy) sphagnum around the base of the plant. Keep the plant immobilized so it doesn't flop around at all, and replace with fresh sphagnum every few months. Live sphagnum is even better.

A more typical bark based potting mix is not as good for promoting roots when a plant has none. There is leca for drainage below the sphagnum and in a clear container it is easy to observe any standing water and correct it. Assuming careful observation of a plant that needs TLC, it is in essentially ideal conditions.

Do not omit fertilizer completely. It won't absorb much, but dilute fertilizer solution on the leaves and in contact with the base of the plant is the only source at all. It will absorb some. A root promoting product like KelpMax is also appropriate.

[Optimist]

Originally Posted by PaphMadMan

Repeating here, as well as emphasizing.

I think those who have recommended potting this Paph in something other than sphagnum may have missed the point that it is rootless. The best chance of getting roots before the plant succumbs completely is in high humidity with moist (but never soggy) sphagnum around the base of the plant. Keep the plant immobilized so it doesn't flop around at all, and replace with fresh sphagnum every few months. Live sphagnum is even better.

Yes, I did not see that it was rootless. I thought the issue was "no new roots." I apologize.