Questions about Paph watering

[ElfOwlLover]

I am back with some more questions. I have two paphs that seem to be doing alright, and are potted in coarse bark. I wouldn't say that either look dehydrated, although I could be wrong. The one in the larger pot (at least 5-6 inches in diameter) had some sphagnum mixed in and, the one in the pot that is around 3 inches in diameter had a layer of sphagnum on top. I water every few days, or when they/the top layer of moss seems dry.

I checked the roots and while the one in the large pot had only one healthy root, it had a active growth on the tip. The only other root it had was on its way out when I checked a while ago, and was now dead. However the little one had a bunch of dead roots and was left with only two roots that were an inch or two long. I removed the sphagnum as I suspect that it was retaining too much moisture, and am wondering if I made the right call. I also am just questioning whether it is more likely that I under, or over-watered them. Neither look too bad by my standards, just want to prevent them from becoming worse due to my lack of knowledge.
Any input would be great!

[estación seca]

First - are you familiar with healthy Paph roots? They don't look like other orchid roots. They are brown and fuzzy. Sometimes they are so dark brown they are almost black.

If yours are potted in coarse bark that is still in good shape, it is more likely you are underwatering. People might water a Paph in only coarse bark perhaps every 2-3 days, and 1-2 days when it's warm.

Media tend to break down rapidly when watered this often. Most people need to repot Paphs every 1-2 years for this reason. Also, if they are quite happy, they often will have outgrown the pot by this time.

[ElfOwlLover]

Yes, I do know that healthy roots on a paph should be fuzzy, plump and brown. The roots I removed were an almost black colour, and were shriveled up and flimsy.

I just wonder if the sphagnum may have caused the pot to retain too much water compared to what it would retain with pure bark...

[estación seca]

I don't know. My experience with Paphs has been that underwatering causes more trouble than overwatering. But my conditions are different. How humid is your growing area? Temperatures? Light?

[aliceinwl]

Unless your pots are constantly fully saturated and the sphagnum is completely broken down, I don't think that its smothering the roots. Most of mine are in small grade bark mixes or sphagnum.

I have one recent acquisition in medium bark. It seems like everytime I check on it's past due for watering. I'm realizing that I'm going to have to repot it to something more moisture retentive before I kill it.

These don't like to ever get completely dry. Unless you have a lot of moss in the mix and are watering constantly, or have pots with poor drainage, my guess would be underwatering too.

[ElfOwlLover]

Also, I notice that the one in the larger pot keeps trying to put out roots. However they start out as a white little nub, then gradually turn brown once they are a centimetre long. They never actually grow long enough to make it deep in the pot and I would like to know what I can do to correct this.

Is this caused by underwatering as well?

[Fairorchids]

The fact that you can see new roots breaking, and then stopping, could be an indication that the plant is sitting too high in the pot. The root crown should be about 3/8" (8-10 mm) below the surface of the mix.

I have an instruction sheet on how to repot Paphs & Phrags on my web site:
www.fairorchids.com
Click on orchids
On drop-down, select 'Cultural notes'
Download 'FO, repotting Paphs & Phrags'

[ElfOwlLover]

Thank you Fairorchids! I believe you are right, I think they are potted too high up in the pot. I will add a bit of bark to the top and hope that it corrects the problem.

[ElfOwlLover]

Sorry that I am asking so many questions, I just really want them to do well. They are very unique plants, and I haven't had them for too long.

The temperature of the downstairs level of my house, (where the paphs are) should be around 22 degrees, but I am not sure about humidity. Does this set up seem ok for them?

[estación seca]

That spot looks good. The pot sizes should be fine. In winter, with central heat, it's likely your relative humidity is low. They need more water to compensate for that.