Paph Sanderianum Culture?

[The Orchid Boy]

The square Lowes pot was fine for me except when the orchid roots touched the glaze.

GGW, yes, the sanderianum is in a 4"x4"x5" pot.

[Bolero]

Outstanding choice, I can't wait to see it flower.

[Paul Mc]

The glaze may be an issue, but I'll leave that to someone who know chemistry and science a bit better. I just know that at a repotting clinic years ago, the head of the orchid greenhouse at MO Botanical Gardens warned me to never plant directly in the glazed pots for various reasons, and that after having some in there for only a year several died and the rest were so root bound I thought I'd have to break the pots. All of which were things we warned me about. She said we only use them as decoration for plastic or clay pots to be slipped inside, for air flow, humidity increase and balance.

Of course, what works for one doesn't always translate to someone else though.

[GirlGoneWild]

Originally Posted by Paul Mc

The glaze may be an issue, but I'll leave that to someone who know chemistry and science a bit better. I just know that at a repotting clinic years ago, the head of the orchid greenhouse at MO Botanical Gardens warned me to never plant directly in the glazed pots for various reasons, and that after having some in there for only a year several died and the rest were so root bound I thought I'd have to break the pots. All of which were things we warned me about. She said we only use them as decoration for plastic or clay pots to be slipped inside, for air flow, humidity increase and balance.

Of course, what works for one doesn't always translate to someone else though.

Hmmm...interesting. I'll have to consult with the chemist in the other forum who commented about glaze "never" being a problem. Of course, I've already witnessed glaze being a problem, as two of my NOID phals' roots began shriveling within a week of getting into a couple of super-decorative glazed pots. Those pots had all sorts of designs etched into the glaze, and different colors of dye, so perhaps they just didn't have that protective glass coating my chemist friend spoke of.

But, I suppose if the logic behind glazed pots being "great for orchids" is that they look pretty with a different pot inside them, wouldn't that be true for any decorative pot? Could we not then say that any pretty pot is "great for orchids" with the caveat that you put something else inside it?

On that note, I rarely do the "double pot" method because of my dampness issue here in PA. I need things to dry out quickly, and a pot inside another pot is just an open invitation for fungus and mold in my climate. I can see how it would help with humidity, though.

I'm so glad I have other "orchid people" to discuss this stuff with. No wonder the average consumer thinks these plants are finicky and impossible.

[isurus79]

I haven't read the rest of the posts in this thread, but the issue with glazed pots is just airflow around the roots. Unglazed pots are very porous, while glazed pots are not. If you have dampness issues, using not glazed pots or pots with holes punched in them will serve you well to get so moving around the plants roots.

[Paul Mc]

I agree. If it has holes in the sides then it would help with airflow. Can you post pics of this mysterious Lowes pot?

[The Orchid Boy]

My Paph. sanderianum is taking a bit more water now. Maybe it's working on some new growth! GGW, you should check out Slippertalk. There are two new posts with pictures of sanderianums in bloom in the paphiopedilum photo section.

[GirlGoneWild]

Originally Posted by The Orchid Boy

My Paph. sanderianum is taking a bit more water now. Maybe it's working on some new growth! GGW, you should check out Slippertalk. There are two new posts with pictures of sanderianums in bloom in the paphiopedilum photo section.

Ooh, thanks!! I'll hop on over there and check out those pics asap! And I just realized I never posted that pic of my Sharry Baby in the Lowes pot. I'll have to do that!

My Sandie has slowed down a tad in its growth, actually, but our temps recently dropped significantly as we entered fall, so that might have something to do with it. It still seems healthy and happy, though.

So far my Sharry Baby in the Lowes pot is faring just fine. I was going to wait until it was done blooming to repot it, but it was SOOOOO root bound in its little plastic pot that it was starting to choke to death. I needed to do something to rescue it. I couldn't even get it out of the pot...I actually had to cut the pot off the plant!

I didn't want to "rough up" the roots too much when repotting because the plant was still in bloom, so I don't think any of the roots have actually touched the glaze yet. They're still in their "root bound" formation, just with a bit more breathing room around them.

The blooms fell off recently, so I'm going to get in there and break things up a bit so the roots can spread out. Then I think we'll really get to see how it likes the Lowes pot. I'm optimistic, though. I'll post a pic when I remember! LOL

Thanks for the tip on the Sandie pics! Headed over there now!

[The Orchid Boy]

My sanderianum took a little more water for a while then it went back to taking water normal again. About 3 weeks ago it started a new leaf! Yeah!

[VandaFan]

I grow mine in the house, close to a window. It receivers good bright light in the morning. No additional increase to humidity. Temperature between 20 to 23 Celsius year round.
It is blooming right now. I've posted a thread to share with others.
Paph Sanderianum - Sharing Experience

Good luck.