my 1st paph..need culture help, please
 

Hi,
I rec'd a Paph Urbanianum today. Could someone who is familiar with it please give me culture advice? Since I've never grown a Paph before, I don't even know the basics, so I would appreciate any general tips, also.
Vicki

That's a really nice looking plant, I love those leaves.
I only have paphs so am far from an expert but I am bumping this in hopes someone will chime in.
Joann

Zoi2
 

Thank you!
Vicki

i cant help, but i am sure interested in the answer!

help
 

Let's keep our fingers crossed that someone comes along to help us!

..

I am sure others with more Paph experience will chime in - but just wanted to get you started a bit - if my light info or temperature info aren't correct I am sure someone will point that out lol

Mine have been doing pretty well so far - one's blooming, so guess I am doing ok. I have them in shady east and west windows.

Nice looking plant Vicki. I'm hardly a Paph. expert but I'm growing and blooming several from different sections.

In my growing condtions they dry out very quickly so a clay pot would never work for me. Clear plastic pots not only allow me to keep track of the roots but they hold moisture longer. Paphs do not like to go completely dry ever. They can take quite a bit more light than most people think. Mine are growing in a southwest bay window with supplemental T5 lighting.

Some of the strap leaf varieties like a little extra calcium. You can buy chicken scratch at a feed store for super cheap. It's just crushed oyster shells. Sprinkle that on top of the medium and it will slowy leach calcium down into the pot. Paph. urbanianum is from the Barbata section but I'm not sure if it's a calcium lover or not.

I have my Paph's in a bright North window sill, in perlite and fir bark, they were in spag when purchased.
They have tripled in size, with two watering a week. One with Fert. and seaweed and one without. They are varg leaves and make a pretty plant even without flower, but the flowers lasted three months. They are such a beautiful orchid.

WhiteRabbit
 

How much light do you think yours are getting? I know, it's probably hard to say. When I surfed around looking for info. about Paphs in general, I saw contridictions (that's not uncommon for the internet, you know)....one site said 800-1000 footcandles of light, another site said 1000-1500 fc., etc. I read that they can take more light than some people think (like in a greenhouse) and then I would read the opposite, and several sites just spoke of certain windows that would be best. Same for temperature. I looked around here at other threads, too, so I tried to find out more before I asked this question.

Thanks for your reply and help. I'm glad yours are doing good.
Vicki

this guy is no longer selling but his site is still up and there is some really good info here we might all find useful...take a look if you like as I have found it very helpful myself using his culture charts for individual paphs. And straightening out the lime vs no lime paph questions as he has them listed as Calcicolous (lime needy) or not..

Slipper Articles

and good luck with your paph they are super growers and really a treat when they start to bloom!!!

quiltergal
 

Ok...thanks, Terri.
I like to see what's going on underneath, too.

Good advice...thanks again,
Vicki

RJSquirrel
 

Thanks! This is a very good site. I'm gonna check it out better.....I just glanced at it briefly. I know it will help me a lot.
Thanks again,
Vicki

Its always abit confusing from web site to wed site. The more recent infomation on Urbanianum shows they are not calcareous in nature.

Paphiopedilum urbanianum

You can always post on one of the slipper forums to get more detailed info.
This is a beauty Vicki - enjoy you're new slipper :D

I grow my mottled leaf paphs like yours along with my Phals in very similar conditions. I have them in an east window (behind a sheer curtain) and I try and keep them a fraction moister than my phals but not by much.

They are all growing leaves, new fans, and even roots (though the roots grow very slowly). They are all growing much faster than my strap leaf paph and one of them is just opening my first ever paph re-bloom (so I'm thinking I must have got at least something right in the culture).

I keep my strap leaf paph in higher light on the south-west side of the house. It's behind a frosted window (in the bathroom) but otherwise get's direct light from about midday. Again I keep it just moister than my phals and temps are all arround the same. This one is slow growing but even that is showing the first signs of spikes and has 4 growing fans plus a tiny new one just starting.

One other note. I was told that if the leaves start to get paler it's getting too much light. I had mine in the south-west window near the strap leaf paph to begin with and it got really pale. Seems to have got darker back to it's original colour now I've moved it.

Lagoon
 

Hi Gloria,
Thanks so much for the link! There is lots of info there, and I have barely started reading, but I want to later tonight. According to Wikipedia, Urbanianum is almost extinct in the wild. That's interesting.

You mentioned that I can post on one of the Slipper forums for more info....do I not have to join to be able to ask for advice, make comments, etc.? I would like to know more, if poss.

I agree...it's very pretty and I hope I can do it justice by learning how to take care of it correctly....especially this being my first Paph.

Thanks again,
Vicki

RosieC
 

I 'think' that I've decided to try to grow it in my greenhouse, because according to my light meter, my East window doesn't supply enough light. I imagine that may be because of the design of our house.....part of it extends outwards next to the window, and cuts off some of the light. According to what little I've learned about Paphs so far, they don't like an extremely hot environment, and my greenhouse is. It's way too hot in the summer. I'm going to try to adjust that in one small spot, just for this Paph. I think I have a space picked out for it where it will stay cooler than my other greenhouse plants and by using a very small piece of fabric remant, it should get more light than inside my house, but hopefully not too much. I will take your advice and grow it a bit moister than my Phals.

I hope you will share your re-bloom photo with us. I would really like to see it! Isn't it a good feeling to know that you're doing 'something' right, and I feel sure you're doing MORE than just 'something' correctly.
Thanks,
Vicki

RosieC
 

Thank you for the tip! I'll certainly keep an eye of it!

Hi Vicki , you're welcome :) You will have to be a member to post, just sign up, its easy. I think you will find some very nice people over there - very willing to help out when they can. That slipper forum does remind me of the OB alot, friendly bunch :D

Then you can go GAGA over all the photos :biggrin:

quiltergal
 

By the way, I repotted it in a 3" plastic pot take.

CTB
 

Wow...tripled in size! That's awesome. They must really like the care you're giving them!

I don't do well with sphag, so I would have repotted, too.

So, yours flowered for 3 mo. That's awesome.

I agree....just the plant itself is pretty. I love varigated leaves....like my Psychopsis. I think it looks cool.

Thanks for your reply and input,
Vicki

Hi,
I can certainly relate to 'clueless'. I am really looking forward to your thread. :D
Vicki