How big does a paph get?
 

I have had a mottled leaf paph (maudiae veni type) that has grown a little bit since I got it about two years ago... BUT the leafspan is still a whopping

4 inches

. I am wondering what im doing wrong here because I would at least like to see it grow let alone bloom:blushing:. I really like it for what it is, i bought it as a baby, but some activity would be appreciated. it is in a 2 inch pot.

I'm not sure how big the maudiae type get. I have a NOID that has about a 6 inch span. I read that Paphs like to be re-potted in fresh media more so than some orchids and I think mine do better when re-potted before the media breaks down. Also I read that using some Cal, Mag. fertilizer with your regular one might be good for them. I have started using it and I almost think they are growing better, but then it is almost summer which might be why too. They shouldn't be allowed to dry out completely.

Is this 4" leafspan on a 'new' fan, meaning there has never been a spike/bloom out of it? Old fans generally don't grow much, and don't put out a new/second spike. You would need a new growth to do that.

Do you have a picture of the plant you can post?

I agree with the last post that Paph's like to be repotted regularly, and also like to be fertilized 'weakly, weekly'.

How many growths does it have? If only one, how many leaves on this one growth?

When you write "leafspan" does this mean that each leaf is 2" long? I just want to make certain that what I say when I'm talking about leafspan, is the same as you English speaking guys mean, language barriers and all that. :)

What's a Maudiae veni type? Is it vinicolor?

I have a Maudiae and a Maudiae type (where Maudiae is most probably part of the parentage), and the Maudiae has a leafspan of ca 12 cm (about 5"), while the other one has a leafspan of 31 cm (about 12"), so it depends on what sort of cross it is. I also have a third Paph, which is probably considered a Maudiae type, Paph. Claire de Lune, which has a leafspan of 26 cm (10" 1/4"). So, as I said, it all depends on their parentage.

The Maudiae (which is a primary hybrid, but you probably knew that already :) ), has one old growth and one new, the NoID (Maudiae type) has four, two old and two new ones, and the Claire de Lune is a single growth Paph that has yet to bloom.

And by "repotting regularly" I would like to add; only once a year, no more often than that, because, as I have learned the hard way, they really don't like being disturbed too much (at least mine don't).

Yes, venicolor. The plant has never bloomed and has no side shoots. it technically was a seedling when i got it, or to be more correct a grouping of 5 seedlings. I have left them together. yes... by leafspan i mean each leaf is about 2.5 inches. I have also noticed as of late that there are some leaves on the bottom of some of the plants dying and also the top ones are not continually getting bigger, but are somewhat smaller... this is my first paph and have had it for around 2 years. Wish it was a little more exiting :/. Im tempted to throw it in S/H to give it better air and even watering.

I think it might be happy to be re-potted. I usually do them after approx. 1 year whereas I leave some orchids such as Cattleyas in large bark for 2 years. Because these are in finer media and constantly damp, the media becomes stale quicker.

I agree with silken I think you should repot it :D

What do you have it potted in right now?

Yes to re-potting! The bottom leafs will die off naturally on paphs so that might not be anything to worry about.

Are you ever fertilizing it and how much light do they get? I recently moved many of my paph's under lights and the explosion of growth is jaw-dropping to me. While they are low(er) light plants in general -they are still plants, and work off photosynthesis. As long as they aren't burning, I find they can take and enjoy more light than I originally thought. Perhaps give that a shot. But if you do the re-pot, then keep them out of light right after you do that.

Your plant looks very healthy, I think it was just so small when you got it, it just now has grown into its pot size. It could bloom that small size too, since its 2 yrs old.
Different types of paphs have different length leaves. I have a couple that the leaves are 12 inches long. (1 leaf)
If you repot use the same pot or just a bit larger they like it kind of close. Also I like to keep my leaves off the media.

I just repotted it around 6 months ago... I may throw it into S/H and hope for the best

---------- Post added at 11:02 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:55 AM ----------

To answer some of the questions, it is in a south facing window with a filter, it is planted in fine bark, I fertilize quite often, just flushed it this week.

It sounds like all you can do is wait for it to grow. I don't grow in S/H although I tried one plant once. Be sure you check it out well. I understand quite often all current roots die when moved and it should be done when a new growth or new roots are growing so they can adapt to the new condition. This may not be the case with Paphs since they like it more moist anyways, but just a heads up on that! There are lots of good threads and Ray's website has good info.

If anyone is growing paphs in s/h I would like to hear about that

I also think with seedlings you sometimes just get a dud. I was given a sukhakulii cross 2 years ago, and it is still the same size, maybe a tad bigger. It's still a single fan. It's been repotted twice. I'm considering tossing it.

So it is basically a compot of a few plants? I'd say they will maybe bloom within the next year. I think most paphs take around 3 years to grow up.

And good to see another orchid grower in Nebraksa!

WOOHHOOO! im not alone anymore lol :) yes, it is a compot with many in it. Ill have to PM you and see what you are growing!

They look like a decent sized plants each already.
Why don't you pot them up individually?

Maudiae paphs are usually not that big, although there are some fairly big ones for the types. I find that the ones bred for exceptionally large flowers tend to have large leaves as well. not always the case though.
I find that most of them do not get bigger than 8 inch wide per growth.
Overall size, over years, they can get quite big like any other paphs throwing multiple fans at a time, while some never get big only making one fan each time and older fans continue to die out. so these always look like they never grow as they are always in the similar size.

I was just going to ask if i should split the pot up NYC :)
just so i avoid surprises, how big and tall will the flowers typically get?

---------- Post added at 07:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:37 PM ----------

I just diddnt know if they liked to be together or something. This is my first paph exccursion... two years in the making lol

---------- Post added at 07:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:38 PM ----------

how often to maudiae's bloom?

you think i should split the family then? :)

I'd split them up into smaller, individual pots. Is yours an actual maudiae or a maudiae type? Maudiae types are very variable. Mine blooms every 2-3 months but they can bloom less often, like once or twice a year, just depends.

I'm currently growing a Paph. urbanianum seedling in S/H successfully. It is in the same "family" as the maudiae type hybrids.

what i meant by family was simply a bunch of baby orchids lol... ill go ahead and split them up. Ill throw one in S/H and see how it does. It is maudiae type. They arent species. They are supposed to be venicolor... here is to hoping for a beautiful near black orchid. here is to dreaming on :)

I don't think they mind being so close together, but it will make the repotting rather difficult for you later, with roots all intertwined and all.

Flowering frequency varies as another member says.
Some are very free flowering, while others can take time between bloom season.
and of course, the ones that form big clumps over time can bloom more often with multiple fans growing at different rate, but this is not always the case. Even large specimens flower once a year. All the fans tend to wait and then shoot up flower spikes all together.

Flower spikes get to around 40cm ( 16 in) for almost all of mine.

Flower size, from dorsal tip down to pouch tip average around 4 to 5 in. the width is more variable as some have swept down petals while some have fully stretched out petals. I would say 2 to 5 in.
Within this size window, flower shapes vary more. more round and full ones vs. narrower ones.

Then I have two maudiae types that I paid a lot of money (for my standard at least) that has significantly larger flowers than any of other maudiaes I have.