Since March we have had five plants awarded:
Paph Junior Coxwell ‘ORCHIDbabies Yellow Moon’ AM/AOS was a Paphanatics cross from a flask we bought about 3 years ago. We were the first to get this hybrid awarded, and Norito Hasagawa named it for our friend Junior Coxwell from Anniston, Alabama, which made us very pleased – and Junior also! Junior has been growing orchids for many years and has been active in local orchid societies. The award was provisional until the registration was completed (it is now registered).
The article in the November 2005 issue of ORCHIDS really caught my attention. The article by Yin-Tung Wang, PhD, Texas A&M Univeristy, presented results of a study on Paph fertilization with results indicating very low rates of fertilization are best. We corresponded by email and about one typo. The ounces fertilizer per 10 gallon rate published is correct, where one gallon is used, that should be ten.
I was fertilizing at a rate double the optimum results, according to his study. Now I am fertilizing my paphs every second or third watering at a rate of 90 ppm of nitrogen (off the fertilizer bag) which corresponded to an EC of 0.9. This is with Peters 15-5-15 Excel, Cal Mag at a rate of about 3/8 teaspoon per gallon (0.09 oz/gallon). One fourth teaspoon per gallon of 20-20-20 will give about the same rate. Based on past results of my plant growth this should not hurt paphs. The 90 ppm rate is good for Phrags and low for phals. Wang watered with the fertilizer solution each day. Next newsletter I will discuss water ph control for paphs and phrags. The moral to this story is to fertilize very weakly, remembering that overwatering is the enemy of Paphs.
If you purchase a plant that has sphagnum moss for its media, realize that this is only a temporary mix that is used to increase humidity. However, it is not good for a permanent culture. After blooming then, cut off the stem just above the leaves, and repot your Paph into your normally preferred mix - which ideally would be a bark type which would give the roots the vital aeration they require. The new growth should soon form, and will carry next year's bloom. In fact, it may have started already, and the old flower will die off gradually. Paphs enjoy being root-bound, so when the old mix has been removed and you have, at the same time, removed any dead, soft roots, you will find that the old pot once cleaned, will be the perfect size to reuse again for the next 12 months!
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