Recent content by Paph Paradise

Going back to my Chemistry roots....technically with charcoal it is 'adsorption', not absorption. Paper towels absorb liquids, ions adhere to charcoal by adsorption. We use charcoal in our mix since our water is relatively hard. The charcoal is likely effective for a short period before it...

Last minute change of plans! I will be in Maryland at the Paph Forum on Saturday. You have about 12 hours or so to get any pre-orders in. They are due at noon Eastern time on January 16th. Looking forward to seeing many of you there. Dave

I agree that there are some as*****s that can ruin a team (or even a judging center). If I run across someone like that I will stand up to them and challenge their position. I have been told that I can be very intimidating, which came as a surprise to me (well, maybe not but I thought that was...

Most of my breeding is not done with AOS awards in mind. The first priority is bright colors that will be attractive to buyers, especially at shows. Color sells. Awards are a by-product of using some exceptional material that I obtained over the years and selective breeding. Being an AOS judge I...

There is nothing wrong with an HCC. The plant is still being recognized as 'above average'. It seems like some judges wont nominate something if they only see 75 points. If it's close I always say let's score it to be sure. Of course once something is nominated it seems it almost always gets an...

There are plenty of positives about that flower. The crowding and size would bring down the score, of course. I find too many judges are obsessed with size. When I am team captain there are two rules: your first comment must be positive and no measurements are taken until we discuss all the...

Maybe you aren't looking hard enough? There aren't many of us breeding commercially anymore, but you can find species. I have only being running my nursery full time for 5 years, but we have some of the very best rothschildianum, liemianun, henryanum and fairrieanum in the world. We don't have...

I just posted a new list. We can hold flasks if you are in a cold area, even if we have to deflask them and send compots in the spring. Paph Paradise flask page

I'm not a taxonomist, but I don't think that first plant is sanderianum. First of all, 6 flowers is very unlikely in that species. Second, the staminode is too wide for sanderianum. It is probably Michael Koopowitz or Michael Koopowitz x sanderianum. Dave

Generally we repot year round, except for multiflorals. They get repotted from May to September as they tend to slow down a bit in the cooler weather. Dave

I am not a taxonomist, but having seen this plant up close and personal, this is NOT a niveum. Maybe ang-thong x niveum, maybe whatever has been circulating as ang-thong. I sent a photo to Alan Koch of Gold Country and he is a taxonomist and he agrees. This problem is becoming more and more...

Our new flask list is posted. There are some really nice complex crosses. Paph Paradise flask page

The Slipper Symposium at Krull-Smith has become the best one for interacting with speakers and attendees. Speakers, vendors and a dinner with an auction with plenty of chances to socialize with other growers. The Paph Forum in D.C. is also good but it's just one day. Great group though. Dave

Flash flask sale (say that 5 times fast). Time to pot up the current inventory and make room for new material. I also don't like running the extra lights when it's hot in the summer. All in stock flasks are 20% off until 8:00 AM Pacific time August 2nd. After that we are potting them all up...

This is still considered illegal as USFWS considers is 'fruit from the poison tree'. I confirmed this recently with USFWS when I was renewing my CITES. The species has still never left Laos legally even though it is offered all over Europe and Taiwan. Dave