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orcoholic

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Hi. I've been lurking and looking for a couple of days. I,ve been growing for about 20 years. The first ten as a hobbyist and the next ten as a commercial grower.

Almost all of my business is placements in condo lobbies, peoples' condos, restaurants, etc.

I have two 34x72 foot greenhouses and am considering going to one by next winter. I do a few orchid shows a year to help pay the heat and keep my toes in the orchid world. I still grow a lot for myself and am a hobbyist at heart.

Anyway, I probably have over 500 paphs and maybe a 50 phrags. Not a big phrag fan.

Currently blooming a several complex, a couple of wardii alba (from antec flasks), a couple of regular color from the same flask, several from a wardii cross (antec flask again), an armeniacum, and a few maudiae.

In bud are a few Larry Heuer (I think from a Ledoux flask), a maliopoense, a couple fairreanum alba, a couple of armeniacums, and some various and sundry others.

I have a few multiflorals in bud, but most of them are too young.

I grow all the paphs in a mix of two parts , triple washed, medium coco husk, 1 part medium charcoal (size 2 or 3), and one part lava rock. I fertilize at TDS 400ppm., Ph around 6. We have well water. I used MSU RO fertilizer until the shipping got to heavy and then switched to Jack's (almost exactly the same formula). I am close enough to Jack's to pick it up.

I never considered myself a great paph grower, but am looking forward to picking up and providing help.
 
Fertilizer formula

The fertilizer is the well water special. It's 16-4-20-3-1. I need 32oz of powder mixed in a stock solution that makes 800 gallons of water at a 100:1 ratio. My well water starts at about 125ppm and this amount of powder raises the ppm to 400.

During the winter, i cut the fertilizer in half and water at least half the time with just water. During the growing season I use fertilizer 3 out of every four times.

My greenhouses contain a lot of other genera so the 400 ppm is a good level for everything growing.

In addition to the above, I add a small amount of nutricote 13-13-13, 180 days to each pot.

Everything seems to do pretty well with this regimen.
 
Welcome!!

Welcome to the forum from upstate NY!!

Are you willing to part with any of the Paphs in bud/spike?:D:D

Tom:
 

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