Okay, I'm jinxing it.

[eggshells]

Its not too late about the venustum. They do curve and suddenly the ovary will tilt up. Next couple of weeks, you should see it cracking open.

About the fertilizer, not really sure. Do you see any deficiencies other than bud blasting?

 

[Rick]

Leaf colors look good in these pics.

What is the humidity?

 

[The Mutant]

Its not too late about the venustum. They do curve and suddenly the ovary will tilt up. Next couple of weeks, you should see it cracking open.

About the fertilizer, not really sure. Do you see any deficiencies other than bud blasting?

That's what's so weird about it, it's not supposed to do that yet because it HAS no ovary! It also looks like it's trying to open up backwards, if you know what I mean - instead of the bud growing out of the bract (or whatever it's called) by first developing the ovary, then the pouch and petals emerging from the dorsal/synesepals (it's called that, isn't it? The "lower" dorsal), and finally the dorsal starts lifting up. Instead of doing this, the venustum has skipped the ovary part and the bud is still pretty much attached to the bract, the pouch and petals are starting to poke out, and it looks like the synesepal is trying to lift away from the pouch (hence the curving towards the stem), while the dorsal is very comfy where it is. The wardii developed an ovary at least, but also tried this whole backwards approach by trying to lift the synesepal instead of the dorsal.

My venustum is just taking things a bit further I think. When the light is good, I'll try to take some pictures of it so you can see what I'm talking about. I haven't bloomed many Paphs, but both these guys was and is doing it WRONG.

 

[The Mutant]

Leaf colors look good in these pics.

What is the humidity?

It's somewhere between 50 - 60%. I can't really have it higher than 60% since I'm a windowsill grower living in an apartment, but a steady 60% would be nice and good for the Pahs I believe. I plan on investing in another humidifier as soon as I can afford one since I think the humidity could be contributing to the buds blasting (which is also why the Phals don't care that much about it). I think the humidity was around 60% during summer when the Paphs didn't blast as many buds.

I'll also take some pictures where you can see the yellowing leaves on the ones where they're still left (they are getting a lot of them, my urbanianum is down to only four leaves left now... )

 

[eggshells]

I think my venustum developed a bud first and then the ovary became more noticeable when its starting to open. I didn't really pay any attention as I thought it will open when I'm on vacation.

So does your paph leaves have pale green with yellowish tones on them?

 

[Rick]

Okay, jinx - 3, Mutant - 0.

I nipped the spike on my hainanense yesterday 'cause it had started to turn yellow. I think my venustum will blast as well, cause it has stopped growing and has started to curl the bud towards the spike, as if it's going to open soon, but just like my wardii did, it doesn't open properly. And, also, like my wardii, it has gotten real far before starting to really stall.

They don't like me apparently and I have no idea why (except that I started this thread, seems to be enough reason). :sob:

It's only been 6 days since you posted pics with totally normal buds and plants.

If you really have serious downturns in your plants over the course of 6 days, I would consider something like a gas leak in your heating system, or major fluctuation in temp and humidity.

I frequently have spikes that stop and start growth over extended periods of time (much longer than 6 days). So I don't think its time to panic over feeding regimes and potential deficiencies. Remember that orchids in the wild get very little food compared to the amount we fertilize with.

 

[The Mutant]

I think my venustum developed a bud first and then the ovary became more noticeable when its starting to open. I didn't really pay any attention as I thought it will open when I'm on vacation.

So does your paph leaves have pale green with yellowish tones on them?

Hmm, so they develop a bit differently between species then? I've only bloomed my cerveranum, purpuratum, gratrixianum, ciliolare, and superbiens, so I thought they all developed in the same manner. Good to know.

It's only been 6 days since you posted pics with totally normal buds and plants.

If you really have serious downturns in your plants over the course of 6 days, I would consider something like a gas leak in your heating system, or major fluctuation in temp and humidity.

I frequently have spikes that stop and start growth over extended periods of time (much longer than 6 days). So I don't think its time to panic over feeding regimes and potential deficiencies. Remember that orchids in the wild get very little food compared to the amount we fertilize with.

Well, some of those pictures were taken a longer time ago than six days, and I've tried not to show their ugliest sides (a.k.a. yellowing/brownish leaves). I'm also very quick to remove the ugly leaves, since they disturb me. I'll try to show you their ugly sides when the light allows me to take a few photos.

I haven't bloomed that many Paphs yet, and none of those spikes stopped and started, they just grew very nicely from when the Paph decided it was time. The wardii is the one that was really struggling, with the spike starting and stopping until it finally died when it was about to open. My venustum's spike has grown very nicely until now, when it started to act weird.

The weird thing is that it's some of the Paphs that seem prone to getting yellowing/brownish leaves, while others are growing happily along. The ones that seem to like my conditions the most so far are; my purpuratum, my violascens, my argus, my cerveranum, and two of my roths. The ones that are prone to getting a lot of yellowing leaves are; my lawrenceanum, my robinsonii, my urbanianum, my mastersianum, my barbatum var. nigritum (almost killed this one by over watering it, it's recovering at the moement), my acmodontum (but it seems to have gotten better?) and my Maudiae. They've behaved this way ever since living with me for a while, but it has worsened with time. I really don't know what I'm doing wrong, but it's something, that's for sure...

 

[Rick]

Turning over lower old leaves is normal. Often the new roots and growths erupt on the inside of the base of lower, old leaves, and the plant reabsorbs the nutrients out of those old leaves (turns yellow then brown) and drops them. Before pulling those old leaves off you should let them really shrivel and dry, so the plant can pull back as much nutrients as it can.

The number of leaves a given paph species caries on a stem is variable from one species to the next, but fairly constant per plant as they grow.

Most of my Barbata types usually only carry 4-5 leaves at a time. Some things like helenae usually only carry 2-3 leaves at a time. They can (and often get new leaves after the normal max, but often drop the oldest at time of blooming. Also after blooming its also fairly normal for some species to have an old, post flowering growth completely drop leaves as new growths kick in to take its place over the following year.

 

[The Mutant]

Turning over lower old leaves is normal. Often the new roots and growths erupt on the inside of the base of lower, old leaves, and the plant reabsorbs the nutrients out of those old leaves (turns yellow then brown) and drops them. Before pulling those old leaves off you should let them really shrivel and dry, so the plant can pull back as much nutrients as it can.

The number of leaves a given paph species caries on a stem is variable from one species to the next, but fairly constant per plant as they grow.

Most of my Barbata types usually only carry 4-5 leaves at a time. Some things like helenae usually only carry 2-3 leaves at a time. They can (and often get new leaves after the normal max, but often drop the oldest at time of blooming. Also after blooming its also fairly normal for some species to have an old, post flowering growth completely drop leaves as new growths kick in to take its place over the following year.

Yup, I know it's normal (if it was the new leaves I would be hysterical), it's the rate I don't like. They lose more leaves than they manage to replace, so something is not right. I think my urbanianum had something like 6-8 leaves when I got it, and it's now down to four without any sign of getting a new one. So maybe the problem isn't leaf loss, but leaf loss and too slow growth?

Many of mine drop leaves without blooming or growing new ones, so, as you've said in another thread we are discussing the same issue in ( :wink: ), there's something amiss in my conditions. Oh, dear, they give me gray hairs these Paphs!

 

[The Mutant]

Alright, this might be the last picture of my venustum's bud. I've no idea what it's doing at the moment, except it looks like it's trying to open backwards...

 

[rangiku]

I am so not taking a pic of my appletonianum bud, Mutant. :rollhappy:

 

[The Mutant]

I am so not taking a pic of my appletonianum bud, Mutant. :rollhappy:

HA! You mentioned it and in this thread so it's now jinxed. :wink:

 

[The Mutant]

Well, since Jack entered my apartment, the humidity levels are kept at a higher and more stable level. It sucks at increasing the general humidity, but it's really good at increasing it in a limited area. The over-all humidity level in my living room has risen to 50%, and to 55%-65% (60%-70%) where the major part of my Paph collection is. If I didn't have my humidifiers, the humidity level would be around 30%, so I'm glad I have them both.

I think I might have noticed a speedier development of both buds and leaves, which I hope is true, and not just wishful thinking. I think it might be because if my new humidifier that my venustum hasn't blasted yet.

So, to celebrate my Jack (it's the name of the humidifier model so I'm not guilty of giving my appliances silly names, the other is named "Oskar"), I've taken some pictures of buds today, just because, and here they are!

First one is my venustum, it looks like it might open any month now:

Second is my callosum var. sublaeve (the premature bloomer) and its first bud, which to me looks like a double flower, but I'm not sure:

The second bud of the callosum has started to peak up over the center of the fan (and no, the bud is not humongous, it's the fan that's ridiculously small):

And here's my cerveranum's new bud (according to Ayreon, it's a tricky bloomer, so it's very possible it'll blast):

 

[biothanasis]

Fingers crossed!!

 

[The Mutant]

Well, the venustum doesn't seem able to open its flower, so the jinx is alive and well.

Here are the other guys:

 

[NYEric]

You are doing quite well with your Paphs. Time to get some Phrag besseae hybrids! oke:

 

[Rick]

The over-all humidity level in my living room has risen to 50%, and to 55%-65% (60%-70%) where the major part of my Paph collection is. If I didn't have my humidifiers, the humidity level would be around 30%, so I'm glad I have them both.

I'm glad too.

I thought you said your humidty was 50-60% all along.

 

[The Mutant]

This is how they are doing at the moment. I was worried since I went away during Christmas, and had no one to come and refill my humidfiers, so I built a temporary enclosure for my barbatas with my shower curtain and my cats' scratch post. :rollhappy: It looked fugly as heck, but it seems to have worked since no buds blasted while I was away.

Cerveranum:

Callosum var. sublaeve:

And my Ashburtoniane has started to grow big enough to join the jinx thread:

I'm glad too.

I thought you said your humidty was 50-60% all along.

Yup, that was what I thought it was (and it is in my kitchen, but it wasn't in my living room where the barbatas are kept). It turned out that one of my hygrometers are not to be trusted... at all.

Now though, it has been fixed.

 

[SlipperFan]

Lovely bud photos.

 

[The Mutant]

And here's another update of my paphie-buds. First out is a newcomer, my little robinsonii (which I suspect will look a lot like my cerveranum), whose spike has finally started growing after sulking for some months now:

Here's my cerveranum which is a really fast grower when it comes to spikes at least:

My callosum var. sublaeve's three spikes are developing nicely (to me, for some reason, they look like three women praying):

And my Ashburtoniane, which is so much bigger than the other ones' buds:

Lovely bud photos.

Thanks. There's actually a reason for me uploading these bud photos, since I know that most people want to see the "finished product". When I was an even bigger newbie than I am now, I tried to find pictures of buds to see if my Paphs were developing as they should. I found very few of them, especially of buds in the earlier stage of development, so this is not only to spam the forum with buds, but also to help people like me. And I like Paph buds, they're pretty I think.