ehanes7612
Well-Known Member
what paphs besides delenatii would people not dress with oyster shell (i know about antec's advice) ..just want other's experience too...
Paph adductum and paph anitums seems to like slightly acidic conditions so no limestone or oyster shell. Also paph randsii. I think.
Paph adductum and Paph anitums seems to like slightly acidic conditions so no limestone or oyster shell. Also Paph randsii. I think.
I have not found any of these species enjoying an acid bath, sorry but I think that is the wrong information
Quite a lot of species under the subgenus Sigmatopetalum such as venustum and wardii whose habitats were found to contain few or no limestone in the growing substrate. So for these species, I don't add calcium carbonate-rich substance.
Well, I used to trust such statements, but wardii grows on limestone in northern Burma ( not in China), and I have got paphiopedilum purpuratum in clumps of hangianum, heavy limestone content. On the other side purpuratum grows on mosses and fern roots in Hong Kong at a very low pH, and does so in at least two locations in GuangXi.
As for adductum, and randsii, they grow in exceedingly low pH environment in the wild ( decaying fern roots, nothing else grows in that except anitum and randsii). The same applies to gigantifolium and intaniae, they grow in extremely low pH media. They will grow very well in cultivation with low pH if they are grown in fern roots, believe me. But they will die in sphagnum, and for sure in bark if grown with such low pH. I noticed several times when I visited habitats an ammonia smell, sometimes very strong, and I think it is part of their nutrition...
But the nutrition is not understood in those low pH environment. So far I have got good results with ammonium phosphate feedings on those ones, in Orchiata bark.
Delenatii var. Dunkel/vinicolor whatever is growing only on limestone outcrops, it is a specific colony. Normal delenatii grows on granite cliffs, or in fern roots and decayed leaves, there are two distinct types.
I did put lime on my delenatii and did not notice any ill effects, again I am not using MSU, and I am using urea/ammonium based fertilizers, this might explain that...
Well, I used to trust such statements, but wardii grows on limestone in northern Burma ( not in China), and I have got paphiopedilum purpuratum in clumps of hangianum, heavy limestone content. On the other side purpuratum grows on mosses and fern roots in Hong Kong at a very low pH, and does so in at least two locations in GuangXi.
As for adductum, and randsii, they grow in exceedingly low pH environment in the wild ( decaying fern roots, nothing else grows in that except anitum and randsii). The same applies to gigantifolium and intaniae, they grow in extremely low pH media. They will grow very well in cultivation with low pH if they are grown in fern roots, believe me. But they will die in sphagnum, and for sure in bark if grown with such low pH. I noticed several times when I visited habitats an ammonia smell, sometimes very strong, and I think it is part of their nutrition...
But the nutrition is not understood in those low pH environment. So far I have got good results with ammonium phosphate feedings on those ones, in Orchiata bark.
Delenatii var. Dunkel/vinicolor whatever is growing only on limestone outcrops, it is a specific colony. Normal delenatii grows on granite cliffs, or in fern roots and decayed leaves, there are two distinct types.
I did put lime on my delenatii and did not notice any ill effects, again I am not using MSU, and I am using urea/ammonium based fertilizers, this might explain that...
Quite a lot of species under the subgenus Sigmatopetalum such as venustum and wardii whose habitats were found to contain few or no limestone in the growing substrate. So for these species, I don't add calcium carbonate-rich substance.
Thoughts about City of Norfolk, VA water quality? I do run it through an in-line packed carbon filter to remove chloramines. Mainly grow in an Orhiata based mix for pots and straight sphagnum for baskets and mounts - mainly Phals (shhhh...). I use 15-5-15 cal/mg at 100 ppm N and an occasional MgSO4 based watering. Through in a 20-20-20 based watering on occasion.
You have close to "soft" water with low alkalinity. According to the nitrate/ammonia/alkalinity convention, you should use a fertilizer with most of the nitrogen from nitrate rather than ammonia. This is really what the MSU pure water formula was made for (except it has too much K). Your water already has 3ppm of K in it. You could probably feed with straight calcium nitrate and add a dash of bonemeal to your potting mix for phosphate, and never miss a commercial fertilizer.
Maybe just for fun use nothing but some of that cold pressed kelp extract 80% of your feedings and boost with the 15 5 15 once a quarter.
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