Paph. barbigerum

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Jon in SW Ohio

Reefer, the legal kind
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Location
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Here's the small form of the species, probably half the size of my "var. topperi" but the flower is pretty much the same. It was one of my first test subjects into s/h and so far has done pretty well.

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Jon
 
barbigerum is definitely my favorite! I only have one and it's in bud and I can't wait to see the flower. I'll probably be ordering more in the near future. You know of any var's or clones that I should look out for? I'm starting to become a barbigerum freak.

I really like yours! Cool 'bout the super hydro. Maybe I'll have to try that.
 
I love this species! There seem to be a few varieties of it out there, some with large leaves and some with slightly morphed flowers. I've been using it a lot lately in breeding because I like anything miniature!
 
Hello Jon,

really nice flowers and a well cultivated plant - barbigerum is ideal to grow on a windowsill. Dosn't need much space and the flowers are big compared with the size of the plant.

cdub said:
barbigerum is definitely my favorite! ........You know of any var's or clones that I should look out for? .....

Hello cdub,

P. coccineum is worth to grow - some taxonomists see it as varity to P. barbigerum (P. barbigerum var. coccineum) some as a true species. Flowering sized plants have got a leafspan of about 18-20 cm.

Best regards from Germany, GuRu :)
 
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Here's an old pic of my other "variety" of barbigerum, var. topperi. From what I can trace back, my division came from a plant originally from Rands back in the late 70s or early 80s...and so is probably just a "horticultural variety". The plant gets MUCH bigger than my normal barbigerum, yet the flowers are only slightly larger but with a little darker coloration. The above plant is in a 3 inch s/h pot, whereas this one is in a 4 inch pot.

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Jon
 
You guessed it Kyle, that plant is growing in "mud". It is Scott's MetroMix with coir, charcoal, and perlite. Me and a few local people around here have been growing slippers in that mix for years and with pretty good results. You just have to be very observant of your plants to know when to water. This year I started to move a bunch of plants over to s/h and aircone pots with s/h media in hopes of not having to repot every year. A good many are still in this "mud" though.

Jon
 
About a year and a half ago I experimented with a mix of 50% sphag and perlite. It was great! Excellent root growth and my plant grew really well. I would water when the sphag would begin to get crunchy.

Then for some reason, I had a lapse in judgement and repotted absolutly everything in to another mix, 1/3 fine bark, 1/3 fine diatomite, 1/3 (50/50 sphag/perlite). Initally the plants loved it and new root growth was fantastic. Then the honeymoon ended and I discovered the mix didn't dry very evenly. I lost alot of roots and set back a whole bunch of plants.

I have been moving everything back into sphag and perlite. Roths really love it! So do micranthums and niveums. What species have you had in your mud mix. Do any hate it?

When do you water your mud mix? We don't have metro mix in Canada. Is it the same as HP or BX soil-less mix? What is the ratio of mix to charcoal to perlite? Does it shrink much when it starts to dry? The sphag perlite does a bit, maybe 5%.

And finally, how often do you repot?
 
Jon in SW Ohio said:
Here's an old pic of my other "variety" of barbigerum, var. topperi. From what I can trace back, my division came from a plant originally from Rands back in the late 70s or early 80s...and so is probably just a "horticultural variety". The plant gets MUCH bigger than my normal barbigerum, yet the flowers are only slightly larger but with a little darker coloration. The above plant is in a 3 inch s/h pot, whereas this one is in a 4 inch pot.

Jon

The horn on the front of the lip is much more pronounced than most barbigerum too. It is more reminiscient of the lip from some of the cocineum photos I've seen.
 
Very true Rick.

The MetroMix is basically the same as HP and Pro Mix etc. I mix the MetroMix, charcoal, and perlite at around 1/1/1. If you can get sponge rock or large perlite, I find it more ideal. I've grown everything but Dendrobiums and Cattleyas in it with as good of results as any other mix, and always had great root growth from every slipper I've tried.

When watering, all you must do is let it completely dry before watering again...and fortunately it tends to dry very evenly. Even when dry, it remains quite humid, so the roots never get that stressed. Species you would normally grow drier like caudatums, praestans, and druryi, I just let go dry another day or two more than I would anything else and use styrofoam peanuts in the bottom 1/3-1/4 of the pot. If in doubt, don't water. Shrinkage has typically been minimal, as long as you use plenty of charcoal and perlite. I also highly recommend Air Cone pots for the mix, as it helps aid the even drying. Ideally, I repot this mix yearly...but in practice it tends to be every other year and so far roots have held up much better than if left in bark for that amount of time.

Jon
 
Nice barbis, Jon. I find the discussion of different media for Paphs interesting but I'm apprehensive about trying them since my s/h failures.
 
Jon,

What size is that S/H pot? are you using hydroton or prime agra? I'm thinking of trying it again after my previous failed experience with S/H.

Darin
 
3 inch s/h pot with Hydroton. I only have a couple plants in prime agra due to local availability, and the rest in hydroton. I won't say one is better than the other, but the hydroton does dry out quicker and allow more air circulation which I find beneficial with my conditions and watering habits.

Jon
 

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