Paph. Callosum - to divide or not to divide?

[Dublinerr]

Hello,

My paph callosum var. thailandese has just finished blooming and has now put out four new growths. I am slightly worried that four new growths may be too many for a two-fan plant to support, and that there may not be enough space in the pot. I have attached some photos - one of the new growths isn’t visible, but I have circled its approximate position.

Do you think the plant will be able to support all four new growths? And should I divide the plant to provide more space for these growths to develop?

I have also attached a picture of the blooms - I would be interested in understanding how these compare to other plants of this specie.

Thanks!

 

[Paphluvr]

I'm not sure what your worried about, the plant looks very healthy. I'd leave it alone. Speciman plants are much more impressive.

 

[Dublinerr]

Thanks for your reply.

I also prefer specimen plants, I am just worried that the two new fans in the middle might not develop due to lack of space.

 

[Ray]

Not only are larger colonies more impressive, they are more robust too, so will grow and multiply faster than if separated.

 

[silence882]

This variety of callosum is known for developing to specimen size especially quickly. The growths tend to pack together, but develop perfectly normally. I'd recommend leaving it alone and watching it spread like wildfire. You should have a great plant in a few years.

Your blooms look typical of this variety (also called var. sublaeve). The blooms tend to be a little bit smaller than the typical variety and have a less pronounced kink in the dorsal sepal. The more distinct difference is the plant habit - it multiplies faster and tends to have lighter foliage.

Paph callosum is an incredibly variable species and lots of the characteristics among varieties overlap.

 

[Ozpaph]

dont change a thing

 

[Dublinerr]

Thanks everyone for your replies.

I was just taken aback by the number of new growths and I was worried that the plant may be running itself to the ground.

 

[BrucherT]

The think about those growths is, the two fans wont be supporting them for long; they should put down roots of their own and support themselves. With so many growths, I would think about repotting now; when did you last repot? If more than a year, I would repot. The roots determine if you need to pot up a size or not. But anticipating roots on all those growths, I probably would go up.

 

[Dublinerr]

I have had the plant for a year. I repotted it in Orchiata, so it should be a year or two before the medium needs replacing.

I might transfer the plant into a slightly larger pot, and top up the medium around it.

On a separate note, for those of you that use Orchiata, how often do you repot?

 

[Djthomp28]

I would not repot it into a bigger pot unless the root absolutely need it. If the roots are not filling the pot, keep the pot size the same.

I can not comment on the Orchiata question. I add chunky peat, oyster shell, sand, and perlite to my bark. I am a chronic underwaterer and need the peat to help retain moisture in the mix. Additionally, I repot every year to 18 months. Orchiata would be a waste for me.

 

[southernbelle]

I would not repot it into a bigger pot unless the root absolutely need it. If the roots are not filling the pot, keep the pot size the same.

I can not comment on the Orchiata question. I add chunky peat, oyster shell, sand, and perlite to my bark. I am a chronic underwaterer and need the peat to help retain moisture in the mix. Additionally, I repot every year to 18 months. Orchiata would be a waste for me.

I repot frequently , as well, because of growth. However, where do you get rexius bark without exorbitant shipping costs?

 

[Djthomp28]

I have a local supplier Robert's Flower Supply. They are about an hour and 15 minutes away from where I live. Otherwise, I pick up growers bags at shows. The bags are huge and take up a lot of room. However they keep me in repotting business for the year.

I think preordering for picking up at shows is the ways to go. Of course you need a supplier at your local shows.