Paph crosses in community pots & its culture

[sastry]

Hi
I have few crosses in community pots grown from deflasked seedlings. These are in CP for almost an year. I have few questions here. Before that my growing conditions are, I am from India, southern part, I grow them in GH and feed water with < 100 ppm. Light is adequate sometimes I feel now (summer) it could be high. I am attaching few pictures. Feeding a nutrient mixture every week which includes all micro nutrients.
1. Want to know how long i keep them in CP's
2. Should i re pot them in CP's again
2. Some of those green leaved paph crosses are very slow in growth
2. Is there anything else to be done?
3. Feel sometimes the media goes dry on surface and remain moist inside, afraid i might over water it
4. Is the light adequate?
5. Any other suggestions are welcome

 

[littlefrog]

One way or another you should repot them, the mix is starting to break down. I break them up, sort roughly by size, and then take the largest seedlings into individual pots (2.25" pots in my case). Then I put two or three plants (or five) of the remaining small plants into a 2.25" pot. A 'mini' compot. After 6 months or a year, those mini compots can be broken out into individual plants.

At some point, you have to decide if it is worth keeping the smaller plants. Some commercial growers keep only the largest plants and discard the small ones. Some keep all of them. I'm kind of in the middle. If they are still not growing after the mini-compot stage I will usually throw them out. The logic is why invest a lot of time and space into plants that don't grow well? Good logic.

 

[sastry]

One way or another you should repot them, the mix is starting to break down. I break them up, sort roughly by size, and then take the largest seedlings into individual pots (2.25" pots in my case). Then I put two or three plants (or five) of the remaining small plants into a 2.25" pot. A 'mini' compot. After 6 months or a year, those mini compots can be broken out into individual plants.

At some point, you have to decide if it is worth keeping the smaller plants. Some commercial growers keep only the largest plants and discard the small ones. Some keep all of them. I'm kind of in the middle. If they are still not growing after the mini-compot stage I will usually throw them out. The logic is why invest a lot of time and space into plants that don't grow well? Good logic.

Hi
Thanks for the inputs. Yes, i agree with the smaller ones which takes time and efforts and more importantly space which I am constrained with. Yes, will keep them for some time and see how they progress and then decide. As suggested bigger seedlings can go for individual pots. Rest smaller ones can still go in second round compots and see their performance.
once again thanks
sastry

 

[Ozpaph]

Depending on the state of the mix (only a year old?) Id leave them to get bigger before individual pots. Though that does depend on the roots system - good, growing roots = individual pots.
What are the white markings along the leaf edges??

 

[Phred]

Nice looking seedlings... how deep are your copots?

 

[sastry]

Nice looking seedlings... how deep are your copots?

Hi
Sorry for the delayed reply, it is about 3 inches
sastry

 

[Phred]

Hi
Sorry for the delayed reply, it is about 3 inches
sastry

Sastry
IMHO - 3”deep pots are too deep for compots... do you use styrofoam peanuts in the bottom? If you do they’re okay but 3” of seedling medium will overtime start to hold water which can lead to root problems. My compots hold about 1” of medium and, in the house, need water about every 4 days. The more often you can water the more your seedlings will grow... as long as you don’t kill the roots.

 

[NYEric]

Looking good.

 

[BrucherT]

I have not a ton of experience but I am going on two years deflasking P. fairrieanum and I am using containers; two of my 5-7 plant compost are 6 inches deep. Others are 3 inches deep. I am using pumice in the bottom. I have lost two seedlings out of 17; they had no roots. I would have kept all plants growing together if I had it to do over again but whatever, they seem to be thriving and I am going to try to hold off on repotting until late March or early April next year.

 

[Phred]

I have not a ton of experience but I am going on two years deflasking P. fairrieanum and I am using containers; two of my 5-7 plant compost are 6 inches deep. Others are 3 inches deep. I am using pumice in the bottom. I have lost two seedlings out of 17; they had no roots. I would have kept all plants growing together if I had it to do over again but whatever, they seem to be thriving and I am going to try to hold off on repotting until late March or early April next year.

That makes sense because fairrieanum is one Paphiopedilum that likes more water.

 

[sastry]

Sastry
IMHO - 3”deep pots are too deep for compots... do you use styrofoam peanuts in the bottom? If you do they’re okay but 3” of seedling medium will overtime start to hold water which can lead to root problems. My compots hold about 1” of medium and, in the house, need water about every 4 days. The more often you can water the more your seedlings will grow... as long as you don’t kill the roots.View attachment 21870View attachment 21871

Sastry
IMHO - 3”deep pots are too deep for compots... do you use styrofoam peanuts in the bottom? If you do they’re okay but 3” of seedling medium will overtime start to hold water which can lead to root problems. My compots hold about 1” of medium and, in the house, need water about every 4 days. The more often you can water the more your seedlings will grow... as long as you don’t kill the roots.View attachment 21870View attachment 21871

Hi
Thanks a lot for your input, indeed you have hit the nail on the head, though it is three inches pot, bottom one third is almost with big chunks of charcoal and pumice stone for good drainage and effectively the media is about 2 inches that is it. Yes my watering is about twice a week and after they have been transferred to fresh media, they look happy as few have pointed out that the mixture might have become stale after some time. Will share picturs of some of the pots after transferring.
Happy orchid grwoing
sastry

 

[sastry]

Hi
Thanks a lot for your input, indeed you have hit the nail on the head, though it is three inches pot, bottom one third is almost with big chunks of charcoal and pumice stone for good drainage and effectively the media is about 2 inches that is it. Yes my watering is about twice a week and after they have been transferred to fresh media, they look happy as few have pointed out that the mixture might have become stale after some time. Will share picturs of some of the pots after transferring.
Happy orchid grwoing
sastry

I also would like to know the compots you use and the media if you have no problems in sharing, it will be welcome

 

[Phred]

I also would like to know the compots you use and the media if you have no problems in sharing, it will be welcome

The pots I use are from Greenhouse Mega Store. They call them small seed starting trays. They come 50 in a case. In the bottom I put a piece of plastic 'egg crate'. I put a piece of plastic craft canvas on top of that. This keeps the medium from sitting in the water that sometimes sits in the bottom of the pots and helps them dry evenly. I've used all kinds of medium but now use only Orchiata.

 

[sastry]

The pots I use are from Greenhouse Mega Store. They call them small seed starting trays. They come 50 in a case. In the bottom I put a piece of plastic 'egg crate'. I put a piece of plastic craft canvas on top of that. This keeps the medium from sitting in the water that sometimes sits in the bottom of the pots and helps them dry evenly. I've used all kinds of medium but now use only Orchiata.

Hi
Thank you very much for the information
sastry