Paph niveum culture / medium???

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Marc

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I have this Paph niveum for couple of months now, and allthough a lot of my paphs have really responded very well to the start of spring / summer this one seems to be holding back. It's a plant with 3 growths that have bloomed and it's very slowly pushing out a new growth. I haven't noticed any new root growth. Allthough the existing roots still look healthy.

I grow it on my windowsills and currently temperatures during the daytime here are around 20C, I've placed it at a north facing window so there is quite some light but no direct light.

I've planted it in a mix of bark with bits of perlite and charcoal. I've also added a bit of spagnum to the mix.

It also stayed in my parents greenhouse for a while but that didn't have any noticeable effect either.

Am I missing out on something here?
 
I did some searching and according to wiki Limestone contains different crystal forms of calcium carbonate ( CaCO3 ).

I have a product in my potting material collection that's called "mergel", which is a rock deposit that contains both calcium carbonate and a form of clay. It's a very soft material and I can easily crush it in a fine powder and add it on the top of the medium before next watering.
 
http://www.slippertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21692

Marc you should go over this thread on concolor.

Both being brachies, niveum and concolor are very similar in requirements. The only big difference is that niveum is found at sea level in open environments (hot and sunny) will concolor is found at higher elevations in more shaded environments (cooler and shadier), but both like limestone habitats.

In particular be careful about the amount of fertilizer you use. See all the posts of QuietAustralian about how restrictive and seasonal his use of fertilizer is.
 
SUN! Niveum loves sun! My niveums are growing on my windowsill south facing with only a little shade on high noon and in the spring to adapt to the bright sunlight.
I've never seen a niveum growing successfully on a north window!
 
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I agree with the above advise. All I would add is to not bother crushing your "mergel" Leave it as is and let the CaCO3 leach out on its own. Otherwise, it will only wash out the bottom of the pot.
 
only bark + limestone should be fine

I saw niveums grow insitu with a temp between 28-40c
very exposed to light and strong wind of andaman sea
 
I would eliminate the sphagnum. Keep it in a bark mix that is very heavy on inorganic media- spongerock, lava rock, whatever is available, with some added limestone/dolomite/oyster shell.
 
I would eliminate the sphagnum. Keep it in a bark mix that is very heavy on inorganic media- spongerock, lava rock, whatever is available, with some added limestone/dolomite/oyster shell.

Mine is doing good in the sphag basket culture method. But the basket drys out much nicer than a pot of moss.
 
Now more and more Thai growers swap to orchiata power grade. I was very surprised during my visit about that, but they like it. They still tend to mix it, but some start to use it pure without additive.

This said, the main difference between niveum and concolor, niveum does not like at all a potting mix with not enough lime. Concolor can stand of it easily. Concolor can be watered much more, and the northern strains of concolor can take cold, where niveum does not like it too much.
 
This said, the main difference between niveum and concolor, niveum does not like at all a potting mix with not enough lime. Concolor can stand of it easily. Concolor can be watered much more, and the northern strains of concolor can take cold, where niveum does not like it too much.

I agree.

I grow niveum in Hydroton with about 10% small CHC (5-6mm) and added shell grit.

Mick
 
Thanks for the input so far, I'll read all things through again tomorrow and then I'll repot the plant and give it another spot in the house.
 
i accidentally snapped the roots off one i just got and put it in a pot of sphag to help generate new roots.
so far, great progress!
may add oyster shell but may just repot in my normal media then add it
 
I must just be lucky....my niveum blooms yearly (just coming into spike now) yet I have no limestone in the media and it is growing in an east window with just direct sun for a couple of hours in early morning. Shaded the rest of the day. Temp in summer rarely exceeds 23 C and in winter, it can drop to 15 C nights. It grows alongside my parvis and mottle-leaves.
 
When it comes to sphagnum, I'm more concerned about acidity than moisture retention. With your baskets, the sphagnum is basically the pot, not the medium.
 
I must just be lucky....my niveum blooms yearly (just coming into spike now) yet I have no limestone in the media and it is growing in an east window with just direct sun for a couple of hours in early morning. Shaded the rest of the day. Temp in summer rarely exceeds 23 C and in winter, it can drop to 15 C nights. It grows alongside my parvis and mottle-leaves.

If you have hard water, you can avoid using the limestone...
 

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