Paph root growth

[gabi_borza]

Hello everyone! I have a question for you. I have 3 paphs :2 hybrids, of wich I posted one in bloom (the other one I recently bought) and one paph insigne (rescued from a "greenhouse" with half of the roots rotten). They are all growing nicely. I noticed something that I couldn't explain: not all the new roots that emerge from the base of the plants get to grow into the medium. Some of them just grow 2-3 mm then turn brown and stop growing. For example out of 3 new roots only two get to grow properly. I hope you understand what I am saying. Has anyone any ideea as to why this happens???
I also grow phals, catts, dens, stanhopeas, but I haven't seen this in any other species than paphs.
My growing conditions are: temps around 23°C during the day, 18-19°C at night, east facing window, 55-60% humidity. I fertilize using the "weekly-weakly" method. I use medium to large bark, with some dolomite.
Thanks in advance!

 

[NYEric]

previously mentioneed in other posts are paphs with aireal roots that grow high. I'd just try to give the roots some loose sphagnum moss to settle into.

 

[SlipperKing]

Your plant is potted too high. Put them in deeper

 

[SlipperFan]

What Eric and Rick said seems right to me, also.

 

[Jim Toomey]

Ditto on the sphagnum.
You may also want to look at increasing your humidity to 70% and increase air circulation at the same time.
I believe the humidity from the area from where the paphs originated is around 70-80%.
Those plants roots are bound to trees and do not dry up and die.
They are in and around moist leaf debris as well.
The airflow is also significant, if airflow is high and humidity low you will dessicate your plants/roots. High humidity will increase rot if airflow is not high enough.

 

[gabi_borza]

Thank you for your replies! Slipperking, I can't put them deeper, as I would bury the base of the plant. Jim, 60% is as high as I can go on the humidity. I'll try putting some sphag around, see what goes. Thanks again!

 

[Marc]

I noticed the same thing on a delanatii of mine. Two new roots emerged between the growths above the level of the medium. I tried to keep them wet but they turned a dark brown so sometimes you have to take your losses. I wasn't able to put spagnum on those spots.

I've noticed the same thing on a few single growth plants that I have. I just dressed the lower part of the growth with some spagnum that I try to keep moist.

 

[likespaphs]

can you post a photo?

 

[SlipperKing]

Gabi Borza,
That's the idea. You are suppose to bury the base of the plant!

 

[gabi_borza]

Ok, here are a couple of pics. I'm not a paph expert, but I wouldn't pot them any deeper than this. I'm afraid...


Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

[likespaphs]

is your media exclusively bark?
sorry, i can't tell

mine are potted a little deeper

 

[poozcard]

you should not worry
just make sure the plant is fixed tightly.
i dont think you need to put it deeper as it will risk rotting
better grow like this. the deeper root will find their way to grow (but we cant see, haha)
and the plant can live with that good roots.

 

[poozcard]

this is how i do when repotting the division of exul
i use 4 chopsticks to fix the plant tight.

it works well so far

 

[poozcard]

this is how the roots find their way get into the compost
it took 3-4 months for the big size exul recover their condition.

 

[gabi_borza]

I am using bark (medium sized) with dolomite. Bark is my best growing medium, I hate sphag. I wouldn't pot them any deeper because I'm too afraid of rot. I grow paphs for about a year now, so I'm no expert, but they seem to be doing fine so far.
Nice division of exul Poozcard.

 

[SlipperKing]

Hey I like that chopstick idea!

Gabi,
It looks like the one root in your pic was growing inside of a leaf and you found it after you removed an old leaf. Roots will grow up a leaf like that not always pushing throught the leaf itself and head down into the pot/ media.
I'm concerned you are growing too dry. Your humidity is too low,50-60% for growing in clay pots. Higher levels of moisture a round the base of the plant will stimulate root growth.

 

[Ernie]

I agree with Rick. The root at the base of the plant was forced upward by the leaf base. Happens with sections paph and barbata fairly commonly and once in a while with the others. I think the potting depth is fine.

However, I also see a ring of roots at the surface of the media towards the front side on one of those pix. If this is a freshly potted plant, you didn't bury them all the way. Sometimes they resist, and I usually just soak the plant well a couple times to soften up the roots a little (make them pliable) then try to gently bend them downwards so they'll be 'submerged' in media. That should help keep them from drying and thus halting growth at the root tip. If this is an ongoing issue, yeah, I'd switch to plastic pots instead of clay and/or water more frequently and/or increase humidity.


Speaking of humidity... weird thing happened here yesterday sorta off topic. The air temp was recorded at 90 F, however, it was soooo dry, we had 'reverse heat index' in which the air actually felt like 84 F !!! First time I recall that being reported (although wind chill in Chicago winters obviously has the same effect). I watered thoroughly twice around in the morning and the upper layers of bark and LECA all appeared bone dry before lunch.

 

[gabi_borza]

Thank you for your kind replies! Those are plastic pots, not clay ones! The colour of the plastic imitates clay!
The root in the picture is an old one, I bought it this way. Not the one I was talking about. These days seems to get hotter here in Romania, so the heat stove in the room works less! The humidity went to about 65% these days, but that's as hi as it will go!
I know about those roots (there are a couple of them who are out of the media, I mist them daily). I will try and bury them. I could use a little bit more media in that pot! You are right Ernie, I repotted about a month ago, and kind of ran out of bark (I calculated wrong ). However, I placed some loose sphag around the new emerging roots, as you sugested, I'll just wait and see how it goes.
I also forgot to tell you, I use a fan (the desk fans that are sold in every market) for the air movement.

 

[goldenrose]

...Speaking of humidity... weird thing happened here yesterday sorta off topic. The air temp was recorded at 90 F, however, it was soooo dry, we had 'reverse heat index' in which the air actually felt like 84 F !!! .....

Hmmm .... Florida???? not possible! .... sounds more like you weren't aware of your first 2011 heat stroke!

 

[Ernie]

Hmmm .... Florida???? not possible! .... sounds more like you weren't aware of your first 2011 heat stroke!

Could've been, but they actually reported it on the evening news as such and made a big stink about it. We experienced it as well - was quite obvious. I went to the playground around 1:00 (heat of the day) with Logan and felt comfortable in full sun. The lack of clouds and humidity also caused the temperature to drop into the low 60s overnight since there was no insulative environmental "blanket" over us. Compared to 90 and humid days typically giving 75 F nights.