Paph. sanderianum growing tips invited

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I've been giving it rain water since I got my sandy seedling in early May. Its in an east facing window in my sunroom where it receives good light in the morning, and decent light the rest of the day. Its kept above 60% humidity (next to humidifier) with ok airflow. There's been virtually no growth so far, looks the same as when I received it. I've used seaweed extract and low ppm 12-4-8 fert w/ micro nutrients & Cal-Mag. I usually flush once or twice a month. Temps are kept between 65 and 85F. Medium is mainly small bark, with some sponge rock & crushed shells, and small sphagnum cuttings.

Am I being impatient? I'm talking 0 growth. :(
 
Hi Dandrobium,
in my opinion sandies need lots of water and also want to be fertilized not too lightly. Did you measure the EC-rate when you fertilize?
It's just two month now, don't be worried, Patience is nessesary.
Michael
 
Musa,
I don't have an EC meter but total ppm is usually around 150 and PH around 6.5. I'll try watering more frequently with it. Thanks
Also, should i get an EC meter if i have a TDS one?
 
Hi,
knowing ppm you can calculate the EC. There are lots of calculators online. 150ppm is 0.234 mS (EC).
I use tabwater of about 0.2 mS mixed with dest. water so I have to fertilize with a much higher EC. Its about 0.4-0.5 mS (=250-320 ppm). I guess that's not optimal but my sanderianum is growing well especially the roots are doing fine. I fertilize only every 7 to 14 days watering and flushing in between. So I would dare to give a little more if the roots are ok. That' my personal experiance in my Environment, so ist hard to say what works for you.
Did you repot it already to see the condition of the roots?
 
I've been giving it rain water since I got my sandy seedling in early May. Its in an east facing window in my sunroom where it receives good light in the morning, and decent light the rest of the day. Its kept above 60% humidity (next to humidifier) with ok airflow. There's been virtually no growth so far, looks the same as when I received it. I've used seaweed extract and low ppm 12-4-8 fert w/ micro nutrients & Cal-Mag. I usually flush once or twice a month. Temps are kept between 65 and 85F. Medium is mainly small bark, with some sponge rock & crushed shells, and small sphagnum cuttings.

Am I being impatient? I'm talking 0 growth. :(

In my experience sanderianum is VERY slow growing as a seedling. It will put on a spurt as it approaches NBS/BS but until then you just have to be very patient. I did nothing special except to make sure they were warm, shady and got good water and fertilizer along with the rest of the plants. Stop watching to closely....try to forget that you have it. It will grow.
 
Yes I repotted to slightly smaller container (2.5" round, clear, slotted) from a 3"round opaque pot. Roots seem to be in good condition, but are quite delicate. Luckily, none were damaged during the repotting.
I could bump up the fert a bit I suppose. Although I would feel safer doing that if I could see growth!

20150622_184705_opt.jpg
 
Yes I repotted to slightly smaller container (2.5" round, clear, slotted) from a 3"round opaque pot. Roots seem to be in good condition, but are quite delicate. Luckily, none were damaged during the repotting.
I could bump up the fert a bit I suppose. Although I would feel safer doing that if I could see growth!

20150622_184705_opt.jpg

Roots are quite brittle so extra care is needed!
 
The plant itself looks good, but the roots seem to be quite fragile. In this case I would stop fertilizing for 3 weeks then start again.
Have patience. The pics Show my sanderianum 19 month ago in a 6.5cm pot and today in a transparent 8cm pot. All 5 leaves and all roots you see needed almost 2 years to grow.
 

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