Paphiopedilum Rothschilidanum question

[Paphman910]

If it is small you can give it the same amount of light as for Phalenopsis. Seedlings prefer to be given warm temperatures of about 68 F at night and about 75-80 F during the day. They also like to be repotted yearly and require a slight movement in air circulation. Humidity should be at least 50% during the day and lower at night. I use coconut husk, large perlite, charcoal and crystallize limestone(comes from a horticulture shop that sells animal feed). I suggest you water with a pH of about 6.5-7.0 should be fine. The pH will affect the absorption of certain elements need by the plants so becareful to not bump the pH to high (alkaline). When they reach over 40 cm, you will need to increase the light intensity to keep it growing. I find Paph rothschildianum to be a fast grower due to selective breeding from Orchid Zone and TON. I would also suggest that you get a high intensity discharge lights such as a 400 Watt Metal Halide system to grow them. The constant amount of light increases the growth rate. My seedling rothschildianum from flask reached 60 cm in about two years growing under these lights. The lights are on for 12 hours a day and the roths kept growing even in the winter time.

Paphman910

 

[Rick]

Thanks for al your info.
I just repotted my paph. Specerianum seedling because i suspected rooth rot.
Because the medium was alway very wett.
But the roots were oke.

I have measured the pH and is was 6,5 so that to acidic.
Salt contenc was low (>400µs/cm).

My paph Rothschildianum had the same (but fresser) medium.

In the new mixture i did soms lime because this species likes it.

If i in the fuer only water with pH 7,5 wil this be enough to keep the pH of the medium high?

Should i repot my Rothschildianum too?

I think you should focus your attention on the light levels airflow, and air humidity before getting too excited about substrate and water pH. 6.5 to 7.5 for substrate pH is good. Your water goes through the substrate too fast to make a big differnce on the substrate.

If you add a little crushed limestone, oyster shell, or bone meal to your potting mix that will buffer the mix well regardless of your water pH. I think egg shells are very poor at buffering soil pH.

 

[Rick]

If it is small you can give it the same amount of light as for Phalenopsis. Seedlings prefer to be given warm temperatures of about 68 F at night and about 75-80 F during the day. They also like to be repotted yearly and require a slight movement in air circulation. Humidity should be at least 50% during the day and lower at night. I use coconut husk, large perlite, charcoal and crystallize limestone(comes from a horticulture shop that sells animal feed). I suggest you water with a pH of about 6.5-7.0 should be fine. The pH will affect the absorption of certain elements need by the plants so becareful to not bump the pH to high (alkaline). When they reach over 40 cm, you will need to increase the light intensity to keep it growing. I find Paph rothschildianum to be a fast grower due to selective breeding from Orchid Zone and TON. I would also suggest that you get a high intensity discharge lights such as a 400 Watt Metal Halide system to grow them. The constant amount of light increases the growth rate. My seedling rothschildianum from flask reached 60 cm in about two years growing under these lights. The lights are on for 12 hours a day and the roths kept growing even in the winter time.

Paphman910

Haven't heard from you in a while!! I'm getting great growth from the roth seedlings from the joint breeding we did a couple of years ago.

I keep the humidity much higher though with minimum day humidity of 70%, and the humidity just tends to go a bit higher at night when the temperature drops.

 

[cnycharles]

Ha! now I can gossip to someone in Dutch and no one will be able to understand!

when I first started working at my present job, the general manager was dutch and my boss (the head grower) was also dutch. even when they were speaking english we sometimes had a hard time understanding them. maybe it was because they first spent some time in canada before heading to upstate ny! (real twist of accents!)

 

[Paphman910]

Haven't heard from you in a while!! I'm getting great growth from the roth seedlings from the joint breeding we did a couple of years ago.

I keep the humidity much higher though with minimum day humidity of 70%, and the humidity just tends to go a bit higher at night when the temperature drops.

Good to hear from you! I am glad our joint venture turned into something fruitful!

Paphman910

 

[jeroenarends]

If it is small you can give it the same amount of light as for Phalenopsis. Seedlings prefer to be given warm temperatures of about 68 F at night and about 75-80 F during the day. They also like to be repotted yearly and require a slight movement in air circulation. Humidity should be at least 50% during the day and lower at night. I use coconut husk, large perlite, charcoal and crystallize limestone(comes from a horticulture shop that sells animal feed). I suggest you water with a pH of about 6.5-7.0 should be fine. The pH will affect the absorption of certain elements need by the plants so becareful to not bump the pH to high (alkaline). When they reach over 40 cm, you will need to increase the light intensity to keep it growing. I find Paph rothschildianum to be a fast grower due to selective breeding from Orchid Zone and TON. I would also suggest that you get a high intensity discharge lights such as a 400 Watt Metal Halide system to grow them. The constant amount of light increases the growth rate. My seedling rothschildianum from flask reached 60 cm in about two years growing under these lights. The lights are on for 12 hours a day and the roths kept growing even in the winter time.

Paphman910

Thank you Paphman for the information.
My seedling is very smal from 1 leaf top to the leaftop on the other side is 10cm.
If recently placed it a little warmer and a higher humidity.
I think he likes it because there is a new leaf growing and its more upright.
I dont think coconut husk is a good idee for me jet because its verry small.

I will increase light intencity and repot it in the spring.
I was thinking of perlite+lime+ Tree bark.
Never saw i an orchid in charcoal jet.
Charcoal is heated wood until its black material am i correct?

 

[Rick]

The batch of seedlings from the cross Paphman and I did are in:

2 parts CHC (chips about 1cm which may need cutting)
1 part chopped sphagnum
1 part sponge rock (perlite)
1/2 part charcoal
1/8 - 1/4 part oyster shell

 

[Paphman910]

Thank you Paphman for the information.
My seedling is very smal from 1 leaf top to the leaftop on the other side is 10cm.
If recently placed it a little warmer and a higher humidity.
I think he likes it because there is a new leaf growing and its more upright.
I dont think coconut husk is a good idee for me jet because its verry small.

I will increase light intencity and repot it in the spring.
I was thinking of perlite+lime+ Tree bark.
Never saw i an orchid in charcoal jet.
Charcoal is heated wood until its black material am i correct?

You can use perlite, charcoal, fir bark and sphagnum moss. Use fine grade fir bark and the amount of sphagnum moss depends on how much you water. If you water everyday then you don't need sphagnum moss. If you water it once a week then you should add about 25% volume of uncompacted sphagnum moss to your potting medium.

Charcoal is heated wood until it is black!

I didn't know that you only have one seedling so you don't need to invest in 400W metal halide light. You can grow them under flourencent lights. I would grow them under 4 - 4 feet 40watt flourencent lights.

Paphman910

 

[jeroenarends]

I have more multifloras ( philippinense, sanderianum, wilhelminiae, rothschildianum)
So a good sourche of light is welcome i think...

This weekend i will buy an HQL lamp for my plants.
I have now only one 70watt metal lamp.
The lamp i am going to add is a 125watt lamp.

What for light levels are best for these plants i have a licht meter so i can cheak it.

Thankyou for al te information.

 

[Paphman910]

I have more multifloras ( philippinense, sanderianum, wilhelminiae, rothschildianum)
So a good sourche of light is welcome i think...

This weekend i will buy an HQL lamp for my plants.
I have now only one 70watt metal lamp.
The lamp i am going to add is a 125watt lamp.

What for light levels are best for these plants i have a licht meter so i can cheak it.
Thankyou for al te information.

What are the units? lumens or foot candles?

Paphman910

 

[jeroenarends]

What are the units? lumens or foot candles?

Paphman910

Hi Paphman,

I prefer in Lumen but if you only have it in foot candles i think i can calculate lumens out of it.

Thanks

 

[Paphman910]

Conversion of lumens to footcandles are the same. I would say your roth seedling needs at least 800 lumens(footcandles) and when it gets bigger (about 25 cm) it can take up to 2300 lumens without any harm with increased air circulation. The leaves should be a light green and cool to the touch! They will respond to better grow with increased humidity and quarter strength balanced fertilizer every two weeks. It will flower when the plant puts out a new growth. Also if you see the growth produce a smaller odd looking leaf before it flowers. I would say that if you are patience then you are looking at 5 years for it to flower.

Do you know who the breeder is? It would be good to know the heritage of your roth seedlings. Does it list cultivars used on your rothschildianum seedling tag?

Paphman910

 

[jeroenarends]

Conversion of lumens to footcandles are the same. I would say your roth seedling needs at least 800 lumens(footcandles) and when it gets bigger (about 25 cm) it can take up to 2300 lumens without any harm with increased air circulation. The leaves should be a light green and cool to the touch! They will respond to better grow with increased humidity and quarter strength balanced fertilizer every two weeks. It will flower when the plant puts out a new growth. Also if you see the growth produce a smaller odd looking leaf before it flowers. I would say that if you are patience then you are looking at 5 years for it to flower.

Do you know who the breeder is? It would be good to know the heritage of your roth seedlings. Does it list cultivars used on your rothschildianum seedling tag?

Paphman910

800 lumens is very low i think? as far is i know every orchid requires atleas 1000lumens i have measured the light intencity and its 2300 lumens.
And i think its growing oke but it is very smal yet.
I am in the process of expanding my growing area so i dont have to lower the light to increase light levels.

 

[Paphman910]

800 lumens is very low i think? as far is i know every orchid requires atleas 1000lumens i have measured the light intencity and its 2300 lumens.
And i think its growing oke but it is very smal yet.
I am in the process of expanding my growing area so i dont have to lower the light to increase light levels.

You should be fine with 2300 lumens. Just make sure the leaves are not too dark green.

Paphman910

 

[jeroenarends]

Hi paph man.

My light meter can switch between lumens en foot candels.
En wen i switch i measur only 250 ft candels at the sam place??
So there is somting frong with 800Lumens=800 foot candels????

 

[Rick]

Hi paph man.

My light meter can switch between lumens en foot candels.
En wen i switch i measur only 250 ft candels at the sam place??
So there is somting frong with 800Lumens=800 foot candels????

It seems like you can't really compare lumens to foot candles since lumens are total light energy spread out over a square ft (depending on the meter) and foot candles are point measurements of light intensity. So with 2300 lumens spread out over a square foot, your intensity at any one point may only be 250 ft candles. Try leaving your meter on FC and bring it closer to the light bulb. If it is a typical florescent bulb, 800 to 1000 FC will probably be between 4 to 6" from the bulb. If you have multiple bulbs and a good reflector you may get the correct intensity at 1 ft or so from the bulbs.

As Paphman explained temperature must still be cool and humidity high. As you get closer to the bulb, be careful that the temperature does not get too warm. If temperatures get too warm you may need to add a fan.

From, reading your earlier post, you are using some type of "metal" lamp (? metal halide, sodium vapor?), but only 70 watts. If they are intense as similar rated compact florescent's you may see 1000 fc within 1 to 2 ft from the bulb.