Paphs in ProMix

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Hi folks ! After having read the thread of Gilda about growing Phrags in ProMix, I have decided to put a few Paphs in such a mix. Some of you are growing some of these in that stuff (I am thinking about Ray, but maybe there are also other members ?).

For those of you who have been successful in cultivation of Paphs in ProMix, which type of Paphs respond best to this culture ? Parvi, Brachy Cochlo?
 
I tried 4 or 5 flasks of different kinds of paphs in Promix. They did not die, but they did not thrive. So after a year, I moved them into bark. At about the same time, I put a flask of Cattleya schillerianna into Promix and they grew like weeds. I kept repotting them in Promix for several years until I finally chickened out and repotted them into bark.

Mike
 
Hi folks ! After having read the thread of Gilda about growing Phrags in ProMix, I have decided to put a few Paphs in such a mix. Some of you are growing some of these in that stuff (I am thinking about Ray, but maybe there are also other members ?).

For those of you who have been successful in cultivation of Paphs in ProMix, which type of Paphs respond best to this culture ? Parvi, Brachy Cochlo?

Be cautious and do not repot your favorites in till you do a test . Test on something you have 2 of .or you don't care about (if there is such an orchid :)). Like I said I was shocked at the results with the phrag, but my conditions are very dry and I am a chronic underwaterer.
 
Sure, what already grow happily in the current mix are best left that way.
Why take a risk?

Of all the paphs I bought, only two maudiae type hybrids and a few bull dogs came in ProMix HP. They had amazing root growth when I repotted them a couple of years later.

Many oncidium intergeneric types, zygo, dendrobium (nobile and biggibum hybrids), miltoniopsis...many orchids that are mass produced always come in this same mix, and apparently they do great.

As long as watering is carefully adjusted, plants will do just fine.
Err on the drier side if you are not so sure.
Then again, it is very easy to tell when to water because the pot with promix gets much much lighter when bone dry as opposed to when it's just watered. Try not to let it go bone dry for too long.

Right now, I have only one bulldog in promix. I bought in earlier in the winter. I might repot next year.
It was a first time flowering plant with two spikes and 5 growths total.
That was back in January. It is now 10 growths plant.
This has nothing to do with promix, just a vigorous plant, but just mentioning it. hehe
 
Thank you all! Of course I will test only one or two plant wich are not my favorites. Or a division of a favorite.... Or something I call "éternel pichou", the kind of plants that never grow for years...Difficult to translate this... Maybe I could write: Eternal scrap?

I didn't think about bulldog type. Good idea, that should be great since I grow my oldest Papah in straight sphagnum moss. I think it is logical to give it a try in ProMix (only a division of course...). Maybe I shoud tray a division of my Schaetzchen...
 
Sure, what already grow happily in the current mix are best left that way.
Why take a risk?

I have to disagree.

What happily grows in a particular mix may not at all be happy in that mix once moved to another set of conditions and at the watering whims of a new grower...
 
Uh,,,I don't understand. I didn't say anything about changing environment, did I?

So what happily grows are best left undisturbed. Why fix something that's not broken. Totally makes sense.
 
Peat and perlite is a popular mix here for some genera. Catts and oncid inter generics.

It is usually mixed with a ratio of 6 parts perlite to 1 part peat (Promix looks the reverse). It usually needs the addition of 2 parts crushed polystyrene to stop it "setting" like concrete.

A grower out here was singing the praises of this mix for paphs a few years ago. I tried it on about a dozen plants. They looked ok in it but after twelve months when it was time to repot, very few roots.

The one who recommended it did not repot annually and lost quite a few plants.

Whether this was due to too much sogginess around the roots or low pH due to the peat I have no idea. However I know no one in Sydney who still uses it for Paphs.
 
Peat and perlite is a popular mix here for some genera. Catts and oncid inter generics.

It is usually mixed with a ratio of 6 parts perlite to 1 part peat (Promix looks the reverse). It usually needs the addition of 2 parts crushed polystyrene to stop it "setting" like concrete.

A grower out here was singing the praises of this mix for paphs a few years ago. I tried it on about a dozen plants. They looked ok in it but after twelve months when it was time to repot, very few roots.

The one who recommended it did not repot annually and lost quite a few plants.

Whether this was due to too much sogginess around the roots or low pH due to the peat I have no idea. However I know no one in Sydney who still uses it for Paphs.

Thanks for your input to the disussion!
 
I used it. I used it with Pure rocks and topdress with promix. But gnats exploded in population so I reverted back to bark. I found it just about the same. Watering is a pain because the promix overflow in the pot. You might need a nozzle with fine mist to avoid that.
 
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