Pure venustum ‘fox catcher’ FCC/AOS

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30 venustum! You really seem to know what you are doing!!!
Could you give us a little info on your growing conditions?
Venustum’s seem to be the easiest of all my Paph’s, as well as my favorite. In my opinion, the are the “wildest”, most “uncharted” looking of all the Paph’s with the brain like pouch and snake skin pattern on the leaves of the truer wild strains. As for my conditions, I grow all my Orchid’s in my home in a west window. They get a couple hours of direct sunlight in the afternoons. I have a cold air humidifier, but only for the last year. I try to keep it around 60% humidity during the day, and 40-45% at night. All my Paph’s bloomed reliably before the humidifier, I just notice a difference of the flowers lasting longer due to the humidity. I grow most my Paph’s, including my venustum’s, in a mix of about 50% New Zealand sphagnum moss, 25% small orchiata bark, and 25%, #3 perlite. I have a few venustum’s in “experimental” media, and they all flourish too. One in 80% small CHC, 10% #3 perlite, and 10% small characol. A few in straight sphagnum moss, one in 50% coco peat, and 50% small orchiata bark, and every one of them does great!! They are the least “fussy” of the Paph’s for me. They seem happy no matter what you throw at them, as long as they have tons of water!! When I first started growing venustum, I did the traditional recommendation of letting them get only slightly moist before watering, and I’d always get the same results of spikes dying, and the overall plant growth being weak and slight. Now, my venustum’s FLOURISH!!, and I keep them almost wet all year long. No rest period. I keep most my Paph’s on the constant very moist side these days, especially the Indian species and Borneo/Sumatra species and they all flourish now.
 
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I notice two pipes next to the plant.
Are you aware that tobacco product could infect your orchids with virus? see the part on Viral diseases at the ned of the article
https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/Portals/0/Gardening/Gardening Help/Factsheets/Orchid Problems34.pdf
Well.., that’s a risk I’m willing to take then. Pipe smoking is a dying art and a family tradition. I’ve been pipe smoking for 17 years and have been growing Orchid’s for 6 years now, and have been good so far... there’s never a time that I don’t have tobacco residue on my hands, and I handle my plants on a regular basis.., so I don’t know. I believe you, but so be it...
 
Thanks JJ for the very detailed description, helps a lot, just one little thing: what temperature ranges do you have?
Thanks
Michael
 
Thanks JJ for the very detailed description, helps a lot, just one little thing: what temperature ranges do you have?
Thanks
Michael
No problem at all Musa!! In the winter, the bedroom stays about 64-66 degrees day and night, and by the summer, it goes up to around 78-80 degrees day and night.
 
Nice collection of venustums. I just acquired a large division of Paph. venustum var measurianum ‘J&L’ from the owners. Still on the lookout for the red pouch ones. The adventure continues!!
Nice!! I bet it’s a beauty!
 
Beautiful! What are the clonal names of the parents?
This one was from Orchid Inn. It’s venustum ‘pink wings’ x ‘flat wings’. Sam says both parents have 75% ‘fox catcher’ in their breeding.
 
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