sad sad Paphiopedilum javanicum

[BrucherT]

I guess summer is the season of my chagrin.

I got this two years ago from eBay as an “established division” of P. javanicum “chocolate” western form. First three photos show its arrival...next three photos show how it looked one year later...last three photos are how it looked yesterday when I unpotted and popped into sphagnum. Supposed to be an easy species. Clearly lost all roots and that long stolon was completely dead when I unpotted. This spring, I thought it was doing better but the past couple months have led to this fizzle.

I am sure most of you would just pitch it but I never give up. Curious what people think is wrong. I have unpotted and its in high-quality sphagnum now. It has a new growth bud and seems to want to root...why hasn’t it? I had it potted in Orchiata in a tall plastic cup with many holes melted into it. Hoping to save this sucker and even if I can’t, to learn from its lengthy, sad passing. Thank you.

 

[BrucherT]

Ok I give up. The photos posted all out of order. Hopefully you can figure it out. Sorry.

 

[Guldal]

RIP

 

[BrucherT]

RIP

nnnnnNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

 

[Bob in Albany N.Y.]

OK, here is my two cents worth. If it was mine. I'd take a twisty tie and cut a piece maybe 6 or 7 inch long. Then I would make a little circle on each end (maybe the size of the end of your little finger). Then I would bend it in half and where the crimp is, VERY carefully attach it to the plant. I would put one part of it over one of the leaves down to the root on the other side of the plant and twist it on. What you are doing is making 2 fake roots to hold it in place while new ones grow out. I would then place it in staight sphagnum moss. Once the roots grow you can pot it in anything that you want. Have saved many plants this way. Just don't break the root that you have when doing this. Better to have, where it attaches to the plant/root too lose than to break your last precious root. I'd also use a clear pot if you have one. Keep this moist but NOT wet. It can take a lot of moisture this time of year but once it gets cool not so much. Slight drying off would be fine. If the moss gets too dry it wont absorb water at first, so if that happens water very heavily until it soaks up the water.

 

[BrucherT]

Ok

OK, here is my two cents worth. If it was mine. I'd take a twisty tie and cut a piece maybe 6 or 7 inch long. Then I would make a little circle on each end (maybe the size of the end of your little finger). Then I would bend it in half and where the crimp is, VERY carefully attach it to the plant. I would put one part of it over one of the leaves down to the root on the other side of the plant and twist it on. What you are doing is making 2 fake roots to hold it in place while new ones grow out. I would then place it in staight sphagnum moss. Once the roots grow you can pot it in anything that you want. Have saved many plants this way. Just don't break the root that you have when doing this. Better to have, where it attaches to the plant/root too lose than to break your last precious root. I'd also use a clear pot if you have one. Keep this moist but NOT wet. It can take a lot of moisture this time of year but once it gets cool not so much. Slight drying off would be fine. If the moss gets too dry it want absorb water at first, so if that happens water very heavily until it soaks up the water.

ok thank you! I did this!

 

[DrLeslieEe]

Save the poor sap! Everyone deserves a second chance.

 

[Guldal]

OK, here is my two cents worth. If it was mine. I'd take a twisty tie and cut a piece maybe 6 or 7 inch long. Then I would make a little circle on each end (maybe the size of the end of your little finger). Then I would bend it in half and where the crimp is, VERY carefully attach it to the plant. I would put one part of it over one of the leaves down to the root on the other side of the plant and twist it on. What you are doing is making 2 fake roots to hold it in place while new ones grow out. I would then place it in staight sphagnum moss. Once the roots grow you can pot it in anything that you want. Have saved many plants this way. Just don't break the root that you have when doing this. Better to have, where it attaches to the plant/root too lose than to break your last precious root. I'd also use a clear pot if you have one. Keep this moist but NOT wet. It can take a lot of moisture this time of year but once it gets cool not so much. Slight drying off would be fine. If the moss gets too dry it wont absorb water at first, so if that happens water very heavily until it soaks up the water.

Very instructive advice, Bob, thx...sounds like something worth trying out next time I stand with a hopeless case!

Brucher looking forward to hear if it works for you?!

 

[setaylien]

I guess summer is the season of my chagrin.

I got this two years ago from eBay as an “established division” of P. javanicum “chocolate” western form. First three photos show its arrival...next three photos show how it looked one year later...last three photos are how it looked yesterday when I unpotted and popped into sphagnum. Supposed to be an easy species. Clearly lost all roots and that long stolon was completely dead when I unpotted. This spring, I thought it was doing better but the past couple months have led to this fizzle.

I am sure most of you would just pitch it but I never give up. Curious what people think is wrong. I have unpotted and its in high-quality sphagnum now. It has a new growth bud and seems to want to root...why hasn’t it? I had it potted in Orchiata in a tall plastic cup with many holes melted into it. Hoping to save this sucker and even if I can’t, to learn from its lengthy, sad passing. Thank you.

Brucher, I can understand your frustration in this situation but you shouldn't take it too hard. I know of three Paph. species that are not always easy to grow and have a high mortality rate in the seedlings: javanicum, lawrenceanum and tonsum. In these species there is a tendency for some of the seedlings to grow skinny and weak, losing their roots at the base and trying to form aerial ones higher up the stem. Unless you have very high humidity the aerial attempts fail and the new roots shrivel up. The basal roots die off leaving you with a rootless plant.
I have spoken to a professional grower about this: he thinks it is due to a lethal gene present in a percentage of the seedlings. Sometimes it can be a majority of them. In the wild environment perhaps many of these plants would survive but, especially in home growing situations under lights where your humidity is usually not higher than 60 percent, they do not. Even in a professionally run greenhouse they may not. The survivability of the plants depends on the genetics of the individual, just as it does in humans and all other species. The plants may seem to grow quite well up to a certain point then something goes wrong with the rooting and mortality sets in. A grower of Angraecums I know says this is true of A. compactum: at a stage of their development a high percentage of the seedlings die off. It msy be only 40 percent or less of the original deflasked seedlings make it to flowering size. In your case, you probably got a young plant with weak genes that simply turned out to be very difficult to grow. Chalk it up to experience.