What's Everyone's Experience with Paphiopedilum vietnamense?

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Sorry, I don't know what it was. Some sort of a powdered formula. Thanks to the pot industry there are many of these preparations out there at hydroponics stores now. I plan to do a trial with a few of them when I find the time. Just be careful as the liquid ones usually create a very acidic solution. We buffer them with potassium hydroxide.
Dave
Thanks Dave. I think I’m going to wait to try anything until after my plant decides to divide itself. I’m hopeful that this one is awardable based on its first bloom and don’t want to kill it in an experiment.
 
In April around 12 years ago I bought a P. vietnamense on an orchid exhibition in the Palmengarten in Frankfurt Germany. The plant was, with several other species (mostly without label), that all were in bad condition (damaged leaves, no flowers or buds) on a bargain bin. As I saw the broad leaves I was convinced to know what it was. Costing only ten Euros, the plant was very cheap, so I took the risk. At home I planted it in a mixture of coarse pumice, charcoal and bark and placed it on the windowsill (southwest exposition northern hemisphere) next to my other plants. A new grow emerged three to four months later. Around two years later, the plant flowered for the first time. Since then, this plants flowers regularly around every two years (two years ago with three flowers, this year with one flower). I have transplanted it only twice in the meantime, always in the same mixture. Since then, this plant produced several capsules (mostly hybrid pollination).

I have sown these seeds on a coarse mixture of pumice and pine bark, that I first sterilized in zip log freezer bags (in the microwave), then infected with soil particles from other pots where orchids germinate, after some months of resting to let the fungus develop its mycelium. It usually does not work with all bags, but with my restricted space, I get enough seedlings. They can stay in the bag for around two to three years.

In my personal experience the species is not difficult at all. As I have experienced so often, the main problem in successful culture of Paphiopedilum is to eradicate pests like Tenuipalpus pacificus and Brevipalpus spp. These mites are present in so many professional cultures where they are held down so that they cause only minor damage. When such a plant comes into a new culture (especially where the air is drier), these pests explode and destroy. Because of that, every new plant in my culture is put into a sealed bag, poisoned and stays there for at least four months.

All the best,
Ralph

Truly remarkable!
 
In my personal experience the species is not difficult at all. As I have experienced so often, the main problem in successful culture of Paphiopedilum is to eradicate pests like Tenuipalpus pacificus and Brevipalpus spp. These mites are present in so many professional cultures where they are held down so that they cause only minor damage. When such a plant comes into a new culture (especially where the air is drier), these pests explode and destroy. Because of that, every new plant in my culture is put into a sealed bag, poisoned and stays there for at least four months.
THIS, THIS, THIS,

I have been thinking about this comment and I believe it may be the single most important piece of information ever presented in this forum. I have been examining leaves of weak/dying plants under a microscope and I am finding a nearly perfect correlation with the presence of mites. They cannot be seen with a magnifying glass and they leave no red stain when wiped with a tissue. They are easy to control, but you have to investigate plants that are failing for no good reason. Mike
 
In April around 12 years ago I bought a P. vietnamense on an orchid exhibition in the Palmengarten in Frankfurt Germany. The plant was, with several other species (mostly without label), that all were in bad condition (damaged leaves, no flowers or buds) on a bargain bin. As I saw the broad leaves I was convinced to know what it was. Costing only ten Euros, the plant was very cheap, so I took the risk. At home I planted it in a mixture of coarse pumice, charcoal and bark and placed it on the windowsill (southwest exposition northern hemisphere) next to my other plants. A new grow emerged three to four months later. Around two years later, the plant flowered for the first time. Since then, this plants flowers regularly around every two years (two years ago with three flowers, this year with one flower). I have transplanted it only twice in the meantime, always in the same mixture. Since then, this plant produced several capsules (mostly hybrid pollination).

I have sown these seeds on a coarse mixture of pumice and pine bark, that I first sterilized in zip log freezer bags (in the microwave), then infected with soil particles from other pots where orchids germinate, after some months of resting to let the fungus develop its mycelium. It usually does not work with all bags, but with my restricted space, I get enough seedlings. They can stay in the bag for around two to three years.

In my personal experience the species is not difficult at all. As I have experienced so often, the main problem in successful culture of Paphiopedilum is to eradicate pests like Tenuipalpus pacificus and Brevipalpus spp. These mites are present in so many professional cultures where they are held down so that they cause only minor damage. When such a plant comes into a new culture (especially where the air is drier), these pests explode and destroy. Because of that, every new plant in my culture is put into a sealed bag, poisoned and stays there for at least four months.

All the best,
Ralph

Ralph, based on your pictures of the leaves and flowers of your plant, it looks like Ho Chi Minh, which is easily confused with vietnamense. Sorry to be bearer of this unfortunate news.

The differences are pretty clear if you grow both side by side as I have for many years.

The vietnamense leaves have an undulating edge, never straight as in HCM. They are also extra shiny like a coat of wax is poured over them. The mottle patterns are also very different from those of HCM, which forms whorls while vietnamense are in patches.

The flowers of HCM have a very distinctly marked staminode with red markings, while vietnamense have a pure green staminode veins (never any red on them). The pouch of the vietnamense also have a very rounded bottom, never pointy like HCM.

With these differences, there is a clear distinction between the vietnamense vs HCM.

I might be mistaken with your photo analysis but check again your plant and flower to compare these differences?
 
THIS, THIS, THIS,

I have been thinking about this comment and I believe it may be the single most important piece of information ever presented in this forum. I have been examining leaves of weak/dying plants under a microscope and I am finding a nearly perfect correlation with the presence of mites. They cannot be seen with a magnifying glass and they leave no red stain when wiped with a tissue. They are easy to control, but you have to investigate plants that are failing for no good reason. Mike
100% with you on that. I’d also say that other ‘in pot’ ailments can go undiagnosed and take out a plant without any indication of why. Other than. ‘I lost my root system’. Repotting may address the local concerns of that plant, but without a holistic perspective on hygiene and maintenance, more ‘wtf am I doing wrong’ scenarios just keep cropping up. When I see evidence now, I take on an entire greenhouse, pot by pot drench and spraying program. That appears to be keeping things in check, but a 6 month interval on the drench just seems to be the natural course of events.

Funny that there are more than a few folks I know that wonder about ‘issues’ others have that they don’t. And when queried more. You find out, Ya I do a yearly drench with ‘something that kills everything’, or. I naturally include physan in my irrigation water, or I put some soap in my water on a regular basis, Or. One person that says they smell chlorine after they water (they were on city water…). Anyhoo…. Ya to the mites thing. :)
 
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@richgarrison I agree. As an inside grower half the year, I am conscience of mites populations exploding with the transition inside where the humidity drops. Generally I treat the entire collections starting in late August/early September to bring down the pest populations before bringing things inside for their winter vacation. What do you use specifically for mites?
 
Ralph, based on your pictures of the leaves and flowers of your plant, it looks like Ho Chi Minh, which is easily confused with vietnamense. Sorry to be bearer of this unfortunate news.

The differences are pretty clear if you grow both side by side as I have for many years.

The vietnamense leaves have an undulating edge, never straight as in HCM. They are also extra shiny like a coat of wax is poured over them. The mottle patterns are also very different from those of HCM, which forms whorls while vietnamense are in patches.

The flowers of HCM have a very distinctly marked staminode with red markings, while vietnamense have a pure green staminode veins (never any red on them). The pouch of the vietnamense also have a very rounded bottom, never pointy like HCM.

With these differences, there is a clear distinction between the vietnamense vs HCM.

I might be mistaken with your photo analysis but check again your plant and flower to compare these differences

All the HCM I have had had an undulating edge on their leaves. Also, I have seen quite a few vietnamense without such a feature.

The leaves alone in those photos do not look odd at all for being a vietnamense to me.
The flower staminode has a little bit of dark pigments, but then again, I don't know. It doesn't really throw me off.
Usually, the staminode on the species is green to greenish yellow while the flower is fresh. I have seen some with little bit of dark pigments.
Now, nearly every single HCM I have seen had two very distinctive vertical dark bars or one big dark merged area near the center of the staminode.
This is a hard case, but I can't say it isn't vietnamense with the reasons you propose.
 
Those two staminode dark marks are the ones that make me doubtful. The staminode as we know is the final determination of a species ID.

The leaves are secondary to my assessment (although I’ve never seen a smooth leaves adult vietnamense that wasn’t a mistaken HCM).

But must see in real life for sure to be able to tell.

Caveat: I’m not a taxonomist, but just merely observations from growing/judging them and from literature research 😇.
 
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Those two staminode dark marks are the ones that make me doubtful. The staminode as we know is the final determination of a species ID.

The leaves are secondary to my assessment (although I’ve never seen a smooth leaves adult vietnamense that wasn’t a mistaken HCM).

But must see in real life for sure to be able to tell.

Caveat: I’m not a taxonomist, but just merely observations from growing/judging them and from literature research 😇.
Observation is the key! ;)
 
Hi everyone.

Just found this thread last week, but didn`t get a chance to write here. I don`t know if anyone reads this anymore.
Here is my vietnamense. I got it at the beginning of last September as a bonus plant. I thought of buying it and had one in 2008 and killed it off cause! Don`t remember how fast but had planted it in fresh medium only once. So not so long so I thought not to buy it now and then got it anyway. Very nice surprise. Don`t know much about how to grow this. I removed it to our bedroom in December at about 16 degrees Celsius. I have kept it much drier but watered it when it looks almost dry. I hope I haven`t let it dry too much. It grew new roots to the end of last year, now the roots are resting but the new shoot is growing further. The second real leaf has started to grow now. It looks always so shiny, like wax. It`s really sparkling! All good growing tips and other tips would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!
 

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Oh Justin, do you mean the flowerbuds? If so, I'm really sorry to hear that. That's always so frustrating 🤯
I did keep it warm and moist. I have'nt found much growing instructions, so when I read that in nature there is dry and cooler period from December to the end of May, I removed it to our bedroom and have reduced watering 'cause its cooler. In nature they get heavy fogs, so I don't let it stay dry. Soon is going to be sunny, when days get longer, so I'm going to put it back with other mottle leaved paphs. Is it a good idea, you think?
 
Oh Justin, do you mean the flowerbuds? If so, I'm really sorry to hear that. That's always so frustrating 🤯
I did keep it warm and moist. I have'nt found much growing instructions, so when I read that in nature there is dry and cooler period from December to the end of May, I removed it to our bedroom and have reduced watering 'cause its cooler. In nature they get heavy fogs, so I don't let it stay dry. Soon is going to be sunny, when days get longer, so I'm going to put it back with other mottle leaved paphs. Is it a good idea, you think?

Yes my two plants put out a spike every year and then blast. I think i have only successfully bloomed them twice in nine years!

They have beautiful leaves so I still keep them :)
 
I have not had trouble with this species in the past. I consider Paphiopedilum bellatulum the hardest of the group and concolor the easiest. I grow under lights, winter time days of between 72 and 75 degrees. Nights can get to the mid 60's. Summertime brings daily highs up around 80. Summer nights I can get nights around 60 degrees by having a fan on with an open window.
My humidity now is between 50-60%, Summers up near 80%. They are under twelve hours of light now, 14 during the summer. I water once a week in the winter, every 4-5 days during the summer. I never let them dry out.
 
Justin, you must be doing a lot of things right, when they grow and try to flower every year. Have you tried to reduce watering slightly, when they show signs of blooming?

big923cattleya, sounds that you have much the same kind of growing conditions, than I have. I grow my plants in front of a windowsill, and from late autumn through early spring also under LED-lights. In the bedroom I keep at the evening a ventilation window always open for a few hours and when it is warm enough, it's always open.
In the livingroom, where most of my plants are now, there is warmer and in the winter the ventilation window is seldom opened.
The temperature changes, depending how much we heat the oven to prepare food. If we heat the baking oven, temperature rises higher and cooles slower. During summer time we use mostly just electricity oven, it gets too warm otherwise.
Humidity is much the same, sometimes in winter, if it is very cold the air gets drier and summer time, when it rains it can get really high. I water them once or twice a week, depending the size of the pot and weather.

I think also that concolor is the easiest and bellatulum might be the trickiest to grow. But bellatulum and It's crosses multiply very quickly. They usually make two children (I call the new shoots children. I hope no one minds.) and also three. I have almost no excperiense with malipoense, emersonii and others like them. They might be tricky also.

Thank you Russ 1992 and Justin and big923cattleya! And also everyone else, in this thread!
 

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