This morning, I noticed that Marilyn had basically made a full comeback from the sad plant it was about 3 weeks ago. Her centermost leaf was standing upright and there was even evidence of a new leaf growing within its folds. I haven't dared to inspect the roots, but the one root which keeps peeking out the top of the pot, is now a healthy shade of brown and not entirely dried out as it was before. The Orchiata based mix has served my Paphs well. It drains well and yet retains some much needed moisture for them as well.
I did make some cultural changes recently. We, orchid enthusiasts are a curious bunch, so I am constantly and eagerly scouring the Internet to learn more about the care of my plants. I discovered adding some calcium to my media and a moss top layer would benefit the Paphs. I also moved Marilyn back a bit further away from the window. I think she prefers a shadier spot than where she had been initially placed. It is a bright window, but the full on sun does not come in until much later in the afternoon, and it really does not hit the plants for more than an hour or two, but that seems to have been a bit much for her and was stressing her out. 2 of her leaves had been showing signs of drying out and became a bit leathery as a result. I do find she does not seem to mind the grow lights at all so I did place her closer to the artificial lighting and further away from actual sunlight. This arrangement seems to be working much better for her.
I am just glad she is much happier now. I did not want to lose her as a result of my own growing pains.
Update
So of course, as luck would have it, Marilyn had a bad relapse :( This is her leaf today:
I definitely knew something was wrong, but never in a million years did I imagine what was actually the problem. Since I was stumped, I consulted the orchid gurus over at the orchid forum. I was informed that sphag is not good for my Paphs at all. What I need to add is dolomite. I recall reading that somewhere, but there is just so many different opinions and since I wasn't familiar with the product, I kind of chose to ignore this tid-bit. So this is what I need:
They really need to have dolomite for dummies. Unless I searched for it online under keyword dolomite, and got the above product as a result, I would've walked right past this product on a store shelf without knowing this is what I actually needed. In any case, during lunch tomorrow, I will be picking up my bag of dolomite. I was also advised to do the same thing with the rest of my Paphs.
Update - August 17, 2013
This is Marilyn today after her watering:
I would say the dolomite was definitely a success!
I did make some cultural changes recently. We, orchid enthusiasts are a curious bunch, so I am constantly and eagerly scouring the Internet to learn more about the care of my plants. I discovered adding some calcium to my media and a moss top layer would benefit the Paphs. I also moved Marilyn back a bit further away from the window. I think she prefers a shadier spot than where she had been initially placed. It is a bright window, but the full on sun does not come in until much later in the afternoon, and it really does not hit the plants for more than an hour or two, but that seems to have been a bit much for her and was stressing her out. 2 of her leaves had been showing signs of drying out and became a bit leathery as a result. I do find she does not seem to mind the grow lights at all so I did place her closer to the artificial lighting and further away from actual sunlight. This arrangement seems to be working much better for her.
I am just glad she is much happier now. I did not want to lose her as a result of my own growing pains.
_______________________________________
Update
So of course, as luck would have it, Marilyn had a bad relapse :( This is her leaf today:
I definitely knew something was wrong, but never in a million years did I imagine what was actually the problem. Since I was stumped, I consulted the orchid gurus over at the orchid forum. I was informed that sphag is not good for my Paphs at all. What I need to add is dolomite. I recall reading that somewhere, but there is just so many different opinions and since I wasn't familiar with the product, I kind of chose to ignore this tid-bit. So this is what I need:
They really need to have dolomite for dummies. Unless I searched for it online under keyword dolomite, and got the above product as a result, I would've walked right past this product on a store shelf without knowing this is what I actually needed. In any case, during lunch tomorrow, I will be picking up my bag of dolomite. I was also advised to do the same thing with the rest of my Paphs.
_______________________________________
Update - August 17, 2013
This is Marilyn today after her watering:
I would say the dolomite was definitely a success!
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