The practical side of culture |
In Spring
This season means from April to the end of rainy season and it would be about atPQ`PT outside. Almost of all orchids including Paphiopedilums like this season the best for growing well in a year. Paphiopedilum who have waked up their long sleep in winter, are going to growing up , extending their leaves and roots day by day. When you grow Phalenopsis in a green house, they flower in winter, but when you grow them without a green house, they flower in this season. Usually, orchids flower in their sleeping period. So they are going to grow after flowering usually. For culturing of them, it is very easy season in a year. They like sun light but the direct sun light must be too strong. When you grow them in your room, you had better keep the pot besides the window faces east or south-east and make to get good winds. Don't forget a layer of lace curtain not to get the direct sun shine. When it would be 15 for the minimum temperature outside, you may keep the plants outside. You select the better area where faces east or south - east, is able to get good winds and don't get the direct sun shine like under the eaves of your house or under trees in order to get the soft sun light between their leaves. When you have to keep them under the direct sun light, you must use artificial shade to decrease the sun light about SO`UO. The natural winds is very important. Water to them not to dry up their compost every 2 or 3 days. Sometimes, the beginner ask us how often we have to water. But we can not answer to the question completely. The answer is that you keep the compost in the suitable moisture. It means it is dependent on the condition that you grow Paphs and are different from each other. Some one have to water every day but another water once a week. You may give fertilizer. It may be the solid type and/or liquid type. But I recommend the liquid type for the beginners not to decay the compost like Hyponex or Peters (mFoFj 20 : 20 : 20 ). You had better use the diluted fertilizer more than 5 ~ 10 times of the regular dilution once a week. If you want to the solid type of fertilizer, the mixture of oilcake and bone meal, and change its every 3 or 4 weeks. In any case, don't give the higher density of fertilizer or don't give too ,much. In this case, they don't grow well but their roots will be died. Read well the an explanatory leaflet of the fertilizer. When your Paph have flowers, never give fertilizer and give it after flowering. If you grow well, the plants will make new shoots. After flowering, the plants don't flower any more fro the same plants. After flowering, they grow new shoots and flower on the shoots. It is dependent on the species, the shoots will grow well and mature in a year and flower. If you make a mistake to grow them, the shoots would not grow well and not mature in a year. So they will not flower in the next year. Sometimes, it will need about a few years to flower for the next. As you know, they flower for the longer, a month sometimes. But when you keep the flower on the plant for the longer time, the plant would be consumed and delayed to make new shoots. After a few weeks you enjoyed the flower, you cut the flower and put in a vase.
In Summer
@ I guess you would misunderstanding that orchids like high temperature because they grow in tropical area. But it is a big mistake. They don't like the high temperature in summer like us and weariness from the heat of summer sometimes. In truth, it would be better lower than 25 but it would be impossible for us to make the condition in a city or town. So, we have to take it into our head to make the better winds. You may grow Paphs in you room or outside as the same area as in spring, you have to make it much more shade. In your room, you have to prepare a few layer of lace curtain and outside, you have to prepare UO`WO shade of sun shine. They like the condition where you like. But the air circulation by air conditioner would not be good for plants because it would be much lower humidity.In summer, the humidity would be higher and it is good for Paphs outside. When you grow Paphs in your room and feel it lower humidity, you make syringe on plants and/or leaves a few times a day. Be careful not to dry up the compost. And don't forget that it is too hot for orchids including Paphs usually and will take a rest, don't grow in Japan.
In Autumn
@It is the good season for growing Paphs like in spring. According to decrease the strength of sun shine, you decrease the shade from 40`60 on the plants. In this season of course, they like and grow well. But the situation would be different from the situation in spring. In this season they would keep the nutrient for coming winter and prepare to sleep. This means their maturation. In case of the growth not enough from spring, the maturation would be not enough also and not flower sometimes. Keep the compost wet but not too much. You may give fertilizer until the temperature would be 15 at the Min.. And you have to change the fertilizer to kelp their maturation. For winter and making flower, they need Phosphate enough and you had better give the fertilizer, especially the liquid type for the beginners like Hyponex and/or Peters (mFoFj@@POFROFQO) . You had better dilute the fertilizer much more than they recommend, finally 2000 ~ 5000 times dilution. When the min. temperature would be bellow 15 outside, you have to prepare your plants bringing back inside. In Japan, Kansai or Kanto area, it would be in the middle week in Oct. I winter, you never give fertilizer anymore.
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| @We have several types of Paphiopedilums that like different types of the min. temperature. If you grow Paphs that like the lower temp., there would be no problems about temp.. But your Paphs like the higher temp. it would be very difficult to keep the higher temp. in your room. You have to care them carefully just as you care your baby and the older. In winter, the time of sun shine would be shorter. So when it is fine, you make them bathe in the sun. But the direct sun shine should be too strong, you need the shade of RO`TO like a layer of a lace curtain. And you put the plants beside the window facing east or south-east. Paphiopedilum don't like drying up around their roots. Never dry up. Keep the compost slightly wet. On the other hand, too much water in the lower temp, the roots would be rotted immediately. You touch the compost by your finger and make sure it wet very slightly. When you water to them, you had better choose the fine day's morning. Before evening, the water on leaves must be dried. When it comes night, you have to transfer the plants inside from the window. In these days, the situation of your house is much better than before. So it would be warmer inside your room. When you sleep, you may take them to your bed side. Or cup them by a box of corrugated cardboard or expanded polystyrene. In winter, we have another problem. It is too low humidity. When you use a heater, the humidity must be lower than we expected. And also, it must be much lower than Paphiopedilum want t. Don't put the plants in front of the heater or in the streaming hot air from the heater. It is not enough to keep moisture, you make spray water often a day. Now, they don't have flower. But the care in minute and warmhearted care of yours will brings the better flower for you in the end of Winter or in Spring. |
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