2.The planting materials and
How to transplant

When we talk about the materials of planting for Paph, we have to talk about trasplanting at the same time. We have to transplant Paphs, when (1) the materials in pot is aged, (2) Paph grows bigger than we expected for the pot, (3) Paph is unhealthy for desease and/or salt trouble in pot and we had better wash the roots in fresh water as fast as possible. We have many kinds for materials of planting. In truth, you have to deside the materials for your growing by yourself and we can not recomend which one is the best for you. Because it is dependent on the surroundings for growing Paphs and your personality.

When we transplant ?

Transplanting for Paphs should be faster than we expected basicaly.
(1) when the roots grow too much and watering is    noteffective.
(2) when the materials in pot is aged too much.
(3) when Paph is unhealthy for desease and/or salt    trouble in pot and we had better wash the roots   in fresh water as fast as possible.

The materials for transplanting

(1) sphagnum moss 
(2) sphagnum moss + stone
(3) Mixed materials
  stone + woody tissue + ion exchanger
(4) skin of cedar (crypto-moss)

(1) Sphagnum moss

< preparations >

You have to use sphagnum moss as fresh as possible. You prepare appropriate amount of moss in a bucket and soaked in water all night long. In the next day, you curl up it to a ball, wring it dry and spread on news paper to dry. Keep it for a few hours at least until the moss
dry to be moist lightly

Transplanting(Figure)

You can use any kinds of flower pots like unglazed pottery, plastic and plastic film. I recomend the plastic film for the biginners.

(a) You take out the plant from pot not to injure the roots and take off the aged potting materialswell. Take off the rotted root and dried leaves at the same time. You may devide the plants if you need.
(b) You soak the plant in the mixture of medicine, a germicide and an insecticide. The medicine should be diluted to a few times more than regular using. A germicide will be Benlate and/or Manneb. When you devide the plant, I recomend to put the pasted medicine of a germicide with a small amount of water.

The upper is using sphagnum moss only for the potting material.
The lower is using sphagnum moss and stones.

(c) You keep the plants with several bigger stones, a kind of volcano stones like Hyuga just under the plants, the center of the plant and put sphagnum moss around the roots. You had better put the moss not to wind. Be careful not to injure roots. You don't need to put moss on
the end of roots. You put moss bigger and harder on the base of plant and lesser and softer on the end of root like tailing over.
(d) Put the plant in pot not to injure roots. As the moss around the base of plant is bigger, it will be fixed well when you press the moss into pot. From the middle to the lower part of pot, the amount of moss will be lessen and it will fixed softly.
(e) After transplanting, the plants must be keeping in the condition of the stronger shade and lesser watering for about one month. Never fertilize in this situation.

The transplanting for the biginners

For the biginners, it is very difficult to use sphagnum moss for the transplanting material. When you can not taransplant well in sphagnum moss and water too much, the roots of Paphs will be rotted evry easily. So, if you want to use spagnum moss, you had better replace the larger stones on the lower part of pot instead of moss to keep fresh air among the stones.
(a) You take out the plant from pot not to injure the roots and take off the aged potting materials well. Take off the rotted root and dried leaves at the same time. You may devide the plants if you need.
(b)You soak the plant in the mixture of medicine, a germicide and an insecticide. The medicine should be diluted to a few times more than regular using. A germicide will be Benlate and/or Manneb. When you devide the plant, I recomend to put the pasted medicine of a germicide with a small amount of water.
(c)Put the larger stone in a pot about half depth. You put the moss not to wind around roots. Be careful not to injure roots. You don't need to put moss on the end of roots. And Put the plant on stones in the pot not to injure roots. When the plant is not stable, put moss more
around the base of the plant. But you have to check the harder area of moss is limited around the base of plant.

 This is very nice transplanting for the biginners. The biggest faults is the next transplanting. When the plant and their roots grow well, you can not transplant in the same procedure. Because their roots are too long and too amny. In this case, you put the plant in a pot at the first and stone for the next about half depth. And you make moss round in a small ball with a diameter of a few centimeters and put it through roots.around the base of plant, you put more moss harder in order to keep the plant stable.

Continue to 2)Bark or Crypto-moss

Back to the index of Culture

Back to the Index of HP