Paphiopedilum's

Lady Slipper's originate from the jungles of the Far East and Indonesia. They are semi-terrestrial which means they grow in humus on the forest floor.

LIGHT:
In the wild they grow in shade under shrubs and trees. Give them as much light as they will handle with out inhibiting growth. Seedlings and sick plants cannot handle the higher light conditions as mature healthy paphs. Do not overheat the paph leaves. If the leaf feels warm to the touch then reduce the light and increase air movement. Grow in the east, west or in a shaded south window. They also grow extremely well under four flourescent lights 6-12" above the leaves. In the greenhouse, 75% shade must be provided. This will give them about 1,000 to 1,500 foot-candles.

TEMPERATURES:
Cool growing types ( solid green leaves):The night time temperature should be between 50 to 60 F. The day temp between 70 to 80 F. Warm growing types (molted foilage): The night time temperature should be between 60 to 65 F. The day temp between 75 to 85 F. This is a general guideline and is not true for all paphs. Many growers grow all paphs in the same temperature range with excellent results. Cool temps help produce dark red flowers. Give your paphs plenty of water when the temps are above 80 F. Some paphs such as Paph callosum and Paph philippinense and its hybrids can benefit from temps up to 90 F. Some molted leaf Paphs such as Paphiopedilum Maudiae do not need low night time temperatures to flower. This is one of the reasons that I believe they are one of the best beginner orchids.

HUMIDITY:
Paphs are more tolerant of low humidity than other orchids such as Cattleyas and Phalaenopsis. This is another reason they are a good beginner orchid. Humidity of 40 -50% is ideal. Swamp coolers and humidifiers work the best.

FERTILIZER:
Paphs require small amounts of fertilizer. I have found good results with using 20-20-20. High nitrogen can keep the plants from flowering. You can use fertilizers like 30-10-10 when potted in fir bark. I use 1/4 teaspoon per gallon of water every other watering. I use Osmocote 14-14-14 in the spring with good results. Apply at the following rates, 4” pot - 1/2 tsp, 5” pot – 1 tsp, 6” pot – 1 ½ tsp. Do not fertilize during the cold or hot months of the year, December thru February and June thru August. The heat will cause high uptakes of fertilizer and will cause the tips of the leaves to burn. When it is cold the plants grow more slowly and do not need the fertilizer.

WATER
Paphs have no pseudobulbs so they need a to stay moist. It is important to use good quality water with low salts. Some growers use reverse osmosis water. It is important to not let your Paphs dry out completely.

POTTING:
I feel it should be done about every one to two years. When putting the plant in the media spread the roots evenly through the pot. The base of the plant should be at the same level as the mix. Do not overpot, an average plant should have a 4" pot. Increase the pH by adding dolomite lime on top of the potting mix to prevent Brown Rot. Dolomite lime provides calcium and magnesium. Mix 6 oz per cubic foot of potting mix.