staked up for support and stability
I'm still not sure what made my paph flop over a week ago, but I managed to coax the leaves back upright. The leaves don't look wilted or damaged in any way. I looped a bit of craft wire around the entire growth to keep it upright. It seems to give the overly tall growth some stability, which should be helpful.
That's a nice and crafty solution. The leaves look firm and healthy, good sign. Did it start a sheath by any chance?
ReplyDeleteNo sheath yet, but I bought it in bloom around July last year, so it may still be early for this one to be blooming. You seem to grow quite a few paphs: have you ever seen one grow a tall stem like that on a new growth? There's little root tips budding off it at every leaf's base. So odd...
DeleteI think I just panicked when I saw the leaves flop over because it brought back recollections of the last two paphs I killed before educating myself on proper orchid care.
A paph should be compact and you shouldn't be able to see the stem. There are two major factors in "leginess" and floppyness, but this is a textbook (literally) example of a paph with waaaay not enough light. The other factor that can cause soft, floppy growths is too much nitrogen, but in this case, the plant needs way more light. If it's still alive and you haven't figured this out yet (I know this is an old post), SLOWLY move the plant into brighter and brighter light.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for that informative comment. Unfortunately the orchid is no longer around--it was one of the very many casualties from the last two years when I've basically neglected my orchids to death. However, it is really helpful to know what was causing that weird growth pattern, such that I can avoid it in the future.
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