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Rob Gennari has spent more than ten years focused on paphiopedilums,or tropical lady's slipper orchids. One of the places Rob keeps his plants is the lovingly-restored pocket greenhouse at The Mount, the 1920s home of author Edith Wharton in Lenox, MA which is open to the public. According to Rob, the key to sustaining paphiopedilums is catering to their roots. Repotting is crucial because their growing medium breaks down, resulting in insufficient oxygen reaching the roots. Repot your paphs soon after purchase; usually their mix is already overused. In regions with a longer growing season, the paphiopedilums should be repotted annually. In regions with low-light winters, repotting every 18 months is sufficient. When repotting, Rob selects new containers that are the same size or slightly larger than the original pot. After repotting, water your orchid when the medium is slightly dry. Paphiopedilums prefer 50% humidity and temperatures between 55 to 75° F. As epiphytes, these orchids prefer a potting medium of bark and wood chips which is often sold as orchid potting mix at garden and specialty stores. Rob shares his method for repotting. Directions:1. Soak the new orchid potting mix in water for 24 hours prior to for transplanting. 2. Before repotting, water plant. 3. Pull plant from container. Check for any damaged and rotting roots and prune these off. 4. Shake off old medium from roots. 5. Place plant back in new pot, positioning it so that plant growth will be buried ¼ to ½ inch below surface of medium and leaving a ¾ inch rim for watering. 6. Fill pot with new medium, tapping container to settle wood chips, etc around roots. 7. Water once and then let plant dry out slightly before next watering. Special Thanks: The Mount |
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