# kovachii



## theorchidzone (Apr 19, 2014)

We bloomed another very nice kovachii. Dark flat big.

See on our FB.

https://www.facebook.com/theorchidzone


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## phraggy (Apr 19, 2014)

The best I have ever seen, Congratulations, may you bloom many more.
Ed


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## eteson (Apr 19, 2014)

Very good shape.
how big is?


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## John M (Apr 19, 2014)

Can't see it.:sob: My computer always has trouble opening facebook (dial-up), because instead of downloading only the photo (pretty quick), I have to wait for the whole facebook page to load. I gave up when it still said "downloading 72 items" at the bottom left corner of my screen.

It'd really be nice if you could put photos directly in your posts, instead of providing links to other websites.

BTW: Thanks very much for donating such nice plants to the auction! :clap:


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## Erythrone (Apr 19, 2014)

Can't see it too....


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## theorchidzone (Apr 19, 2014)

I'll stop being lazy and post tonight here.
"Dial up" -- dude! [OK just giving you trouble]


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## Ozpaph (Apr 19, 2014)

that is very special


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## John M (Apr 19, 2014)

theorchidzone said:


> I'll stop being lazy and post tonight here. *Thanks!*
> 
> "Dial up" -- dude! *Yeah, I know. I'm so ashamed! I gotta get that changed.*


..


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## Migrant13 (Apr 19, 2014)

That's a beauty...so flat and colorful. Are you going to get it judged?


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## gonewild (Apr 19, 2014)

John M said:


> Can't see it.:sob: My computer always has trouble opening facebook (dial-up), because instead of downloading only the photo (pretty quick), I have to wait for the whole facebook page to load. I gave up when it still said "downloading 72 items" at the bottom left corner of my screen.
> 
> It'd really be nice if you could put photos directly in your posts, instead of providing links to other websites.
> 
> BTW: Thanks very much for donating such nice plants to the auction! :clap:



John.... I'm curious about the FB page speed to open images. If the picture is linked to the FB Image location will it open here in the thread.... I'll try with the kovachii.


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## gonewild (Apr 19, 2014)

It worked.


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## SlipperFan (Apr 19, 2014)

Thanks, Lance! 

That is one beautiful flower!


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## theorchidzone (Apr 19, 2014)

The money shot.


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## theorchidzone (Apr 19, 2014)

The money shot


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## theorchidzone (Apr 19, 2014)

This is what I meant to post as the money shot.


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## eaborne (Apr 19, 2014)

How are you growing your kovachii? What type of mix? Thanks.


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## eOrchids (Apr 19, 2014)

Lovely!


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## theorchidzone (Apr 19, 2014)

Standard OZ mix. 

--Fine bark (high quality!)
--Small amount of lava rock and charcoal
--Oyster shell
--Sand (clean and not salty of course) 
We grow them in tall gallon pots.
We water them every two days or every day. It is important to run the water through the mix, and to have clean water.

We have done little to make the medium basic which supposedly kovachii require. So far so good, but we will experiment with that.

I know others grow them in ebb and flow with success. We have not done. 

Just to add, these are seedlings. We find that seedlings are much more hardy than jungle plants. That is because the whole growth process naturally selects for the hardiest plants.


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## NYEric (Apr 19, 2014)

Thanks for sharing.


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## abax (Apr 19, 2014)

The color is beautiful, but the kov. dorsal is always a disappointment. The
bloom just doesn't look balanced. Congratulations on blooming it and
blooming it well.


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## John M (Apr 20, 2014)

gonewild said:


> It worked.



Yes, it worked for me too. The picture appeared right away, no problem. Thanks.

Thanks John C for sharing. That's a really nice, flat kovachii. Well done!

Angela, I've seen you comment about this before. I know what you mean; but, lot of Phrags have relatively insignificant dorsal sepals. It's just one part of what makes a Phrag look like a Phrag. However, for you to be able to enjoy Phrags, without feeling a bit disappointed, it's important to remember and keep in mind that they are not Paphs. We see a lot of Paphs, species and hybrids, with awesome, huge, dorsal sepals. No Phrag will ever look like that. Of course, both are slipper orchids; so, in that sense they are lumped together. But, they really are quite different in many ways, not just dorsal size. If you try to keep the two genera more separated in your mind, you may not find yourself being disappointed with the smaller dorsals of Phrags. Just don't keep thinking of the size of Phrag dorsals as a fault (because for Phrags, the dorsals are right-sized) and you'll slowly come around to being able to enjoy their full beauty too.


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## Ozpaph (Apr 20, 2014)

That's a useful view point, John. Thanks.


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## MaryPientka (Apr 20, 2014)

I think it's gorgeous. As far as the dorsal, I think diversity among species is OK.


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## Erythrone (Apr 20, 2014)

It is a wonderful one!


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## kellyincville (Apr 20, 2014)

I wasn't really a big fan of these guys when they were just discovered. The flowers on the jungle plants were a little too floppy for me. But this is gorgeous!


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## Carkin (Apr 20, 2014)

Outstanding! How I would love to be able to grow one of these. Thank you for sharing!


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## Heather (Apr 20, 2014)

Gorgeous. Still haven't seen one of these in person. I really need to get out more!


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## John M (Apr 20, 2014)

Heather said:


> Gorgeous. Still haven't seen one of these in person. I really need to get out more!


 Me either, Heather. It's hard to believe that it's been 12 years since I first heard of kovachii and I still haven't managed to be at the right place at the right time to see one in person!


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## abax (Apr 21, 2014)

Yes, Mr. John, I will try to rethink. It's not just the size though. It's
the color and the size...it seems disproportionate to the rest of the flower.
However, I can reconsider. The side view is very impressive and the dorsal
not so noticeable. If I saw one in person, I might not even notice the
dorsal at all! The color is spectacular.


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## theorchidzone (Apr 21, 2014)

A couple observations on seeing kovachii in person.
--they are all over the map. We have bloomed some pale ones and some very dark but very small ones
--in our experience the color is more purple/plum than most photos show.
Seeing this one in person was a treat. But as is the fate of all excellent flowers at OZ, we will rip it to pieces on Tuesday to make hybrids and sibs.


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## John M (Apr 21, 2014)

theorchidzone said:


> But as is the fate of all excellent flowers at OZ, we will rip it to pieces on Tuesday to make hybrids and sibs.



Yay!!!!!:clap:


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## John M (Apr 21, 2014)

Angela, I have seen photos of kovachii that have a stunted dorsal......some are even browning along the edges; but, the rest of the flower is fine. I am with you on those Pk's. I don't like them. However, as long as the dorsal is as it should be, I'm okay with the proportions. To me, it's not the dorsal that is small on Pk, it's the petals that are too big; but, who wants to get rid of those big petals? Not me. They, and the overall large size and nice colour is what makes Pk so different from anything else. Remember, before Pk came along, there was a LOT of grumbling among orchid growers because they were getting bored with the same old orange/red besseae hybrids. I'm sure that as time marches on we will see larger, more colourful dorsal sepals on Pk, as breeders select for that. Look at the changes made to besseae over the years in terms of petal width. So, if you're patient, you may get your prefered large dorsal on a Pk.


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## MorandiWine (Apr 21, 2014)

Make babies, lots and lots of babies!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2


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