# Phrag. schlimii culture



## abax (Sep 27, 2019)

I have four of the above ('Marcia', 'Wilcox', 'Little Pink' and 'Oak Hill') and
none of them are doing well...growing slowly and don't look vigorous.
I grow Sendenii very successfully with regular new growth and blooming.
I thought that both required similar culture. Am I missing something?


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## Linus_Cello (Sep 27, 2019)

What are they growing in? For me, heat is the issue with schlimii.


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## tomkalina (Sep 27, 2019)

Maybe heat is the issue? This species doesn't appreciate temps above 80-85 for any extended period of time. Also, our mix contains 3 parts medium Rexius bark, 3 parts Rexius seedling bark, 1 part #3 size charcoal and 1 part Spong-Rok for this species. We don't add milled sphagnum moss, nor do we recommend Orchiata. We also use urea based fertilizers in spring/summer and nitrate based fertilizers in fall/winter, both at a 1/4 tsp/gal rate. I'm sure there are other cultural methods used by others, but this is the regimen that works well for us.


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## abax (Sep 27, 2019)

The temps. could be an issue this summer. The gh can reach a
tad over 80%, but I keep all the humidifiers running 24/7, swamp
cooler doing fine, lots of air movement. I use Orchiata and
perlite in slotted clay pots and keep the rough concrete floor
wet during the hottest part of the day. I use K-Lite year round
and have noticed that my other Phrags. do well. Fertilizer
might be the issue, but I'm a tad doubtful.

I've never heard of Rexius bark. Where can I find it in, say
four cubic foot bags? I've tried charcoal in the past and my
plants didn't seem to respond favorably.

Tom, are you experiencing these godawful temps. in your
neck of the woods? We're living in drought conditions here...
no rain for weeks.


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## tomkalina (Sep 28, 2019)

Your temps don't seem that far out of line but as a personal note, we've had problems using Orchiata and K-Lite with the Phrags. Leaves get a yellowish tinge to them and the plants just don't grow as well as they do in the Rexius bark based mix using the urea/nitrate based fertilizing schedule. There's an old saying "What works for you, works for you", and I know others have had success with Orchiata and K-Lite, so don't give up on it - just try the mix I've mentioned and compare results for yourself. Your can order a 2 cu ft bag of Rexius sterilized bark from Hausermann's - they should have both the medium and seedling bark sizes. If you contact Rexius, they might recommend a source closer to you.


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## abax (Sep 28, 2019)

Thank you, sir.


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## abax (Sep 28, 2019)

Just shopping for Rexius and found it at Walmart, ebay and
Amazon! All had the medium chip size, but the seedling size
was a bit harder to find. Do I ever feel like a dummy.


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