# Phrag. besseae f. flavum



## MaxC (Apr 24, 2020)

I believe there was some moisture on the bloom while it was forming. I like the color and flattening out nicely on the good side. I am hoping the next bloom is not messed up. If next bloom is bad I will cut the spike and give the plant a much needed repot.


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## NYEric (Apr 24, 2020)

Yay besseae (flavum)!


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## KateL (Apr 24, 2020)

Nice color. Healthy-looking plant. I would cut at least that flower right away.


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## MaxC (Apr 24, 2020)

Bloom is cut. On a positive note, I just noticed another plant that is just putting up a spike so will have two shots to have a good flavum this spring.


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## abax (Apr 24, 2020)

Am I ever jealous of that flavum! I had one that bloomed
once beautifully and kicked the bucket. I donno why.


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## KateL (Apr 24, 2020)

abax said:


> Am I ever jealous of that flavum! I had one that bloomed
> once beautifully and kicked the bucket. I donno why.


Angela, I feel your pain. I am trying to grow some of these up from flask, but man they are a challenge.


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## littlefrog (Apr 25, 2020)

abax said:


> Am I ever jealous of that flavum! I had one that bloomed
> once beautifully and kicked the bucket. I donno why.


I've killed my share, usually after they get high AMs... In my experience they really don't like hot. Even Michigan summers are too hot, they often struggle a bit in August and make up for it under the lights in January (on the lowest shelf, near the floor).


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## abax (Apr 25, 2020)

Perhaps I'm cursed with bessese. I seem to have
a culture problem. Crosses do fine for me sometimes.
The species not so much. It surely does get very
hot here in the summer...damn!


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## tomkalina (Apr 26, 2020)

littlefrog said:


> I've killed my share, usually after they get high AMs... In my experience they really don't like hot. Even Michigan summers are too hot, they often struggle a bit in August and make up for it under the lights in January (on the lowest shelf, near the floor).


They definitely prefer cooler temps. In summer our besseaes all grow as close to the evaporative cooler discharges as possible. Having 60% Aluminet shade cloth on the greenhouse from February through September helps as well


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## KateL (Apr 26, 2020)

Tom, Recognizing that our climates are very different, I’m curious about how much total shade you end up with and why you put it up so early? Thanks, Kate


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## Cheoah (Apr 28, 2020)

Ya that plant looks nice! No crispy tips. 

I got a small one for my birthday, a flavum. Using basic culture I’ve been successful with Besseae over last year.


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## MaxC (May 18, 2020)

Definite improvement... let's hope it opens up big and flat.


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## tomkalina (May 18, 2020)

KateL said:


> Tom, Recognizing that our climates are very different, I’m curious about how much total shade you end up with and why you put it up so early? Thanks, Kate


Hi Kate, Our light levels average 1,200 - 1,800 fc in mid-February after shade cloth application. The SW corner of the greenhouse is also shaded by a large pine tree and has the least amount of light. Some of the besseae habitats we visited in Ecuador had average light levels of less than 1,000 fc and some had light levels as high as 1,800.


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## MaxC (May 19, 2020)

Still opening up


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## BrucherT (May 19, 2020)

MaxC said:


> Still opening up


That is stunning.


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## PeteM (May 20, 2020)

Love the color. Great growing, I'm glad to see more of these in collections. Do you have a source of where you got this one?


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## MaxC (May 20, 2020)

I agree, I love the flavums. This was orginally from Orchid Zone. No clue when exactly it came from there and does not have an OZ tag. I have another one from OZ that's in spike and is 2-3 weeks away from blooming. This one needs a repot and torn as to divide it or air-layer and then eventually divide. Since the bloom is good I may just air-layer. New growths are coming up tightly which gives me hope I can wrangle in the climbing (pic attached).


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## southernbelle (May 20, 2020)

MaxC said:


> Still opening up


 Nice color intensity.


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## abax (May 21, 2020)

Lovely lovely and I'm just eatin' up with envy Max. *head in hand*


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## MaxC (May 21, 2020)

abax said:


> Lovely lovely and I'm just eatin' up with envy Max. *head in hand*


They can't all look my longifolium. I love the back view with the green and yellow on the sepals.


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## NYEric (May 22, 2020)

Nice. How do you know it came from OZ?


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## MaxC (May 22, 2020)

I got it from James Fang and he said he got it from OZ.


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## abax (May 22, 2020)

Really rubbin' it in, eh? If I live loooong enough, I might be able
to grow a besseae that wonderful.


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## NYEric (May 29, 2020)

OK, I had a bunch from OZ I took to Canada. Should have kept more.


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## MaxC (May 29, 2020)

Yeah, it seems like they are getting a little harder to find. I am hoping my next one will have a little larger bloom. This one was around 7cm.


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## southernbelle (May 30, 2020)

tomkalina said:


> They definitely prefer cooler temps. In summer our besseaes all grow as close to the evaporative cooler discharges as possible. Having 60% Aluminet shade cloth on the greenhouse from February through September helps as well


Tom, about what are your high day temps for them where they are? I’ve just moved mine up out of the light room that’s 82-84 right now, to my large east windows in my bathroom where high will probably be 76 this summer. Already, after a week, they seem to be peeking up. We’ll see how well they bloom.


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## tomkalina (May 30, 2020)

We try to keep the day temps below 80F, but a lot depends on the outdoor humidity since we use evaporative cooling. On a 90F day with 60-70% humidity, it can go up to 85F for short periods of time and this does not seem to stress the plants. The large pine tree growing at the NW corner of the greenhouse shades a good portion of the bench with the besseaes once we go past noon. (see photo taken just past noon today. More and more of the west side of the gh gets shaded as the day progresses.)


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## southernbelle (May 31, 2020)

tomkalina said:


> We try to keep the day temps below 80F, but a lot depends on the outdoor humidity since we use evaporative cooling. On a 90F day with 60-70% humidity, it can go up to 85F for short periods of time and this does not seem to stress the plants. The large pine tree growing at the NW corner of the greenhouse shades a good portion of the bench with the besseaes once we go past noon. (see photo taken just past noon today. More and more of the west side of the gh gets shaded as the day progresses.)


Thanks. Under 80 I can do in the bathroom. Hopefully eastern exposure will be enough light. Amazing, in less than a week in cooler temps, how much happier they are looking already. Thankfully!! I was well on my way to killing my second Jason Fischer (the first was from OL and killed me to lose). At least I might save the 3 looking so sad now. It was so strange to me how they would thrive, bloom, then decline, in the spring. Hope I’ve cracked the code. Thanks, I love this forum!!!


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## Chaunie (May 31, 2020)

southernbelle said:


> Tom, about what are your high day temps for them where they are? I’ve just moved mine up out of the light room that’s 82-84 right now, to my large east windows in my bathroom where high will probably be 76 this summer. Already, after a week, they seem to be peeking up. We’ll see how well they bloom.


Thanks so much for mentioning temperature. I hadn't considered that as an issue, and my greenhouse gets up into the high 80, low 90s pretty regularly in the summer. I will try making some changes on where my bessies spend their time during the summer and hope that helps!


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