# Phragmipedium kovachii



## Kostas (Sep 4, 2015)

My Phragmipedium kovachii I have been growing for 2 months now. It arrived with Erwinia on the mother rosette(a nightmare, was running many centimeters per hour at its worst!) but It managed to grow out of it with good culture and some help(cleaning from heavily infected tissues, peroxide, antibiotics). Within 3 days the infection was gone while the pups speeded up big time even sooner. They never stopped growing, which was a good sign it would recover. Here it is after the infection stopped:




And here it is now, 2 months after:




It is growing outdoors with 30-36C daytime and 24-28C nighttime temperatures, sitting in about a centimeter of water in its saucer or occassionally more. The water it all gone by next morning and I water it everyday to keep water in the saucer. 

How do you find its growth over that time period? Normal or slower than normal? It was growing significantly faster when the temperatures were 20-26C, it's been much slower the last month with the high heat. I am contemplating whether it would grow faster if I move it indoors till it cools down in a half to a full month from now, or it would be faster if I leave it outdoors. 

Would it be ok/good to repot now in an inorganic medium with a tiny bit of clay added, like its native soil would have? What is the correct planting depth for this species? Mine seem to be making some above soil stem.

I would love to know your insight on these matters and anything you might feel like sharing


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## SlipperFan (Sep 4, 2015)

It looks good to me. Why do you think you need to repot it now? The media doesn't look like it has broken down. I think I'd just add some oyster shell or other source of calcium.


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## trdyl (Sep 4, 2015)

I would not repot it yet either.


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## Kostas (Sep 4, 2015)

The media dried during transit and all the fines got sifted to one half of the pot, which may not be the best in the long run but so far has been acceptable. The medium contains limestone chips for a calcium source and all our water sources run over limestone so the water I water with has flown through a calcium source as well and is rich in this mineral. I liked how the whole plant greened up after not fertilizing like the nursery did(except for very little and very infrequently) and just watering and flushing it plentifully.

I don't think it needs repotting but it needs watering every day and was looking into cutting that down by repotting to a porous inorganic mix with some marble chips/fine gravel mixed in, very little bark and the top 3-5cm with increasing but still under 10%, organic fines and clay to keep the surface moister for new roots to grow and hopefully to grow some moss too, if feasible without risking the plant, in a self watering pot kept filled to the upper limit or even more flooded, as needed to keep the soil saturated to the surface. Do you think that would work? I think I can achieve faster growth rates with the more stable conditions such a setup would offer, and the permanent water availability if the roots decide to grow in the water. I am not sure if the current planting depth is adequate as well, the pups are growing some above soil stem and are bulging the lower part of their crown, above ground, like that is where the soil should be for roots to grow. That part is currently above the pot rim though.


If you feel a repotting later would be considerably advantageous, I can wait, but I think the more adjusted it is to one medium and the bigger the plant, the more time it will take to readjust in a different medium. I think it would be advantageous if the pups start rooting in the medium they will grow to maturity rather than change medium somewhen along the way.


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## NYEric (Sep 4, 2015)

Looking good.


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## Paul (Sep 5, 2015)

I find that kovachii's love when there is living moss growing (naturally) on the pot. That meens high humidity + quite low salts in the pot.
I have one plant in basket throwing big root out of the pot, growing into the moss arround the pot.


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## Erythrone (Sep 5, 2015)

Paul said:


> I find that kovachii's love when there is living moss growing (naturally) on the pot. That meens high humidity + quite low salts in the pot.
> I have one plant in basket throwing big root out of the pot, growing into the moss arround the pot.



Like Paul, mine thrives in a "mossy" media but it not in basket. Lots of rockwool in the media and the plant sits in water all the time. I water almost every day anyway even if the media is waterlogged...


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## Kostas (Sep 6, 2015)

Thank you Eric!

The media its currently growing in is starting to grow some moss in between the bark pieces. I brought it indoors yesterday morning due to the heatwave predicted and on closer inspection, i found some dead roots which i am not sure when or why they died. They were starting to grow moss on them(i am sure the moss didn't kill them but not sure what. It could have been bumps during the transport or drying out during the transport time since the medium arrived totally dry. or something else? Not sure. The plant is looking great but hasn't been growing as fast with all the summer heat. 
I also found many orchid snails in the medium, crushed as many as i could get without disturbing the medium but i am sure there are more. Since i have been keeping the tray with water and the plant away from other orchids, these snails must have come with the plant. I hope they didn't do too much damage, i will try getting rid of them.


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## Silvan (Sep 6, 2015)

What a dilemma. The roots growing over the media will dry. But it's so warm where you live that it's not recommended to repot right now. Also, you struggled with some rot, so the plant is probably still a bit weak...

As for the growth rate, well it's a slipper orchid. Wait at least a year before wondering if your plant is growing properly or not 

And Phragmipedium usually grow a new flush of roots almost right after being repotting (within six weeks). Only caudatum I find that it seem to have a more pronounced growing period. So don't worry too much about your plant adjusting after repotting.


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## Kostas (Sep 7, 2015)

I can keep it indoors with air conditioning after repotting, to ease on the heat. The past few days it has been inside anyway due to the heat outside, 38C... I checked it again today and found that it has adequate healthy roots but some rotten ones as well, others eaten up from the sales with only the core remaining and others still there. I did not see many active root tips, which i didn't like. I think the change in growing conditions between the nursery up i got it from up north, to here, is probably responsible for the partial root rot, they probably can't adapt well enough to something, be it the sifted soil with radically changed the conditions of the roots(others got buried in fines and others got too exposed to air), the heat which not only slows down this species but accelerates fugal growth(the whole growing media is covered in hyphae), of something i am missing. What you think would be the reason for a Phragmipedium to have some f its roots rotten while at the same time it likes wet media?
Its due for a repot to a better medium. Still its happy enough to look ok and grow thankfully but don't want to risk any rot(all i know is some roots are dead, not sure how long they have been dead nor if its rot or something else as i had been busy and not checked on it in detail for the past month or more) progressing. I will repot it to a totally inorganic mix tomorrow trying to get rid of all the snails at the same time. If the new medium is not wet enough for its likings, i will try mixing a bit of kanuma at the top layer, which may help with moss as well. But i think only after it establishes well will it be safe to add some kanuma. What do you think? The inorganic mix will be pumice, zeolite and lava of ~0,5cm diameter

Its great to know they put out a new flush of roots after repotting! Hope it does it soon and grows to be very vigorous and well rooted. Thank you very much for all your first hand information Silvan


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## Paul (Sep 8, 2015)

Hi

I suggest you don't grow in pure inorganic medium: roots will have problem to grow (especially the new ones). At least, you can use pure expanded clay balls, topped with living moss (picked up on trees or stones for example). The pot has to stay in water, and use soft, neutral water.
I've done it with great success with my first plant that is over 60cm wide now. 
BUT, the leaves are more deep green when growing into small barks + a little inorganic stuff.

So you could pot with expanded clay balls at the bottom of the pot (2cm) and 70% bark 30% pumice + moss at the top. And standing in good soft water with very little fertlizing the first 6 months at least. 

Good luck!


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## Nova (Sep 8, 2015)

Kostas said:


> If the new medium is not wet enough for its likings, i will try mixing a bit of kanuma at the top layer, which may help with moss as well. But i think only after it establishes well will it be safe to add some kanuma. What do you think?


Kanuma is for acid loving plants, you should try akadama instead.


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## Kostas (Sep 8, 2015)

Thank you very much for your replies!

Paul, i appreciate your insight on what kovachii like, most helpful!! I modified my potting accordingly


Thank you Nova, my bad, akadama i meant.


Here is the plant barerooted:








About 1/4 of the roots you see were dead, the rest were healthy but not in active growth. Only 1 seemed to be in active growth. The plant is ready to put out a ring of new roots from the old, mother stem.

I repotted my P. kovachii in the following mix: small diameter zeolite, lava and pumice was the basic mix and i used it as is for the lower 50-60% of the pot. Then, i mixed in 5-10% akadama in the upper 50-40% of the pot and i heavily amended(40%) the uppermost 30% with a small/medium bark + some peat mixed in. This is a self watering pot and will be continuously filled to max or maybe 1-2 cm higher(what would you suggest?)

Should i amend with more bark, peat or akadama to provide the conditions kovachii likes? The basic, inorganic mix is very porous and conducts water well but normally stays dry in the pot surface even though a cm down is always moist. I added academia to hopefully help it stay wetter. I added the bark only because it likes some organic matter towards the top, otherwise i think this will decrease the water conduction. I hope academia makes up for this loss of conductivity.
If you think the current mix is fine, i would like to ask how i can support moss growth at the top of the mix. I do can find some ready, live moss but how will it be sustained? How can i keep the mix wet enough that moss grows on top on its own without me watering all the time? I am growing it indoors, so humidity is average, about 50-65%


I am thinking of topping the mix with a layer of sphagnum moss or bark mix, used as a moist mulch to decrease the evaporation of the medium and thus its water content through capillary action. If i use bark, i think it will stay dry on top and thus not grow any moss except between the bark pieces or on their side maybe. If i use sphagnum, i think it will stay wetter and maybe favour a more carefree growth of moss. Would like to hear your thoughts on this as well

Here is a photo of the mix as is:


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## Kostas (Sep 8, 2015)

I added a tad(half a cm maybe) of peat and akadama over the previous soil mix I showed you and placed some live moss on it. 




















Do you think this will be ok for the Phragmipedium? How should I care for it for both the P. kovachii to do well?

I am keeping the pot with the bottom 1 cm submerged in water, in addition to the 3 cm "plug" containing soil that the pot uses for normal self watering. Shall I increase or decrease the water level?

Thank you very much in advance!


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## Kostas (Sep 8, 2015)

The substrate is still wet now, 6hours after and with the A/C running(keeps things cooler but increases airflow). Maybe this soil combination will work for keeping the top of the soil wet enough for the likes of kovachii and the moss. Hopefully. 
Any and all advise welcome!


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## Stone (Sep 8, 2015)

To me the pot is too big but it will probably be alright for kovachii. I think the bigger the pot the less organic there should be.
What is very interesting to me is the fact that it grew so well oustside in a Mediterranean summer with low humidity. Our weather is similar to yours, so I might try mine outside when/if we ever get warm weather here!!!


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## Kostas (Sep 9, 2015)

Thank you Mike!
The pot is 20cm wide, currently a little big for it but should allow it to grow to adult size and get multiple growths without needing repotting for a good few years, till it outgrows it. I may need to replenish some of the organic matter I used(I used 20% total maybe, or less) in the upper parts but I am hoping the plant and moss will do this for me(old roots, older moss growth, maybe some of the smaller leafs left to rot on the substrate).
The substrate is still wet and the moss on top still happy. Kovachii is also growing well so far but it needs time to show whether it really likes the new mix/setup. I want to prevent any possible problems before they show, that's why I am asking for your opinion on it.

It handled outdoor conditions and all the heat very well but it certainly grows faster with cooler temperatures. The few days I keep it indoors now it has really taken off, especially the last 30h. You can see it growing now while with the heat it was much slower. 
It saw temperatures up to 36C or more and was fine. I kept it in bright shade with very little direct sun in early morning. It got watered(flooded) every two days and a wick was slowly emptying it's tray from the excess water within the course of a day, down to 2cm of water. The water was cool when watered. The plant was sitting on the balcony floor which was also always cool to the touch for some reason. I am at 330m elevation, so my nights can be cooler that the lowland areas(but not always), though I don't think they were this year. I tend to stay cooler during the day than the city center though, always.
Kovachii seemed not very fond of the mix it was growing in as only 1-2 roots were in active growth whe the rest were stalled. There was no root in the deeper parts of the pot, probably was a relatively recent transplant and did not grow many new roots in the meantime. The root initiation area was also too high and exposed for it to start new roots while I had it and couldn't do much as it was about 3cm above the lip of the pot.I have now planted it deeper.
All these may be results of its mix getting dry and sifted during transit, so the original mix it was growing in at the nursery was probably good for it combined with the humid conditions of the greenhouse and the watering schedule of the nursey.


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## Justin (Sep 9, 2015)

the plant looks healthy. 

for me, i am not an expert but for my 1 kovachii plant it is happy when i can water at least every other day (honestly every day would be best but my schedule doesn't permit it. actually i often water every 3 days which is not enough) 

the roots like to be COMPLETELY SOGGY WET at all times. not just moist. so if you can water every day or every two days that mix should work well.


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## Kostas (Sep 9, 2015)

Thank you very much for your reply and for sharing your experience with it Justin! That's is great to know! What mix do you keep yours in?
The mix I used is still dripping wet but the water level fell by 1cm already and thus I will have to flush and water it again tomorrow morning, which makes it right on time for watering every other day. I will probably water it using this schedule for now as I need to leach out the fert the media I used contain and also help the moss establish, but I will look if I can extend it somehow or maybe top up with water 1-2 times before taking it to the tub and giving it a flush, to save time and keep it happy and dripping wet! I think it still is soggy wet in my mix, which is one of the reasons I was asking for opinions on my mix and some reassurance


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## Erythrone (Sep 10, 2015)

Justin said:


> the roots like to be COMPLETELY SOGGY WET at all times. not just moist. so if you can water every day or every two days that mix should work well.



Like Justin, my mature plant is also grown like an aquatic plant (soggy wet) and it is very very very happy.


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## Kostas (Sep 10, 2015)

Thank you very much! How do you keep it soggy wet? I think mine is pretty wet too but not sure if it would like to be even wetter. I could flood the pot higher if needed


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## Linus_Cello (Sep 10, 2015)

Erythrone said:


> Like Justin, my mature plant is also grown like an aquatic plant (soggy wet) and it is very very very happy.



Could you post a pic of your growing situation. One day, I'd love to have a half water/land aquarium with PK and discus.


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## trdyl (Sep 10, 2015)

Linus_Cello said:


> One day, I'd love to have a half water/land aquarium with PK and discus.



I think they would be beautiful together. But I am pretty sure that discus take a warmer environment than what would be good for PK.


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## Kostas (Sep 22, 2015)

Sounds like it would be awesome Linus! I think its doable even with discus as kovackii can grow at the 28-30C discus enjoy(albeit slower), but it would be better with fish from cooler water. Few tropical fish enjoy water as warm as discus anyway(only fish from Rio Negro, Xingu and a few other tributaries). 
Cichlids are nice and fish with character. Aequidens rivulatus are especially personable fish as well as other bigger cichlids


A couple of pictures from my kovachii. It seems to progress well in the new medium, keeping the pot slightly flooded and rinsing everything from above every 2 days(to leach out the fertiliser contained in the growing medium and not get concentrated enough to harm it)






 
Moss seems to be establishing and grow well too


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## Kostas (Sep 22, 2015)

Today i received my second Phragmipedium kovachii. Its a little beaten up from drought during the trip here but seems healthy overall apart from a few yellow leafs that will be lost. Its substrate mix seems great and incorporates around 50% rock wool which i see as very advantageous to keeping a high moisture content while maintaining aeration. The roots seem better established in the pot than my first one, they seem to fill the pot nicely. The roots must probably be quite stressed now from the drought they saw but seem functional and ok so far. I watered well immediately upon arrival and it now sits in 1cm of water










Watered well, submerged in 1 cm of water and placed in a humid cool breeze to recuperate...












As seen, the plant's base sits above the substrate level. Isn't this too shallow for this species? I would tend to bury the stem up to where the last root begins and a little bit higher to allow proper rooting of the stem as it grows taller. What do you think?












Shall i remove the yellowed leafs or wait them out for the plant to get back what it can? Some minor infections had started on them

I look forward to seeing it grow well and full again


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## Kostas (Sep 23, 2015)

Here it is today that the true condition of the leafs is starting to show








I am holding on to the leafs as much as possible to let it retrieve what it can and will only remove when dried or if an infection is getting close to the stem


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## Happypaphy7 (Sep 23, 2015)

I agree with you in that I would also bury or cover up the base where the roots will grow. 

Regarding other plant in bonsai mix, they drain well but they also retain moisture quite a bit. You might want to try and sit the pot in the shallow water, or just water every couple days. 

I had kovachii hybrid once, which I grew in coir peat.
I was quite worried about the idea of growing it in wet feet, but boy, what a difference it made once I moved the plant to a saucer full of water.
The plant just took off like crazy!!!


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## Kostas (Sep 23, 2015)

Thank you very much for your advise!

The first plant is in a complex mixture of zeolite, pumice, lava, a little bark and some akadama. The lower you go in the pot, the purer the inorganic components. Its in a self watering pot, so part of the pot's lower surface is always submerged in water, and i keep it a 1-1,5cm flooded as well, so the bottom cm of the pot should be submerged in water. So far its growing very well thankfully and has thickened considerably at the base

Great to know your experience with kovachii hybrid in coir peat, amazing indeed how it did so well in submerged/saturated coir! These seem like they are almost aquatic


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