# My kovachii cross arrived! Now for the love of God, please give me cultural advice!



## johnndc (Sep 28, 2006)

I got these two from Piping Rock. They're both Phrag. kovachii 'Laura' x Phrag. Saint Ouen. I've read through this forum, and elsewhere, for everyone's tips on kovachii - moist, cool, limestone, and relatively low light. But does anybody have any thoughts about this cross, since it's half Saint Ouen? I was thinking a bit more light, a bit warmer - but I'm really not sure. I was a bit worried about the kovachii liking it's 64 degrees F. Was hoping Saint Ouen will bring that up a bit, but wasn't sure how much. Thoughts? Thanks


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## Kyle (Sep 28, 2006)

I would take them out of moss and pot them up into what ever media your most comfortable with.


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## johnndc (Sep 28, 2006)

I'm a bit nervous about repotting plants when I first receive them - I have this feeling that I've killled a good number before by not letting them adjust to my conditions first. Am i wrong about this? I don't grow anything in straight sphag, so I was a bit worried when I saw that they came that way.


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## Kyle (Sep 29, 2006)

I'm a big fan of repotting right away. Gives you a baseline on how the plant is doing. And if you repot into a media that your familliar with you'll have a better handle on how to give the little guys what they want.

Kyle


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## gonewild (Sep 29, 2006)

Don't base your decision from only what you see on top.

You should base your decision on the quantity, quality and condition of the roots. I would first take them out of their pots and inspect the roots. You can tap them out and carefully separate the moss to view the roots, then simply put it all back together.

If the roots are actively growing then there should be no reason why you can't change to your familiar media. If the roots are poor you should think toward a change to fresh media anyway.


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## kentuckiense (Sep 29, 2006)

Does Glen really grow them in sphag? I was under the impression that Paphs/Phrags were only put in sphag as a temporary measure when plants travel long ways to be sold. Cheaper, less media spilling, etc.


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## johnndc (Sep 29, 2006)

I just emailed Glen and asked him how he grew them. I will also carefully pull them out of the pot tomorrow just to peak at the roots, to make sure they're okay, which is wise considering the price.


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## gonewild (Sep 29, 2006)

johnndc said:


> I just emailed Glen and asked him how he grew them. I will also carefully pull them out of the pot tomorrow just to peak at the roots, to make sure they're okay, which is wise considering the price.



Take pictures of the roots and post them. I would love to see how they look.


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## Jmoney (Sep 29, 2006)

a long time ago I used to grow phrags in moss...they loved the moisture and grew roots like crazy. (phrags are also supposed to like a lower pH that is provided by the moss). it got to be too annoying because of the short life of sphagnum, and most take to s/h just as well. still have a few in moss for the cooling effect, when used with clay pots.


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## littlefrog (Sep 29, 2006)

I did an experiment with mine that I got from Piping Rock. Had two each of two crosses, and put one of each cross in my diatomite/SH mix and left one in its pot. That was May. I just noticed last week that the diatomite plants were at least twice as big as the sphag plants, so I moved them all to diatomite...

That is just my conditions and in my basement, your mileage may (and no doubt will) vary.


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## NYEric (Sep 29, 2006)

Thanx a lot now I know what to do w/ them. E.


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## Ron-NY (Sep 29, 2006)

if you could tip the left pot, I could tell you when it was potted in that moss. The one on the right is in fresh Sphag. It went into that pot and fresh Shpag about a month ago.

I have mine still in moss except the one I have moved as an experiment into S/H. I allow the moss to get just barely damp before I rewater.


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## Rick (Sep 29, 2006)

Kyle said:


> I'm a big fan of repotting right away. Gives you a baseline on how the plant is doing. And if you repot into a media that your familliar with you'll have a better handle on how to give the little guys what they want.
> 
> Kyle



After getting a few plants with poor roots I am too. Also everyone waters differently, and success with different watering regimes is often based on the mix you have good success watering with.

But I've grown phrags in straight moss, and would not have a problem leaving them in it too.


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## johnndc (Sep 29, 2006)

Ron, et. al., I already unpotted them to check out the roots and the roots were great. I did notice in one plant that there was a thick mass of older sphag right at the base of the plant, so I removed it - it was way older than the newer stuff surrounding it. I'm posting a pic of the plants below. At this point I potted them back up in sphag, just felt safer since they're seedlings (don't want to change the root environment on them this early since they're new), and it's fall (and I want to see new roots growing before I try s/h for one of these). Oh, and the white stuff is rootone I added to both. All the roots are firm, even the dark ones on the left.


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## lienluu (Sep 29, 2006)

I bought a few of them when they first became for sale. I just left them in the pot and sphag and have grown quite a bit since i got them. Probably about 2 mos ago? I can take some photos tomorrow if you'd like.


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## johnndc (Sep 29, 2006)

Absolutely, I'd love to see how they look now. What conditions are you growing them under - light, water (how wet, pH, fert), humidity, temp?


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## lienluu (Sep 30, 2006)

Here is a picture of one of the seedlings when i first got them, at the start of August, around the first week. They looked very much like yours when I got them.






Here are three of them, taken today. I just noticed, while I was taking these photos that the bottom most leaves are yellowing-off. 






Being small seedlings, I just stuck them in the bench with other seedlings this size and somewhat forgot about them until this post came up. I don't really treat them any differently than other seedlings this size. Other than the fact that I left them in the sphag. Temps this time of the year are around 60 at night and 77 during the day. Kept moist.


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## Shadow (Oct 1, 2006)

Do you know when they were taken out of flask?


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## NYEric (Oct 2, 2006)

Growing nicely. E.


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