# Phrag Mem. Mariza Rolando



## monocotman (Oct 8, 2019)

a bit of a tease as the bud is just opening but you can already see the potential.

This is a seedling from the EYOF via Ratcliffe’s. This is only its second flowering as it is such a bad climber that it has taken time for me to work out how it grow it. It now has lots of moss around the base. The cross is Hanne Popow x kovachii. The first time it flowered the final colour was a hot pink and the shape was pretty much perfect. I’ll post again at the weekend,
David


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## blondie (Oct 8, 2019)

Looks like it's going to be stunning. I really need to improve my culture with Phrag's


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## mrhappyrotter (Oct 8, 2019)

Cool. A shapely flowered kovachii hybrid sounds wonderful.


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## tomkalina (Oct 8, 2019)

That's a great looking bud, David. Can you show the entire plant?


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## monocotman (Oct 8, 2019)

Just now.

Two spikes this year and the plant is not yet fully mature. On the first flowering it was easily better than the two that the EYOF have had awarded with AM/RHS. This one is very round and the colour ends up a really hot pink.


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## tomkalina (Oct 8, 2019)

Thanks. Well grown!


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## abax (Oct 8, 2019)

Outstanding growing. I can't wait to see the flower fully
open.


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## monocotman (Oct 9, 2019)

It’s opened up overnight. This is very much a flower with some growing to do. The natural spread of the petals is currently 8cm but it should end up at close to 9cm, as is the way with its kovachii parent.


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## Silverwhisp (Oct 9, 2019)

monocotman said:


> It’s opened up overnight. This is very much a flower with some growing to do. The natural spread of the petals is currently 8cm but it should end up at close to 9cm, as is the way with its kovachii parent.
> View attachment 16721
> View attachment 16722


Wow. Congratulations! That’s exquisite! Thanks for posting.


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## likespaphs (Oct 9, 2019)

wow!


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## richgarrison (Oct 9, 2019)

wow! and the plant really looks awesome Can you provide us a little about your culture?... looks like some sphagnum on the top of pot (as you mentioned above)
..


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## BrucherT (Oct 9, 2019)

Breath taker.


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## monocotman (Oct 9, 2019)

Rich, it’s potted in grodan minicubes with a topping of moss for the new shoots and roots as it’s such a bad climber. It sits on a trolley in a west facing window most of the year with my other phrags. It receives rain water plus maybe half rate rain mix (TDS around 180) feed year round at every watering. In summer the phrags go outside for 3-4 months where they receive afternoon sun. They sit it trays of water year round so never go dry. I find these wet growing types easy to grow indoors under UK conditions. The plants are never subjected to the extremes of greenhouse growing ( temperature/sunlight) and so the foliage stays perfect, no dings and marks. Winter indoors varies between 13 and 18 degrees and summer is around 18-25 degrees, with occasional peaks into the low 30’s.
David


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## tomkalina (Oct 9, 2019)

That's a beauty. One of the best I've seen.


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## monocotman (Oct 9, 2019)

Wait another three or four days. It should improve!
David


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## Guarceñosis (Oct 9, 2019)

Just fantastic.


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## ScientistKen (Oct 9, 2019)

Great culture and very nice bloom! My Mariza Rolando should be blooming size but no sign of any spikes yet.


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## abax (Oct 10, 2019)

Stunning flower David. The shape is perfect with no curling
petals. Absolutely one of the best I've seen. Keep us informed
of future developments.


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## monocotman (Oct 10, 2019)

Abax I may be crossing with it in future years. No idea yet whether it is fertile but it will be fun to try it with some of the other kovachii crosses.


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## richgarrison (Oct 10, 2019)

monocotman said:


> Rich, it’s potted in grodan minicubes with a topping of moss for the new shoots and roots as it’s such a bad climber. It sits on a trolley in a west facing window most of the year with my other phrags. It receives rain water plus maybe half rate rain mix (TDS around 180) feed year round at every watering. In summer the phrags go outside for 3-4 months where they receive afternoon sun. They sit it trays of water year round so never go dry. I find these wet growing types easy to grow indoors under UK conditions. The plants are never subjected to the extremes of greenhouse growing ( temperature/sunlight) and so the foliage stays perfect, no dings and marks. Winter indoors varies between 13 and 18 degrees and summer is around 18-25 degrees, with occasional peaks into the low 30’s.
> David


Thanx... Your plants do look really good....
....lot's more to say ...but in summary ...i can see a bunch of growdan cubes in my future... My open bag is calling my name for the next repotting session... just not sure which batch of plants to try first... (ya i'm chicken, things are finally growing well for me in my highly inorganic mix- 40 % (river gravel, perlite), rest in kiwi bark, with a sprinkling of chopped up NZ sphagnum)


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## e-spice (Oct 10, 2019)

You got a nice one there, sir.


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## grubea (Oct 11, 2019)

Very nice plant!!


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## monocotman (Oct 11, 2019)

Rich, I’ve grown phrags in a variety of mixes over the years, organic and non organic. They do well in all of them, I’ve not noticed much difference. The main benefit for me is that the rockwool does not break down at all and is easy to use when repotting.
I’ve gone back to the grodan minicubes recently on the recommendation of Jason Fischer and who am I to argue with such a successful grower?
David


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## monocotman (Oct 11, 2019)

Well 48 hours on and a short trip completed, this is the result. The flower is a full 1cm wider thanks to the kovachii influence on petal growth and has contributed to an even fuller flower.


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## monocotman (Oct 11, 2019)

So I took the plant into the greenhouse for better lighting.
The iPad slightly flatters the colour, it is really a shade or two lighter pink than shown. Not quite so neon pink. Apart from the excellent shape, it has a really good dorsal for a primary kovachii hybrid.
D


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## NYEric (Oct 11, 2019)

Yay bessesae hybrids! 
One of the best I've seen, great color, shape, and substance, plus the foliage is beautiful.
@richgarrison - besides grow cubes you would need the "rain-mix" from Europe to feed them, plus he has very unique water; which seems to be perfect for Phrags.


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## monocotman (Oct 11, 2019)

Eric, the flowering growth is just 40cm(16 inches) across so there may be some improvement in future.
As far as I know, rain mix is pretty much the old MSU feed formulation although it has been tweaked a bit. 
As far as ‘unique water’ is concerned, don’t you get rain in the US? That is all I use. I keep it in a series of connecting plastic barrels round the side of the house. The salt pen reading for it is about 20-30.


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## richgarrison (Oct 12, 2019)

monocotman said:


> Eric, the flowering growth is just 40cm(16 inches) across so there may be some improvement in future.
> As far as I know, rain mix is pretty much the old MSU feed formulation although it has been tweaked a bit.
> As far as ‘unique water’ is concerned, don’t you get rain in the US? That is all I use. I keep it in a series of connecting plastic barrels round the side of the house. The salt pen reading for it is about 20-30.


Thanx guys 
One of the super growers down in the northern virginia area (can't remember his name for the life of me) is growing in growdan cubes (and perlite) and turned me on to that idea a few years back... so i'm always looking for confirmation or alternate theories... haven't yet found a nay sayer or detractor... making me think that a transition from my hard to come by kiwi bark foundation might be a good strong experiment to start.
i am on RO water where the conductivity pen reads 2 or 3 microsiemens... using peters orchid RO occasionally flipping to mag trate or cal trate big feeding days measure 600 micro siemens with typical readings for everyday waterings @ 300 ish... flushing regularly with straight RO... 

So here's another question for @monocotman ... have you tried or considered combining growdan with tray culture?


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## monocotman (Oct 12, 2019)

Rich, not exactly sure what you mean by tray culture but the plant pots sit in trays year round with a bit of water in the bottom.
If you mean growing the plants in seed trays as Fox Valley do to great effect with their besseaes, then it would be fun to try but I am an indoor grower with limited space. They would take up too much room.


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## blondie (Oct 12, 2019)

That's a stunning flower congrats I now want to get one.


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## Linus_Cello (Oct 12, 2019)

richgarrison said:


> Thanx guys
> One of the super growers down in the northern virginia area (can't remember his name for the life of me) is growing in growdan cubes (and perlite) and turned me on to that idea



Al Pickerel?
I live in northern Virginia. Curious who this is.


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## Guarceñosis (Oct 14, 2019)

This is one of the best phrag flowers I have ever seen, isn't perfect?


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## monocotman (Oct 15, 2019)

Guarcenosis, thanks. I’m going to try breeding with it soon. I have a 4n Fritz Schomburg from the Fischer’s that is just producing its first spike.


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## monocotman (Oct 20, 2019)

A week on and a second flower open.


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## tomkalina (Oct 21, 2019)

Well done. Beautiful back yard!


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## NYEric (Oct 21, 2019)

Nice, thanks for sharing!


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## richgarrison (Oct 21, 2019)

Linus_Cello said:


> Al Pickerel?
> I live in northern Virginia. Curious who this is.


not Al... i always have trouble figuring this out. He always wears suspenders at the NCOS paph forum. That's where i know him from. Grows big specimen sized plants. Has been in the last 3 slipper culture forums.


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## richgarrison (Oct 21, 2019)

monocotman said:


> Rich, not exactly sure what you mean by tray culture but the plant pots sit in trays year round with a bit of water in the bottom.
> If you mean growing the plants in seed trays as Fox Valley do to great effect with their besseaes, then it would be fun to try but I am an indoor grower with limited space. They would take up too much room.



Yes it was that last thing i was pointing at... and yes Tom does have that technique mastered from what i saw...


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## Linus_Cello (Oct 21, 2019)

richgarrison said:


> not Al... i always have trouble figuring this out. He always wears suspenders at the NCOS paph forum. That's where i know him from. Grows big specimen sized plants. Has been in the last 3 slipper culture forums.



Oh, you mean Jeff Morris of Charlottesville Orchid Society (CHAOS). (I would consider Charlottesville to be central VA.)


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## richgarrison (Oct 21, 2019)

Linus_Cello said:


> Oh, you mean Jeff Morris of Charlottesville Orchid Society (CHAOS). (I would consider Charlottesville to be central VA.)


yup Jeff is the man... (and thanx for helping me remember i'm writing it down this time  )

btw anything south of maryland is northern virginia  (i'm in southeastern pa)


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## Peru (Oct 21, 2019)

Fantastic!


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## cpmaniac (Oct 21, 2019)

Amazing flowers and so well grown-- kudos!


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## monocotman (Nov 6, 2019)

So a final couple of photos of both spikes in flower
Enjoy!
David


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## DrLeslieEe (Nov 7, 2019)

Gorgeous little pink! Well grown too.... did petals hold horizontal throughout flower life?


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## monocotman (Nov 8, 2019)

They did! They stay flat right to the end,
David


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## TrueNorth (Nov 9, 2019)

A real beauty. Great shape! I'd love to get some pollen.


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## NYEric (Nov 12, 2019)

Yikes! Yay pK hybrids...


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