# Phragmipedium Eumelia Arias



## mrhappyrotter (Sep 27, 2014)

Phrag. schlimii x kovachii

This is one of the darlings of my collection. The flower quality is not all that great. Yes, I know it looks amazing in the pics, now that it's freshly opened, but in a couple of days the color will fade quite a bit, the petals will reflex, and the dorsal sepal will slouch over. Still, it will maintain some of its attractive qualities.

But, this plant does have some things going for it. The flowers are fragrant, taking after schlimii's rose perfume scent. I love fragrant slippers. The plant itself is vigorous. I think I've had to repot it 3 times in the past 1.5 - 2 years, it simply outgrows anything I put it in. So far, it's been trouble free. No pests. No rot. And best of all, it loves to bloom. The plant spikes up every 6 - 8 months. In fact, this time around, it started to produce 2 flower spikes. I opted to pluck one of them, I'm trying to encourage more growths because I'm going to divide it next time I repot.

Enough words, MrHappyRotter. Enough words. Give us the pictures, you say?


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## Parryaw (Sep 27, 2014)

Very nice ! Love the detail on the opening of the pouch!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## 17andgrowing (Sep 27, 2014)

Awesome!


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## Lmpgs (Sep 27, 2014)

Gorgeous!!

Please, what kind of substate do you use? And the temperatures range?

Thank you


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## phrag guy (Sep 27, 2014)

very nice and sounds like it is very happy


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## troy (Sep 27, 2014)

Petals reflex back? How bad? I'm asking because I like it so much that cross might be my first phrag. Is the plant large? Have you tried facing the flower towards the light? Generally like bellatulums tend to have cupped petals if you face the flower away from the light the petals will grow towards the light reducing the cuppiness


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## mrhappyrotter (Sep 27, 2014)

Lmpgs said:


> Gorgeous!!
> 
> Please, what kind of substate do you use? And the temperatures range?
> 
> Thank you



I use a rockwool based mix, with medium charcoal, sponge rock (large grade perlite), LECA, a bit of sphag, sand, and oyster shell. This plant and most of my other phrags sit in water at all times.

I'd say temps are warm most of the year. In the summer, night temps are in the low 70s. Daytime temps tend to be upper 70s to low 80s. In the coldest parts of the winter, night temps dip into the low 60s, daytime maxes out in the low 70s, generally. But around here, winter can be cold one day, hot the next, so the indoor temps are influenced by whether or not I need to run the heater or not.


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## troy (Sep 27, 2014)

I guess that answer would be awesome if it had anything to do with the the reply I wrote


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## troy (Sep 27, 2014)

Lol.. sorry, you were answering somebody else


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## troy (Sep 27, 2014)

I like yur phrag I want one


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## mrhappyrotter (Sep 27, 2014)

troy said:


> Petals reflex back? How bad? I'm asking because I like it so much that cross might be my first phrag. Is the plant large? Have you tried facing the flower towards the light? Generally like bellatulums tend to have cupped petals if you face the flower away from the light the petals will grow towards the light reducing the cuppiness



I haven't noticed the light influencing the petal orientation, but I know that the blooms on most phrags will orient themselves so as to open towards the brightest light. Initially, when the flower opens, the petals are fairly flat, but that changes over the course of a few days.

It is one of my larger phrags. It's not exactly a monster, but I wouldn't call it small either. The leaves are narrow, but they are around 20 - 24 inches long, so it does take up quite a bit of space. Granted, it's tall enough that I can fit some of the smaller, lower light plants under it.

I think this hybrid would be a good first phrag. They like to stay warm and wet, and you should make sure to use good, clean water. Kovachii hybrids are a bit pricey compared to other phrags, but EA is probably the least expensive of the bunch. Keep in mind, the individual flowers don't last long, so a plant like mine that typically only produces 2 - 3 blooms per spike may only stay in flower for a few weeks.

The flower quality on these guys is highly variable, and some are pretty crappy. I'd classify my other (presumed to be) Eumelia Arias as poor quality. Also, from what I've gathered on this forum and others, there's also a fair amount of variation in terms of floriferousness and vigor. Some, like the plant in this picture, grow quickly and without issue, others (like my other EA mentioned earlier) are nothing but trouble.

You may want to start with a blooming sized plant, or even if possible, select a plant that's currently in bloom so that you know whether the flowers are good quality and that the plant is willing to bloom.


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## troy (Sep 27, 2014)

Thank you for the insight


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## NYEric (Sep 27, 2014)

Cool, can you post a photo of the plant please.


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## bullsie (Sep 27, 2014)

That is such a beautiful Eumela Arias!! I have several EAs and am so excited to see how they bloom out. The plants themselves are growing quite well for me. FS hates me, so for a kovachii cross I'm counting on EA blooms.


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## eaborne (Sep 27, 2014)

Love it!


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## Clark (Sep 29, 2014)

Attractive flower.


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## eteson (Sep 29, 2014)

Nice flower.
I do have several EA plants from Peruflora and this cross seems to me a reluctant bloomer. The plants are vigorous and pest free but do not like to bloom, some of my plants are clumps of 8-12 fans with amazing root system, but I´ve not seen a single flower. I grow them the same way than FS. What I am doing wrong?


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## trdyl (Sep 29, 2014)

Lovely!


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## monocotman (Sep 30, 2014)

*Growing Eumelia Arias*

Growing this hybrid in the UK I find it to be easy and trouble free.
I bought my plant as a seedling and as usual it took 2-3 years and a couple of cycles of growth to get to FS but now is pretty straight forward and a fast grower.
The two main growths flowered last spring and there are two more new growths from these that are already maturing and showing buds.
Now that the plant is large the growths seem to mature in about 9 months.
I sit my phrags in rain water year round and feed with Akerne's rain mix.
I don't flush through the pots and repot into a bark mix about every two years.
The plants go outside in the summer in a shady area next to the cyps and come into the house about now and sit in the kitchen.
Easy and trouble free compared to most paphs!
David


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## mrhappyrotter (Sep 30, 2014)

NYEric said:


> Cool, can you post a photo of the plant please.



Nothing too special, but here goes ...


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## mrhappyrotter (Sep 30, 2014)

eteson said:


> Nice flower.
> I do have several EA plants from Peruflora and this cross seems to me a reluctant bloomer. The plants are vigorous and pest free but do not like to bloom, some of my plants are clumps of 8-12 fans with amazing root system, but I´ve not seen a single flower. I grow them the same way than FS. What I am doing wrong?



What are your temps like? What about fertilizer type and feeding rate? And light?

I grow under T8 fluorescent tubes, keep the plant sitting in water at all times, feed lightly, but more or less with every watering. I grow fairly warmly, but I'm not sure the temps have much to do with inducing the blooms, since it blooms at different times of year whenever the latest growth(s) mature.

Maybe you're feeding high nitrogen and/or using a lot of root/foliar stimulants like seaweed extract? I rotate my fertilizers, and I give the plants a rest from seaweed/superthrive periodically.


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## eteson (Sep 30, 2014)

I do not have problem flowering other kovachii crosses so i think that it coul be something related with this oarticular cross. I feed all my phrags with klite and wuxal calcium alternating both two. My temps are fairly constant all arround the year never higher than 30° and never lower than 19°... this could be the reason.


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## mrhappyrotter (Sep 30, 2014)

eteson said:


> I do not have problem flowering other kovachii crosses so i think that it coul be something related with this oarticular cross. I feed all my phrags with klite and wuxal calcium alternating both two. My temps are fairly constant all arround the year never higher than 30° and never lower than 19°... this could be the reason.



If your EAs are all siblings, perhaps from the same flask or compot, it might just be a genetic reluctance to bloom in your conditions. The only way to know for sure is to send them all to me and buy a new compot for yourself. LOL

I just know, like you, I treat this plant like all my other water loving phrags, nothing special that I'm conscious of. It's like my Sunset Glows. They grow quickly, and flower without hesitation once the growths are mature.

I do have a phrag that absolutely refuses to bloom. It's a bush of pearcei. I like it because it's small, and I like the grassy foliage, but darn ... if only it would bloom for me.


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## eteson (Sep 30, 2014)

All my EA are from peruflora. I got them as mature plants.... it might be genetic... I am going to keep them a couple of years more... if i do not get flowers then I am going to send them to you 

To flower pearcei and hirtzii give them much more light... even direct sunligth.


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## monocotman (Oct 1, 2014)

*Flowering eumelia arias*

I wonder whether your EA's need a few cool nights to initiate flower buds?
This is the most likely environmental trigger,
David


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## Brabantia (Oct 1, 2014)

Beautiful!


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## SlipperFan (Oct 1, 2014)

One of the nicest shaped kovachii hybrids.


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## Tintin (Apr 3, 2022)

mrhappyrotter said:


> Nothing too special, but here goes ...


How did your grow?


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## PhragNewbie021 (Apr 3, 2022)

What is the purpose of adding sand to the mix, Also, how much? Thanks, Joe


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