# Must be doing something right...



## xiphius (Oct 1, 2017)

I think I am finally doing something right with my phrag besseae ('Bleeding Heart' x 'Colossal')!

I got this one a few months ago and when I got it home, it seemed like it had been kept way too dry (it was potted in a coarse media that was almost bone dry and was showing some signs of stress). There was a mature new growth and an older growth which was clearly dying off. The plant was just starting to spike though. So I repotted it into fine bark and proceeded to water daily + sit in a tray of water. It perked up a bit, but I think that the bark was still drying out too fast. When the first bloom opened, it was really small, the pouch looked kinda compressed and the color was quite orange and blotchy.

First flower:






After the second bloom did not show any improvement, and the older growth showed signs of increasing decline, I repotted again into pure sphagnum moss over lava rock, topped off with live moss and put it back in the tray of water. A couple flowers later and it is looking dramatically better! The flowers are considerably larger now and much more red/less blotchy. There is a small kink in one of the petals that has me a little concerned, but I am hoping that this is just because the plant was stressed initially and not some genetic defect. Guess time will tell.

Current flower:





What's more, when I was watering the plant this morning, I saw a small bulge in the moss around the base. I tapped it gently to try and even it out, but felt something hard and kinda sharp. I gently peeled back to the moss to reveal - the beginnings of a new growth! There was absolutely no sign of any new growths when I repotted it into moss, so this is a completely new development. I am super excited. :clap:


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## NYEric (Oct 2, 2017)

Yay besseae. Don't rot the new growths.


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## xiphius (Oct 2, 2017)

That's the plan! I figure if I keep going the way I am it should be fine, since it was obviously good enough to get it started.


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## SlipperFan (Oct 2, 2017)

Good for you!


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