Help with Phrags?

[Ernesto]

I received these phrags from Ecuagenera about two weeks ago and trimmed obviously dead leaves, but the stuff I left intact is bothering me. Can I get some opinions on these?


Phrag. Eumelia Arias. I’ve noticed it’s growing new roots but the browning I left is concerning.


Phrag. Super Rubies. New roots on this one too but the small spots on the crown concern me. Not sure if it was there when I received it.


Phrag. Incan Treasure. The brown patch on the crown was there on arrival and seems to be dry. The brown spot on the leaf appears to be new.

 

[MaxC]

Nothing really concerns me there too much. These plants are transitioning from their previous growing conditions to yours since they will not be exactly the same, you will experience this with most of your phrags. Depending when they arrived in the US they also had to make the trip from Ecuador. I know most others have had good experiences from ordering from them, including myself.

You will notice some of the oldest leaves (bottom ones) starting to brown this time of year, just the natural cycle. Some people leave them and some just wait for them to fully go brown and then take them off or leave for extra support.

If you notice brown spots getting bigger then I would remove that part of the leaf and treat with dragon's blood or something else. I would only be concerned by browning inside the crown or on new growths and young leaves. Make sure you have medium covering the new roots so they can stay moist. You have good roots and new growths coming out so you are doing something right and if all goes well some blooms to look forward to.

 

[Ernesto]

Nothing really concerns me there too much. These plants are transitioning from their previous growing conditions to yours since they will not be exactly the same, you will experience this with most of your phrags. Depending when they arrived in the US they also had to make the trip from Ecuador. I know most others have had good experiences from ordering from them, including myself.

You will notice some of the oldest leaves (bottom ones) starting to brown this time of year, just the natural cycle. Some people leave them and some just wait for them to fully go brown and then take them off or leave for extra support.

If you notice brown spots getting bigger then I would remove that part of the leaf and treat with dragon's blood or something else. I would only be concerned by browning inside the crown or on new growths and young leaves. Make sure you have medium covering the new roots so they can stay moist. You have good roots and new growths coming out so you are doing something right and if all goes well some blooms to look forward to.

Thank you for your thorough response! I was poking around the Incan Treasure and noticed a couple rotten roots. Should I go ahead and unpot to cut them out or leave it undisturbed until I see new roots forming? The Incan Treasure is the only Phrag among the batch that hasn’t shown visible new roots yet.

 

[MaxC]

If you are going to clean up dead/soft roots now is this time do it. Generally you will want to repot/divide larger plants when you are in a growth period. That being said phrags are more tolerant of repotting than other orchids.

Only thing with phrags is once you get hooked there's no turning back.

 

[Ernesto]

If you are going to clean up dead/soft roots now is this time do it. Generally you will want to repot/divide larger plants when you are in a growth period. That being said phrags are more tolerant of repotting than other orchids.

Only thing with phrags is once you get hooked there's no turning back.

Great, I cleaned up the rest of my Ecuagenera order as well. I ended up knocking off a couple growths of the Incan Treasure so I threw them into a small pot together. I sealed cuts with H2O2 and cinnamon. I’ll keep my dragon’s blood ready though.

I’m sure once I get my first bloom I will be locked in. I bought a besseae seedling at an orchid show in February, ordered these in mid-March, and while waiting for them to ship out of Ecuador I ordered a Hanne Popow from an Etsy seller. I’m gonna hold off on more once I have some success with these.

 

[Ernesto]

Update on the Phrag. Incan Treasure: after cleaning up its roots I noticed a bunch of older leaves beginning to yellow. I take this to mean that it’s using the leaves to fuel new root growth? The plant is positioned right next to the personal fan I have for the shelf, so I was worried about potential new roots drying out. I added some sphagnum moss to be on the safe side.

 

[abax]

You've got a new growth started there. I'd hold
off on the slashing around that new growth...
little accidents do happen.

 

[Ray]

Also - you do not need fans blowing on your plants. It accelerates water loss all around, not just from roots.

The idea behind air movement is to prevent pockets of air stagnation where pathogens thrive, not to provide a breeze. If you grow in a home, where water doesn’t sit around and the humidity is likely not particularly high, such “pocket stagnation” just isn’t an issue.

 

[Ernesto]

Also - you do not need fans blowing on your plants. It accelerates water loss all around, not just from roots.

The idea behind air movement is to prevent pockets of air stagnation where pathogens thrive, not to provide a breeze. If you grow in a home, where water doesn’t sit around and the humidity is likely not particularly high, such “pocket stagnation” just isn’t an issue.

My grow space is in the same room as several aquariums, so the relative humidity ranges anywhere from 45% in winter up to 85% when it’s raining. I would say it is usually in the 60s though. Considering my home conditions, would you recommend the use of personal fans?

 

[Ray]

My grow space is in the same room as several aquariums, so the relative humidity ranges anywhere from 45% in winter up to 85% when it’s raining. I would say it is usually in the 60s though. Considering my home conditions, would you recommend the use of personal fans?

Probably not. Between convection of the light strips and flow created by aeration in the tanks, there’s probably enough air movement to preclude issues.

If anything, I’d put a small fan in the room, away from the plants, blowing gently down a wall to create a steady circulation.

 

[Ernesto]

Probably not. Between convection of the light strips and flow created by aeration in the tanks, there’s probably enough air movement to preclude issues.

If anything, I’d put a small fan in the room, away from the plants, blowing gently down a wall to create a steady circulation.

Thanks for your input, I’ll make the change.