Phrag. culture?

[Orchidnut57]

What is best?
I successfully grow my Phrags in N.Z.Moss under lights. Many bloom regularly. But in reading other culture material I understand that growing in fine-to-medium heat treated bark is the most widely used option. Your thoughts?
I know the old adage...if it ain't broke don't fix it...but I want to give my small collection the best that I can.
Thanks Jim :crazy:

 

[Rick]

There is no "best" way Jim.

So stick with the adage for the time being.

I guess you might review your collection and goals to critically determine if it really isn't broken.

What's the longest (oldest) growing plant?, how many plants lost per year?, any patterns in loss?, any species or varieties that give you trouble? is maintenance more than you want to invest?

It's all relative. Anyone else in the Memphis society getting better results than you? Less loss over time? Harder species? Bigger more frequent flowerings?

These plants can last for many years, and bloom almost ever year. So if you've only been at it for a few years, you may not be in a position to critically assess "broken" except for maybe looking at loss rate of seedlings.

There's nothing wrong with growing in moss. I moved several of my phrags over to wood slat baskets of moss (with other inert stuff and sand mixed in), but I also have several plants in semi hydro, and a lindleyanum seedling in bark. My primary assessment of potting methods has a bit more to do with ease of maintenance than cultural demands of the plants them selves. The nutrition things I've been harping on lately do feedback somewhat with potting mix selection, but after messing with phrags for 10 years (with a few plants that have been with me the whole time), I'm seeing a lot of positive things (from growth, blooming, and disease resistance) in virtually all my potting systems, by feeding low potassium high calcium fertilizer.

 

[Lycaste53]

Never change a running system!
best regards, Gina

 

[Orchidnut57]

Phrag culture

Thank you Gina and Rick
I have only been growing Phrags for less than a year. And I have not lost any of the 26 I started with. So I will follow your advice...the old adage.
Jim
You guys are the best!

 

[NYEric]

I'm seeing a lot of positive things (from growth, blooming, and disease resistance) in virtually all my potting systems, by feeding low potassium high calcium fertilizer.

What ratio are you most commonly using.

 

[Eric Muehlbauer]

I have found phrags to be very tolerant of most media, as long as they are wet enough. I use bark with lots of spongerock and sphagnum, but I have kept them in the same mix for up to 4 years. When I repot, the media is just muck, yet the roots are fine. If they do OK with straight sphagnum for you, keep it up.

 

[goldenrose]

....I have only been growing Phrags for less than a year. And I have not lost any of the 26 I started with....

Keep up the good work! We'll want a yearly update!

 

[Phrag-Plus]

I have found phrags to be very tolerant of most media, as long as they are wet enough. I use bark with lots of spongerock and sphagnum, but I have kept them in the same mix for up to 4 years. When I repot, the media is just muck, yet the roots are fine. If they do OK with straight sphagnum for you, keep it up.

I’m aggreeing with Rick as long as you stay away from coco husk…

 

[SlipperFan]

I’m aggreeing with Rick as long as you stay away from coco husk…

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[Phrag-Plus]

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I’m agreeing, Phrags can be grown in almost every media, but if you want to kill a Phragmipedium it is easy use coco.

 

[Eric Muehlbauer]

I agree with that 100%. Phrags hate CHC. In fact, its the only medium they hate. The only one that is even worse is cocopeat.

 

[SlipperFan]

I’m agreeing, Phrags can be grown in almost every media, but if you want to kill a Phragmipedium it is easy use coco.

I agree with that 100%. Phrags hate CHC. In fact, its the only medium they hate. The only one that is even worse is cocopeat.

Please don't tell that to my Phrags. They've been growing in it combined with diatomite and sponge rock for at least 4 years, and they are quite happy. Maybe it's the source of your CHC?

 

[Eric Muehlbauer]

I've had CHC from many different sources. Results are always consistent- epiphytes love it (except phals and pleurothallids), paphs appear to like it at first, then decline (except for philipinense and its hybrids, and, interestingly enough, brachy's...so its not a salt issue), and phrags just hate it from the get go.

 

[Chuck]

Well Dot, sorry, I've got to agree with you again. I've got lots of plant in CHC mix and they do just fine. I do wash it with rain water until the rinse water in between 50 and 100 ppm before I use it but I do 90 litres at a time so its not too much work.

 

[SlipperFan]

Well Dot, sorry, I've got to agree with you again. I've got lots of plant in CHC mix and they do just fine. I do wash it with rain water until the rinse water in between 50 and 100 ppm before I use it but I do 90 litres at a time so its not too much work.

Oh, please don't be sorry. I was beginning to think I was making some kind of horrible mistake.

I soak/wash mine 3 times with my well water, which is high in calcium. I get it in condensed brick form from Kingsman Supply Company.

 

[Rick]

What ratio are you most commonly using.

I'm having to build my own mix.

I start with MSU pure water fertilizer, 1/4tsp per gal
1/4tsp of CaNO3.4H2O
1/4tsp of MgSO4(anhydrous)

This is equivalent to about 12-3-6 NPK with 12-6 Ca/Mg

Just using the MSU alone is 12-6-13 NPK with 7-2 Ca/Mg

So you can see that the Ca is now about 2X the K and Mg is about equal to K.

BTW It looks like this higher Ca/Mg mix will recondition CHC and keep it from accumulating K.

I have a couple compots of Paph lowii, and I think I'm going to pot up half in a CHC mix to see how they take off.

 

[SlipperFan]

Sounds interesting, Rick. Keep us informed as to how your experiment is going.

 

[Brabantia]

Interesting discussion. I see that we all strive for the sustrate perfection . I am currently testing a culture of Phragmipedium caudatum in a mixture 70% irregular clay balls (popcorn clay balls) and 30% rockwool cubes (Grodan). It is a substrate recommended for hydroponic culture. I'm not for growing in pure rockwool because it tends to settle over time. The oxygen supply to the roots is not very good in these conditions and this seems to me to be very important for good growing Phragmipediums.

 

[NYEric]

1/4tsp of "CaNO3.4H2O"

What is this? Commercially?

 

[Rick]

1/4tsp of "CaNO3.4H2O"

What is this? Commercially?

I work in an aquatic tox lab. It's the calcium nitrate laying on the shelf. We use it in our algae nutrient media.

It either came from Fisher Scientific or Sigma Chemical. Same for my anhydrous Mag sulfate.