Phrag medium

[newbud]

Hi guys and gals - I recently got a couple more Phrags one is a besseae and the other is another kovachii cross to go with my Fritz Schomberg. I'm wondering what a good medium for these kinds of Phrags would be. Are all Phrags alike as far as growing media goes? Aren't Phrags terrestial? It seems like everytime I see pictures of one in the wild they are growing on the ground. So wouldn't some loomy type media be more appropriate for them? Thanks for all your help.

 

[Shiva]

My own favorite media is called Aussie Gold Mix. It's basically an inorganic mix which means it cannot rot, pack up or become stale. It needs to be watered frequently and the diatomite inside will eventually dissolve giving some nutrients to the plant. I've been using it for the last three and a half years and am totally satisfied with it. Repotting is easy as the stuff will fall off readily from the roots. I keep the old mix and when I have enough, I sterilize it in the oven for later reuse. I will then mix the old material with the new one for potting another plant. There are always some plants that don't like it, but it's the same with any other mix.

 

[SlipperFan]

I use the same mix on all my Phrags: diatomite, CHC & sponge roc. My biggest difference is where I place them relative to the brightness of the light.

 

[Rick]

Actually Phrag species come from quite varying habits.

Some like pearcei can be found along stream banks and can be flooded for long periods of time.

Most of the long-petaled, caudatum types are found in trees or on cliffs.

Besseae and kovachii are also cliff dwellers, but usually near seeps.

Steep terrain generally means very well draining.

Just about all of them like lots of water, and the streamside species do very well with semi-hydro conditions (using inert / wicking materials like clay balls sitting in a shallow reservoir of water).

I have several species doing very well in the wooden slat baskets full of moss, sand, and limestone gravel. Including a besseae and a kovachii. But I also have some good plants in semi-hydro as well as plants in regular plastic pots with a standard bark mix.

I really don't think Phrags care what you pot them in as long as you get the water chemistry and quantity right.

 

[newbud]

Thanks all. I've read some good things about Aussie Gold on here today so I might try if I can find it. Dot - what about the different light? Which goes where? Rick - I hope to see your setup later. Jack

 

[Shiva]

One thing I forgot to mention about AGM is you don't need to repot for years. The only reason for me to repot a plant is when it needs a bigger pot or when the plant grows litterealy out of the pot as it happens with many besseae hybrids.

 

[newbud]

Cool, thanks

 

[John M]

I've used CHC and coarse horticultural grade perlite in the past with great success. Currently, I'm using coconut husk chips, chopped styrofoam peanuts and pea gravel. I put pea gravell in the bottom, fill the middle with a mix of 2/3 styrofoam chips and 1/3 CHC and top off with a mix of 1/2 CHC and gravel. Everything seems to like it. As Rick indicated, some like to sit in a puddle and some don't.

This thread needs to be moved out of the photograph section and into the "Slipper Orchid Culture" section.

 

[NYEric]

I cant use Aussie Gold with many plants as I grow in water. Your mix should depend on your conditions and how much water/moisture you normally provide.

 

[SlipperFan]

Thanks all. I've read some good things about Aussie Gold on here today so I might try if I can find it. Dot - what about the different light? Which goes where? Rick - I hope to see your setup later. Jack

I hang the long-petalled plants above the others. Besseae, schlimii and seedlings get more shade. But they are all in relatively bright light. The hanging ones tend to get a little drier sooner because they have more space around them and more air circulation. So that goes along with my theory that they don't need quite as much water as the ground-dwellers.

 

[Eric Muehlbauer]

I use a simple mix of bark (currently Orchiata), spongerock, and some chopped NZ sphagnum. All my phrags go in the same mix. Most are kept very wet, but the larger caudatum hybrids are kept drier. Phrags are very tolerant, and I have repotted neglected phrags whose medium had completely decayed after 4-5 years, and yet the roots were healthy. My only disaster as a medium is CHC.