Phrag Praying Mantis, then and now

[SlipperKing]

I posted this flower when it started to bloom, 8/14/2009

And now today, 6 months later, any differences?

Plant and spike

 

[Ernie]

Color seems a lot deeper.

-Ernie

 

[smartie2000]

strange...the dorsal and synsepal are not as ruffled either
oke: are you sure that it's the same plant?

 

[Leo Schordje]

The change is neat. Could it be more sun & more fertilizer as the plant got older? One of the great things about Phrag hybrids with longifolium or the lindleyanum species group in the background, they can have an incredible number of flowers, a few at a time on a single flower stem. Really nice trait.

 

[SlipperKing]

I think you have touched on it Leo. A change up on the fertilzing.

 

[SlipperFan]

And more spots inside the pouch.

What did you change in the fertilizing, Rick?

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

strange...the dorsal and synsepal are not as ruffled either
oke: are you sure that it's the same plant?

The petals too are less ruffled. Interesting!

 

[Yoyo_Jo]

So has it kept on blooming since last August? That's cool.

 

[SlipperKing]

And more spots inside the pouch.

What did you change in the fertilizing, Rick?

I add low levels of Epson Salts to my fertizing, ~12ppm

 

[SlipperFan]

I add low levels of Epson Salts to my fertizing, ~12ppm

Interesting. Each time you fertilize? I've read somewhere that the MSU formula doesn't include more magnesium than it does because too much reacts in some way with the other ingredients (nitrogen maybe?). So some people do an Epsom Salts fertilizing at a different watering than with the regular fertilizer.

 

[SlipperKing]

I don't use MSU, that may make a difference too.

 

[Leo Schordje]

Tenman & I have a friend in common, who had a longifolium in bloom when he moved from Chicago to Columbus OH. When I went to Columbus to visit three years later the same flower stems were still in bloom, on the 20+ flower count, and still growing. Tenman help our friend Tom repot the plant at the 5 year mark, and they cut the flower stem off, because he was bored with it and it was looking ungainly. At the 5 year mark this longifolium had bloomed over 40 flowers on a single stem. Always one or two at a time. I think with good to excellent culture, there may be no set limit to the number of flowers. Good growing is the key and Rick does it well.