Phrag. schlimii 'Cali'

[tomkalina]

In bloom this morning in a warm, sunny greenhouse.(Outside temp = 37F). One of our fragrant breeding clones.

 

[Guarceñosis]

Excellent schlimii Tomkalina.

 

[Paphluvr]

That's a beauty, Tom.

 

[abax]

Cute as can be and happy petals. Just my style.

 

[grubea]

Very nice!!

 

[blondie]

A very very nice bloom

 

[Greenpaph]

Super, Tom!

Is this one that is kept more wet?

Thanks

 

[tomkalina]

At this time of year, we grow this species more like a Paph.,so a bit drier than most Phrags. The Phrag. schlimii's get watered once every 10 days or so depending upon the light quality/quantity . This the same schedule we follow for the long-petalled species like caudatum,humboldtii, etc.

 

[DrLeslieEe]

So cute. The two 'eyes' on the staminode is striking.

 

[Elite Orchids]

At this time of year, we grow this species more like a Paph.,so a bit drier than most Phrags. The Phrag. schlimii's get watered once every 10 days or so depending upon the light quality/quantity . This the same schedule we follow for the long-petalled species like caudatum,humboldtii, etc.

Hi Tom, do you use the same potting mix as Paphs too?

 

[tomkalina]

Hi Mark, Yes, we do. It's a combination of small fir bark,perlite, charcoal, milled Canadian peat moss and NZ sphagnum moss. We try to get relatively the same size particles of each non-moss component for good drainage. For the long-petalled Phrag. species, we eliminate the milled peat moss and use a 50-50 blend of small and medium fir bark plus the other components. Everything gets potted in plastic pots or trays.

 

[Elite Orchids]

Hi Mark, Yes, we do. It's a combination of small fir bark,perlite, charcoal, milled Canadian peat moss and NZ sphagnum moss. We try to get relatively the same size particles of each non-moss component for good drainage. For the long-petalled Phrag. species, we eliminate the milled peat moss and use a 50-50 blend of small and medium fir bark plus the other components. Everything gets potted in plastic pots or trays.

Thank you - much appreciated - so you haven't gone down the rockwool route for phrags? - any reason?

 

[tomkalina]

We've tried just about every combination of mix constituents possible over the years and found the current one which we've used for over twenty years, gives us the best combination of water retention and root aeration under our growing conditions. We did try rockwool as a mix constituent a couple of times, and found no improvement in slipper orchid growth so we discontinued it. That's not to say that it wouldn't work as well or better under different growing conditions. There's an old saying; "What works for you, works for you". If your plants are growing well for you, the worst thing you can do is start changing any of the growth variables on a large scale based on someone else's experience. I think we all tweak things in small ways once in a while, chasing the elusive perfect growth rate and it's one of the ways we learn what works best and what doesn't. That's why Slippertalk is such a great resource - you see what works (or doesn't work) for a lot of other growers and then selectively apply some of these ideas to your own situation.

 

[abax]

Amen Tom!

 

[Elite Orchids]

We've tried just about every combination of mix constituents possible over the years and found the current one which we've used for over twenty years, gives us the best combination of water retention and root aeration under our growing conditions. We did try rockwool as a mix constituent a couple of times, and found no improvement in slipper orchid growth so we discontinued it. That's not to say that it wouldn't work as well or better under different growing conditions. There's an old saying; "What works for you, works for you". If your plants are growing well for you, the worst thing you can do is start changing any of the growth variables on a large scale based on someone else's experience. I think we all tweak things in small ways once in a while, chasing the elusive perfect growth rate and it's one of the ways we learn what works best and what doesn't. That's why Slippertalk is such a great resource - you see what works (or doesn't work) for a lot of other growers and then selectively apply some of these ideas to your own situation.

understood - many thanks for your input - much appreciated - if you ever export to Europe, please let me know. mark

 

[tomkalina]

I wish we could export to the E.U., Mark, but it would add another layer of paperwork, and dealing with the bureaucracy in two countries would not be my cup of tea.

 

[tomkalina]

....and here's a photo taken yesterday of the second flower to open on the inflorescence.

 

[grubea]

Very nice!!

 

[cpmaniac]

What a beauty.. Well done!

 

[abax]

Someday I'm going to manage to grow schlimii
like this. I now have an RO system from Ray.
Perhaps I'll manage to do justice to schlimii...
all four of them!