Phragmipedium caudatum - First blooming

[Djthomp28]

looks like you are growing that in coarse bark. Am i seeing that correctly? how often are you watering it? and sorry i should remember this, are you growing in a greenhouse?

....still seeking that silver bullet to success on these... ;-)

I wish there was a silver bullet for these. Then I could get my much larger caudatum to bloom. The bark is not as course as it looks. It is actually small grade... the step above seedling grade. It was getting misted daily (automatic misters) and watered twice a week for the winter. I moved it to different spot to allow it to bloom in the place where I would display it. However this spot was no misters and double the air movement, and I am still only watering twice a week. It dries much than it should these days.

 

[richgarrison]

Thanx....

just as a goofy anecdote on my behavior...

Frank Cervera (@FrankRC on here) gave a talk at the slipper symposium in LA last year before the lockdown. and i took away from that talk (evidently in error) that the these long petal species wanted coarse drainage, but frequent water. so the caudatum division i purchased from him, along with all my other long petalled guys got repotted into that regime when i repotted in march of last year.... along with the caudatums into clay with slotted pots, and as well as smaller plants in plastic pots with holes drilled ... (i water them everyday, RO + light Klite)

They are all growing ok, not necessarily better, but growing. Remains to be seen if it is a good thing in my greenhouse...

Then of course Franks OD article(s) came out, telling me i should be probably doing something different... (wish i would have listened better in the symposium ;-) )

<sigh> time will tell.... i'll probably give them til the fall before i decide if a change is warranted.

 

[Happypaphy7]

Happy! There is detailed accounting of what the differences are between the three Andean species in the year end special Phrag. edition of the Orchid Digest from last year. You can get a copy from their website. The only morphological difference is in the morphology of the slipper, specifically in the distal edge. The general range of color between caudatum and humboltii overlap. A deep dive into the history of the names for this group is in the works.

Exstaminodium is a synonym of humboltii and is not longer considered a species in its own right.

Hope this helps.

Thank you. I actually have that copy and it just isn't very clear. Hence, I want to cry. hahaha

 

[alex.sorensen51]

mine behaved like a Cattleya labiata,with exactly the same needs, except it liked a cooler rest period after blooming.

 

[abax]

Troy, I repotted and the root system was quite good.

 

[Djthomp28]

Thanx....

just as a goofy anecdote on my behavior...

Frank Cervera (@FrankRC on here) gave a talk at the slipper symposium in LA last year before the lockdown. and i took away from that talk (evidently in error) that the these long petal species wanted coarse drainage, but frequent water. so the caudatum division i purchased from him, along with all my other long petalled guys got repotted into that regime when i repotted in march of last year.... along with the caudatums into clay with slotted pots, and as well as smaller plants in plastic pots with holes drilled ... (i water them everyday, RO + light Klite)

They are all growing ok, not necessarily better, but growing. Remains to be seen if it is a good thing in my greenhouse...

Then of course Franks OD article(s) came out, telling me i should be probably doing something different... (wish i would have listened better in the symposium ;-) )

<sigh> time will tell.... i'll probably give them til the fall before i decide if a change is warranted.

I grow in the house under lights in the winter. And i have more issues with under watering than over watering. Course mix for my phrags won't work. However if I was set up and watered like you describe it probably would! I use a medium grade bark base for my five inch and up pots. But any thing small than that is in small bark with a handful on medium bark and medium perlite. This one is in a three inch pot.

 

[Djthomp28]

Thank you. I actually have that copy and it just isn't very clear. Hence, I want to cry. hahaha

If the species make you want to cry, the hybrids...