Phragmipedium Eucagenera's Dream (sedenii x kovachii) which I purchased from Eucagenera in April of 2021. First time I've gotten it to bloom. It is an absolute beast!
Phragmipedium Eucagenera's Dream
- Thread starter dmcmkl
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Beautiful!!
What!? … That’s a first time blooming?? That never happens. A beast for sure. Can you please share your culture.. media and watering / fert schedule. 
thanks for sharing.
thanks for sharing.
I almost lost it at one point. About a year ago I made some changes to all my phrags that has them just exploding.
1) Potting material is 1/3 medium to small lava rock, 1/3 rockwool cubes, 1/3 medium orchiata bark. Crushed oyster shell or prilled dolomite lime is mixed into the mix if the plant has any kovachii in it's background. Sometimes I forget to add it and then I just sprinkle some on the top and refresh it every few months.
2) Water is R.O. that after fertilizer is added I make sure is adjusted to a ph of 6.5 to 6.6
3) I rotate fertilizers between Jack's 30-10-10 and MSU 13-3-15 RO/Rain Water Fertilizer. I shoot for 100 ppm of nitrogen. I add a liquid Cal/Mag to the Jack's since it doesn't have any. The MSU contains calcium and magnesium so I just go with what it has in it. I also add to the water 2ml of Orca Liquid Mycorrhizae Mycorrhizal Fungi Root Stimulator and Booster.
4) I water at least once a week. When I say water I perform what I have seen described here on the forum as 'fertigation'. I hand water all my plants on a frame that I place over the drain tub for my washing machine and liberally flush the plant with plenty of water. I seldom if ever flush with plain water. Sounds of lost of work I'm sure, however I am retired and I have lots of time to baby my plants.
5) Lighting is with LED lights set to provide roughly 200 ppfd. Lights are on 12 hours per day during my winter here in Minnesota 13 hours in the spring and fall and 14 hours during the summer.
6) All my phrags are grown in my basement where the temps during the winter range from 70 during the day and 64 or so at night. I try to keep the humidity above 40% which can be a challenge in Minnesota during the winter. During the summer the temps never goes above 78 and humditity kind of takes care of itself sticking around 50% without any help from a humdifier.
I think that what has given me the best results is making sure that my water is adjusted to a ph of 6.5 to 6.6 after adding fertilizer Also the potting mixture I'm using now combined with the fertigation method of watering has resulted in plenty of oxygen getting to the roots as well as eliminating salt build up.
I don't know which of the above items had the most or least effect on my current success. But only time will tell if it is the holy grail for me or not. As always it goes without saying, what works for me may not work for others.
1) Potting material is 1/3 medium to small lava rock, 1/3 rockwool cubes, 1/3 medium orchiata bark. Crushed oyster shell or prilled dolomite lime is mixed into the mix if the plant has any kovachii in it's background. Sometimes I forget to add it and then I just sprinkle some on the top and refresh it every few months.
2) Water is R.O. that after fertilizer is added I make sure is adjusted to a ph of 6.5 to 6.6
3) I rotate fertilizers between Jack's 30-10-10 and MSU 13-3-15 RO/Rain Water Fertilizer. I shoot for 100 ppm of nitrogen. I add a liquid Cal/Mag to the Jack's since it doesn't have any. The MSU contains calcium and magnesium so I just go with what it has in it. I also add to the water 2ml of Orca Liquid Mycorrhizae Mycorrhizal Fungi Root Stimulator and Booster.
4) I water at least once a week. When I say water I perform what I have seen described here on the forum as 'fertigation'. I hand water all my plants on a frame that I place over the drain tub for my washing machine and liberally flush the plant with plenty of water. I seldom if ever flush with plain water. Sounds of lost of work I'm sure, however I am retired and I have lots of time to baby my plants.
5) Lighting is with LED lights set to provide roughly 200 ppfd. Lights are on 12 hours per day during my winter here in Minnesota 13 hours in the spring and fall and 14 hours during the summer.
6) All my phrags are grown in my basement where the temps during the winter range from 70 during the day and 64 or so at night. I try to keep the humidity above 40% which can be a challenge in Minnesota during the winter. During the summer the temps never goes above 78 and humditity kind of takes care of itself sticking around 50% without any help from a humdifier.
I think that what has given me the best results is making sure that my water is adjusted to a ph of 6.5 to 6.6 after adding fertilizer Also the potting mixture I'm using now combined with the fertigation method of watering has resulted in plenty of oxygen getting to the roots as well as eliminating salt build up.
I don't know which of the above items had the most or least effect on my current success. But only time will tell if it is the holy grail for me or not. As always it goes without saying, what works for me may not work for others.
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How long has the oldest flower held on/been in bloom?
Perfect! Good growing.
The combination of all your decisions is what gives the results.
The combination of all your decisions is what gives the results.
First flower opened around December 24th. Can't really say how long they stay open. Haven't really paid that much attention to that, but I'd say they stay around for at least two weeks. Each spike has only lost one flower since then and the crazy thing is branching everywhere.
Now if I could just get my multi-floral paphs to cooperate!
Now if I could just get my multi-floral paphs to cooperate!
Thanks for that level of detail. One more question, what type of pots are you typically using. Looks like this one has a translucent plastic pot, does it have a semi hydro reservoir? Thanks!
I've moved all my plants to clear or semi clear pots. I like to be able to keep tabs on the roots. However, growing in clear pots encourages algae growth that I believe is detrimental to the health of the roots. For most of my other clear pots I found black pots that I can slip the clear pots into to block the light and thus stop the growth of algae pretty much in it's tracks.
This particular plant is indeed in what is a translucent food storage container that I poked four holes in the sides about an inch up from the bottom. So yes it does indeed have a small reservoir in the bottom for water. This bugger is really thirsty so that helps keep the watering frequency to once a week. Otherwise all my other plants are in clear plastic nursery pots with good drainage so I can keep an eye on the root health.
Like I mentioned I almost lost this plant about a year and a half ago. It had two small growths that were struggling. After moving it to the new pot and potting material it threw out three growths. Two of which are now blooming and the third which is about 2/3's the size of the other two and will hopfully bloom in the next few months.
This particular plant is indeed in what is a translucent food storage container that I poked four holes in the sides about an inch up from the bottom. So yes it does indeed have a small reservoir in the bottom for water. This bugger is really thirsty so that helps keep the watering frequency to once a week. Otherwise all my other plants are in clear plastic nursery pots with good drainage so I can keep an eye on the root health.
Like I mentioned I almost lost this plant about a year and a half ago. It had two small growths that were struggling. After moving it to the new pot and potting material it threw out three growths. Two of which are now blooming and the third which is about 2/3's the size of the other two and will hopfully bloom in the next few months.
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