Phragmipedium pearcei on windowsill - possible or senseless...?

[naturepath]

Hello.
I read much about this specie. And I love the habitus and flowers. I would like to cultivate one of this type on my windowsill, but I heard, it is a "little bitch" and a bit complicated.
I live in a "souterrain" home - that means, my windows are beyond earth level, but with a lot of daylight.
Paph. hybrids work for me and most of them flower. My temp is round about 22 degrees (celsius). But I don't have a big night temperature lowering (because of a infloor-heating).
The humidity is low (about 30-40 %). But the paphs seems to tolerate it. I am afraid of getting it higher because I fear mouldiness.
Regards
naturepath

 

[eteson]

pearcei is one of my favourites so my advise would be... Of course you should try!
The temperature should be OK... but remember that this species loves plenty of light and needs temperarure fluctuactions to flower properly. In any case it is a very easy species, so... go ahead!

 

[Phrag-Plus]

Best way to know you'll have to try!
It is a very easy species to grow the most important is the water quality and they like to stand in water too... They are very sensitive to salts...

I don't know where you are living but here in canada during the winter time night time provide the right temperature to windowsill plants... The problem is more the light, it will need a minimum of 12 hours of light to bloom...

 

[NYEric]

Pearcei grows very wet and also are a favorite meal of scale insect so be careful.

 

[naturepath]

Hey.

Thanks for your fast replies!

I live in germany and in winter (now) the light situation is not so well here on the windowsills. (Fewer Light-Hours)
But my windows get enough light for my paphs and some phals.

I grow all my plants in seramis (a clay granulate) for years and the roots are wonderful. I use only normal water (piped water), which is very "hard" (calciferous) in our county. But the plants seem not to have any problem with it. Also a single Masda is lucky with it.
For spraying and ferilizing (I only fertilize over leaves and very rarely) I use demineralized water with orchid fertilizer.

Regards
naturepath

 

[mrhappyrotter]

Count me in as someone who loves Phrag. pearcei. Here's my input on the matter...

I've got Phrag. pearcei now. It's grown reasonably well for years. My plant did resent being repotted, but once it adapted, it's become a relatively trouble free grower.

This species is stoloniferous (likes to ramble with long stolons between growths). It likes to stay wet at all times, and appears to be more sensitive to water quality than many other phrags. So water a lot, flush often, and don't overdo the fertilizers. This is a plant that's proven a bit difficult to keep the leaf tips in tact, in my conditions.

As far as temps go, my plants do get a decent drop in night temps during the colder months of the year, because I'm a minimalist when it comes to heating in the winter. On the flip side, I grow indoors, so in summer the day and night temperatures tend to be roughly the same because I don't deal well with heat and humidity, so the AC runs consistently.

The only other issue I've had with Phrag. pearcei is that it's been a reluctant bloomer. Based on some advice (I likely got here on ST), I decided to start cooking the plant underneath its own dedicated 100w equivalent 6500k compact fluoroscent bulb back in November, and by mid-December I finally saw the first sign of a spike forming! If I recall correctly, this will be the first time I've seen this particular plant in bloom. I'm not sure if I'll continue to grow the plant in such bright light year round or if I'll just grow it as I have been doing (next to the other phrags) and only use the spotlight over the winter.

My overall impression? It probably isn't a species I'd recommend for a beginner, but in the grand scheme of slippers (and orchids in general), I don't think it's a particularly difficult species either. If you like small phrags, it's one you should add to your wishlist. As a side note, I had a phrag. equadorense about 10 - 15 years ago. The foliage was certainly smaller than my current pearcei's clone, and the equadorense bloomed perfectly fine growing under lights, though at that time, I was summering my plants outside in the summer, so it probably got a sufficient boost in light levels at that point to help fuel the fall/spring blooms.

 

[Clark]

It didn't work out for me. I had hobby flask.
To be fair, I was an ass for receiving that flask.
Who knows, maybe those plants would not of bloomed for anybody. Under any condition.

I grew them for six years. Nothing but leaves.
Water. Water. Water. Water. yawn. Water water water.
Best thing that happened, was the scale that was on all the pearcei. None of the other Phrags got it.
I smiled ear to ear as I kicked them to the curb.

YMMV.

 

[NYEric]

You should have kept some around as scale bait!

 

[MaryPientka]

Here's my experience. . . I have three plants in one planter which sits on my living room floor just below an east window (which you can see in the photo). I keep it relatively wet-RO with K-lite. It is a reliable bloomer for me with at least one of the 3 plants in bloom from June through September.

So I say, "Go for it!"

p.s. no scale here

 

[naturepath]

Please excuse me for this "stupid question":
What means scale bait in this?

 

[mrhappyrotter]

Please excuse me for this "stupid question":
What means scale bait in this?

In this context, it's a plant that you know will attract scale insects. In other words, Phrag. pearcei can be regarded as scale bait, the theory being that it will attract the scale and thus they'll be more likely to leave other plants alone since pearcei would be the preferred meal.

 

[SlipperFan]

In this context, it's a plant that you know will attract scale insects. In other words, Phrag. pearcei can be regarded as scale bait, the theory being that it will attract the scale and thus they'll be more likely to leave other plants alone since pearcei would be the preferred meal.

Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. Scale spreads.

 

[NYEric]

Trust me, they love pearcei.

 

[Phrag-Plus]

Hey.

Thanks for your fast replies!

I live in germany and in winter (now) the light situation is not so well here on the windowsills. (Fewer Light-Hours)
But my windows get enough light for my paphs and some phals.

I grow all my plants in seramis (a clay granulate) for years and the roots are wonderful. I use only normal water (piped water), which is very "hard" (calciferous) in our county. But the plants seem not to have any problem with it. Also a single Masda is lucky with it.
For spraying and ferilizing (I only fertilize over leaves and very rarely) I use demineralized water with orchid fertilizer.

Regards
naturepath

If you would like to enjoy the experience of growing pearcei you'll have to use rain or demineralized water with, hard water will rapidely damage the plant...