Matt- how do you grow your phals? And neos?
I've grown them both in moss & "regular" mix of bark and clay balls.The latter worked much better for me.
The best specimen I see are the ones that are mounted and watered everyday.
My aunt has a big specimen ( mounted on a large piece of rock) that is about 20 years old!
From what I understand, Minmaru is a mutant of Nagoran--which is the indigenous Phalaenopsis species. Because these plants don't have the same cultural requirements as the more tropical Phalaenopsis from the Philippines and other southern, more tropical geographies, Western horticulturalist named these plants Sedirea japonica.
But I did not know all of that when I started trying to grow Minmaru. I grew them like regular Phalaenopsis. And they promptly died--I had two Minmaru that just did not survive. The last one that died, looked like it was fine, I picked it up and the leaves fell off in my hand. The stem side of the leaf, had a little bit of yellow like it had the case of crown rot.
Then a friend suggested I grow them like Neofinetia--in NZ Sphagnum moss. Winter time I grew them in cool temperatures, that caused a little bit of dormancy, but I did not let them go days without water, like I grow Neos. The Minmaru was watered about once a week in the Winter, early in the day, under LED grow lights, temperatures not too far below 50F overnight, with a lot of intermittent moving air, that dried the leaves very quickly.
During the growing season (now through early fall) Minmaru and my Nagoran are watered more often, allowing the moss to just be dry. Then watered--about every two days? And they also spend the growing season outside, that is after the threat of frost is over--Memorial Day (USA) holiday. Here in Fort Wayne, Indiana we get lots of wind. I grow them outside in bright shade--a little brighter than regular Phalaenopsis.
Would you be so kind Hap and get a picture of your aunt's Minmaru? That has to be spectacular.
