Specimen Mem **** Clements

[monocotman]

This year there are eight spikes.
It’s tough to photograph well as the flower spikes are so tall due to the sargentianum parentage.
You get an idea of the size from the chair the plant is sitting in.
However on the plus side the plant stays very compact.
No evidence of any stem elongation which marrs so many besseae hybrids.
I’ll post again when more flowers are out,
David

 

[e-spice]

That's a superbly grown plant! Very pretty flowers too.

 

[mrhappyrotter]

That's a very lovely plant. Good job growing it.

I noticed all the flowers appear to face the same direction, is this growing in a window?

 

[monocotman]

It is!
Another of the advantages of growing indoors...
David

 

[abax]

Beautifully grown plant and I love the deep color.

 

[blondie]

Fantastic, looking brilliant.

 

[NYEric]

Very nice, thanks for sharing. Yay besseae hybrids.

 

[monocotman]

Update this week. A bit better background this time. A couple more spikes still to open yet.
Although these are full screen shots, they are still thumb nails and if you touch them you can see a much bigger photo,
David

 

[NYEric]

You need to send us some of your water and fertilizer!

 

[xiphius]

Gorgeous plant! Well grown! How old is it?

 

[monocotman]

It’s probably about 10 years old. I nearly binned it early in its life as it didn’t do much. I think that it was when I started to use rainmix and fed weakly weekly that it took off. Sometimes what you need is patience!
David

 

[Tom-DE]

Excellent!

 

[eds]

I think that it was when I started to use rainmix and fed weakly weekly that it took off.

When you say using rain mix weakly I'm assuming you mean Akerne' s rain mix or similar? What's your dose rate to make it weak?

 

[monocotman]

I think that I use about half rate. I used to go with a quarter rate but half rate now seems a bit better. All my orchids, 95% of which are either phrags or catts receive this year round, no exceptions. I’m a lazy grower. I never flush and the phrags sit in a bit of water year round and are watered when the trays they sit in dry up.
David

 

[eds]

Thanks David.

 

[Ozpaph]

that plant loves you!

 

[ThienNgo Le]

Very well grown plant.

 

[orchid527]

Don't know how I missed this when it was first posted, but I really like phrags when they get to be big clumps like this. You must be doing everything right. Mike