Where have all the Phrag. Jason Fischers gone?

[Heather]

My avatar is one of those OZ besseae. Went through a very warm summer many years ago and I think I've lost all of them. I might still have one of that 'Haven' x "smokin' grex left somewhere. But if I recall it has never really grown well after the summer of death.

You might be surprised how many yellow besseae are out there. Chuck released several flasks a few years ago. I have two really good ones that I don't let out of my sight, but if asked nicely (by somebody who has been on slippertalk at least as long as I have... ) I might be able to find one or two seedlings. I don't know that i have more than one or two though. Not even sure about one, until I bring plants indoors next week.

Thanks Rob, someone may hit you up…
I have to say I’m practicing on some easier stuff before I commit, though.

I actually ordered a couple things from Woodstream last week, one of which is the Robert Jan Quene made with ‘Broadwater’ seedling they released.

 

[southernbelle]

My Jason Fischer is in bloom right now. Hopefully it survives this onslaught of Erwinia tearing through my collection right now. I've lost about half my Phrags including a couple divisions of this Jason Fischer View attachment 43058

Can I ask why you have it in a sort of bonsai pot, which is very shallow? I thought phrags like deep pots for their roots.

 

[terryros]

Can I ask why you have it in a sort of bonsai pot, which is very shallow? I thought phrags like deep pots for their roots.

Tom Kalina of Fox Valley Orchids was the first one I remember describing growing Phrags in shallow trays, letting the roots spread out horizontally a great distance. Monocotman is currently doing this and recently showed his results with a 4N kovachii hybrid self cross. I think the roots of Phrags are often long, but they don’t have to go down vertically, they can go horizontally. This is probably more similar to how they grow in the wild. I think that restricting them to pots requires either wider pots or taller pots to accommodate the longer roots.

 

[southernbelle]

Tom Kalina of Fox Valley Orchids was the first one I remember describing growing Phrags in shallow trays, letting the roots spread out horizontally a great distance. Monocotman is currently doing this and recently showed his results with a 4N kovachii hybrid self cross. I think the roots of Phrags are often long, but they don’t have to go down vertically, they can go horizontally. This is probably more similar to how they grow in the wild. I think that restricting them to pots requires either wider pots or taller pots to accommodate the longer roots.

Interesting. Advantages to both types of pots.

 

[littlefrog]

Interesting. Advantages to both types of pots.

The best grown besseae I've ever seen (wasn't mine) was in one of those plastic bulb pans that people use for bulbophyllums. Leaves must have been almost 1.5" wide, well over a foot long. Amazing... I grow my 'keeper' besseae that way now, they seem to like finding the bottom of the pan. Don't seem to climb as much as the ones in deep pots, but that might just be what those individual clones do.

 

[phragomel]

When five Phragmipedium Jason Fischer 3N flowers opened at the same time.

 

[Djthomp28]

This is a wonderful discussion. I am going to have to locate my Jason Fischer and give it a huge. Mine is from Woodstream also.

 

[NYEric]

I remember getting bored at work and heading off to the Zone. I can vividly remember the thousands of besseaes in in bloom.


b
View attachment 43070

JF
View attachment 43071

The Lava flow of besseae at the 2008 WOC!!!

 

[southernbelle]

The best grown besseae I've ever seen (wasn't mine) was in one of those plastic bulb pans that people use for bulbophyllums. Leaves must have been almost 1.5" wide, well over a foot long. Amazing... I grow my 'keeper' besseae that way now, they seem to like finding the bottom of the pan. Don't seem to climb as much as the ones in deep pots, but that might just be what those individual clones do.

Doesn’t the plant already need to be large? The smallest bulb pan I’ve seen is 5-6”. I actually just ordered some by mistake. I don’t want to over pot, though. Do you do spread the roots out horizontally when you repot?

 

[Ray]

I am honestly thinking about trying muffin pans - little pockets of media spread out over a wide area.

I just don't know if I have the room....

 

[richgarrison]

My avatar is one of those OZ besseae. Went through a very warm summer many years ago and I think I've lost all of them. I might still have one of that 'Haven' x "smokin' grex left somewhere. But if I recall it has never really grown well after the summer of death.

You might be surprised how many yellow besseae are out there. Chuck released several flasks a few years ago. I have two really good ones that I don't let out of my sight, but if asked nicely (by somebody who has been on slippertalk at least as long as I have... ) I might be able to find one or two seedlings. I don't know that i have more than one or two though. Not even sure about one, until I bring plants indoors next week.

Chuck had a bunch in the pipeline and had a major 'flasking service failure' that took all of them out...

kind of depressing as i would be seeing flowers this year from them :-(

you can imagine HIS dismay

 

[terryros]

Doesn’t the plant already need to be large? The smallest bulb pan I’ve seen is 5-6”. I actually just ordered some by mistake. I don’t want to over pot, though. Do you do spread the roots out horizontally when you repot?

Deb, look at David’s (monocotman) chain on Phrag. Lovely Lynne 4N x self. He bought a flask and planted them all on a big tray and they are now blooming size and the first one bloomed. A very different approach than a pot. Not something you put out on the kitchen table for display. But, long, superficial, spreading out roots may be what they like. This keeps the roots always close to air for diffusing of oxygen and the roots are kept moist pretty much all the time. In pots I think something close to semi-hydro is needed to achieve. Yet, these roots wind all around the pot and maybe a plant doesn’t like this as much. I couldn’t pull this off for many plants and have room left for much else!

 

[monocotman]

Deb, monocotman here. The seedlings went into a little pot with moss as a single block for the first six months. I didn’t pot them into a seed tray until they were big enough and had grown a bit. They then went into a ‘normal’ seed tray for about a year. That was about a year ago. The largest sixteen then went into the large tray and the rest back into the same smaller seed tray. They’ve really accelerated their growth in the past few months as the second growths have appeared.

 

[e-spice]

Here's a Jason Fischer that bloomed recently for me. I miss seeing them offered for sale as well. It does seem like everything has gravitated toward kovachii, which make great hybrids, but there's just something about hybrids like Jason Fischer and Fox Valley Fireball. Fireball is my favorite between the two and is a little better grower for me.

 

[terryros]

Here's a Jason Fischer that bloomed recently for me. I miss seeing them offered for sale as well. It does seem like everything has gravitated toward kovachii, which make great hybrids, but there's just something about hybrids like Jason Fischer and Fox Valley Fireball. Fireball is my favorite between the two and is a little better grower for me.

Is that just one branching spike with multiple blooms? Very nice display that is not easy to get with JF. I think Fox Valley Fireball is also difficult to purchase now.

 

[Tony]

Carter & Holmes just put up a bunch of old Phrag divisions including a Jason Fischer and Mem **** Clements for anyone who may be looking.

 

[e-spice]

Is that just one branching spike with multiple blooms? Very nice display that is not easy to get with JF. I think Fox Valley Fireball is also difficult to purchase now.

Yes it is four on one spike.

 

[e-spice]

(removed)

 

[Ray]

Yes it is four on one spike.

Willing to share your cultural parameters?

 

[terryros]

Willing to share your cultural parameters?

Ray, almost semi-hydro! LED lights with an intensity of 125 micromoles/meter squared/sec of PAR spectrum light except for 2 winter months when I drop it to 95. Temperatures ”intermediate”. Growing in 100% Hydroton in square Active Aqua pots that are taller than almost all other pots used for orchids, which I think ******* evaporation. I water every 5 days with K-Lite in RO water in concentration to provide 95 ppm nitrogen per week for summer, decreasing gradually to 25 for my two winter months. For those two winter months the fertigation frequency decreases to every 8 days. I give Kelpak monthly. Importantly, I heavily mist the surface of the Hydroton every day with RO water to prevent any salt buildup and to be sure the higher roots do not dry out. When I have unpotted a plant treated like this right before fertigation, the Hydroton is uniformly slightly moist. The roots are also slightly moist but in air because of the Hydroton. I am experiencing no root rot.