Questions about my new phrag

Hi, I am relatively new to paph, as I have a Sanderianum and 2 Philippinense for about 6 months and they are doing well, although far from flowering size.

And I am really new to phrag and I just received 3 new plants today, a Paph Michael Koopowitz (medium seedling), one Phrag Betheva (medium seedling) and one Phrag Ashley Wilkes (large seedling).

The Ashley Wilkes is in a cup size plastic sort of pot, actually it's a plain plastic cup, with bark and the pot has holes about one inch an half up the bottom, so it's in semi-hydro. The Betheva is in bark and it's in a regular 4" square plastic pot, not semi-hydro.

I definitely don't want to leave the Ashley Wilkes in this ugly pink plastic cup, so...my question is should I repot both in bark in semi-hydro? or keep the Betheva in regular culture? Should I put them both in regular pots and leave water in the tray instead? Leave them in bark? I have a brand new bag of rockwool, should I use that mixed with the bark or just alone?

I already repoted the Paph in a 3" clear plastic pots with ventilation on the side and the roots are great, enough new growth, but I have not yet seen the roots for the others, so this is another reason why I wish to repot them. They were both repoted about a year ago as it is written on the label.

I have had a lot of very amazing results with my rockwool based mix, so I'm a big fan of using it for phrags. It's not for everybody, there are definitely people out there that consider it some kind of evil demon curse.

Most phrags will perform very well in semi-hydro, since it mimics the constant moisture conditions they'd receive in the wild. But, keep in mind, not all phrags grow in such an environment. Some, like the long petaled caudatum group, are often epiphytic or at least grow in drier conditions, and don't like to remain constantly wet.

The "problem" with phrag hybrids that combine species which like wet conditions with those that prefer to dry out a bit, is that the offspring will fall into a spectrum. Some will be fine sitting in water, some will prefer to sit in water, and some will not tolerate it at all. So, unless you've purchased a division from someone and that person can confirm which category your plant falls into, you'll need to experiment.

That being said, virtually all of my phrags are in rockwool mix, and sit in saucers of water at all times. Granted, most of my phrags are not hybrids involving the caudatum group. I have a Phrag. Wossner Supergrande that really enjoys wet feet year round. I have a Phrag. Fliquet which rots almost immediately if I let water sit in the saucer more than over night.

If your Phrag. Ashley Wilkes is already in semi-hydro and doing well, then it's probably going to be okay sitting in a saucer of water. You may need to experiment a bit with the Betheva, but I bet it'll also be fine sitting in water. If it were me, I'd use mostly rockwool as the mix, but perhaps add a bit of bark to get some organics in the mix. Again, I like rockwool, but I amend it with sponge rock, charcoal, LECA, and usually add some sphag moss, so I get a bit of organic material mixed in.

thanks a lot, I will repot them in the mix with rockwool, bark and perlite with a bit more bark for the Betheva.

The Betheva is Phrag (pearcei x caudatum), so not sure what to do about that one. I think I will leave it with regular culture for now and water it often with fresh RO water.

You can ask everyone who grows Phrags, and they will tell you their favorite potting media, and they will all differ. What works for one person may not work for another, since growing conditions will vary. You'll probably need to experiment a bit to find what is best for you and your conditions.

SlipperFan said:

You can ask everyone who grows Phrags, and they will tell you their favorite potting media, and they will all differ. What works for one person may not work for another, since growing conditions will vary. You'll probably need to experiment a bit to find what is best for you and your conditions.

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Very good advice! I grow many of my Phrags on straight rockwool or with LECA but many other growers dislike this media

Just curious as to why some people dislike the rockwool? Is there a specific reason?

Some people say that ugly sludge grows on top, don't know if it affects the plants

It stays wet easily. I use rockwool and diatomite and sponge rock for seedling Phrags. After that i use bark mixes.

Why do you switch it to bark mixes when the plant is larger? why do you not keep it in rockwool?

NYEric said:

It stays wet easily. I use rockwool and diatomite and sponge rock for seedling Phrags. After that i use bark mixes.

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Rockwool turns to mush eventually.

NYEric said:

Rockwool turns to mush eventually.

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What kind of a time frame? I mean, nearly all organic media are going to break down to mush too, so to me that's not an issue. But, I've got plants that should have been repotted this year, and which have been in rockwool for years now ... no sign of turning to mush.

Perhaps some brands of rockwool hold up better over time?

Maybe that's why the different opinions on it, maybe there are different quality. Which one do you use?

mrhappyrotter said:

What kind of a time frame? I mean, nearly all organic media are going to break down to mush too, so to me that's not an issue. But, I've got plants that should have been repotted this year, and which have been in rockwool for years now ... no sign of turning to mush.

Perhaps some brands of rockwool hold up better over time?

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I use Grodan Grow cubes. Rock wool is not organic but as Charles mentioned in it gets an algae/slime (especially since I grow in water) that I don't think is good. After a while i move them to an organic mix that i think they prefer.

I read that they need some good bacterias or something similar in the mix as they might have a symbioze whith these bacterias or mushroom that help them grow better. Or at least it sounded like that from what I remember.

Is that a myth?

um, bacteria and mushrooms... are you sure?

Sorry it's some fungus that have a symbiotic relation with orchids. But probably bacterias break down nutrients as well? not sure.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orchid_mycorrhiza

http://rootfungi.com/tiki-index.php?page=Info:+Introduction+to+mycorrhizal+symbioses

NYEric said:

um, bacteria and mushrooms... are you sure?

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NYEric said:

I use Grodan Grow cubes. Rock wool is not organic but as Charles mentioned in it gets an algae/slime (especially since I grow in water) that I don't think is good. After a while i move them to an organic mix that i think they prefer.

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You could sell the green slime to the food processing industry so they can render it into "chicken" nuggets. Then take the cash and invest in more slippers. Just kidding.

I do get some algae growth, in part due to the transparent pots, but I don't really get slime, and nothing that takes over. The same types of algae that form in fish tanks when the nutrients, plant growth, and light are out of balance will sometimes form in the saucers (brown algae mats, sometimes green algae mats), but that stuff will form in the saucers regardless of what the potting medium is. I usually take it as a sign that I've over done the nutrients, and most often happens after a seaweed treatment.

Another thing I noticed about rock wool ... I used to have the hardest time getting moss to grow back when I was using more conventional, organic mixes. Now that I've made the switch, I get good moss growth.

mrhappyrotter said:

You could sell the green slime to the food processing industry so they can render it into "chicken" nuggets.

Another thing I noticed about rock wool ... I used to have the hardest time getting moss to grow back when I was using more conventional, organic mixes. Now that I've made the switch, I get good moss growth.

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It's called soylent green...
In all seriousness, I thought there was concerns with rock wool and breathing problems (if you inhale the dried particles).

Linus, I just have to pay attention when I repot a plant. Dust is really not a problem after that.

I must say I only use quick drain rockwool and even if some algea or moss grow on top, I don't have to replace the rockwool for a while.

For those who think it is impossible to grow Phrags with rockwool:

wow, gorgious plant, what is it?

Erythrone said:

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