Recent content by gonewild

Your temperature range is fine for kovachii and it's hybrids. For kovachii 8°c is more like a minimum safe temperature not a requirement for good growth.

As an example of why Phrags like humid open air space around their roots here is a picture to show the delicate root hairs. In a dense substrate there is no space for them to function efficiently. This is my opinion based on observations.

Oyster shell helps but never can balance completely. When a root contacts an acidic piece of bark it's acidic. But the water/fertilizer solution gets balanced so overall the oyster shell helps. That's why leca is a good choice. Most leca claims to be pH neutral but all that I have tested are...

I don't like any of the modern bark choices. That's why I'm using non organics now. If you must use for ark add a lot of oyster shell. If your growing vandas successfully then it may be too hot for your phrags! 🫣

Consider checking your pH. Fir bark is very acidic. Possibly low enough to kill phrag roots. For bark is listed as having a pH of 4.0-5.0. A solution at pH 4.6 is cable of preserving food for human consumption (pickled). Phrag roots contacting low pH bark can't be good. Thus the need to flush...

Your mix of medium fir bark charcoal and hydroton will work better. I'd recommend using at least 50% hydroyton. My upcoming batch of phrags will be in100% inorganic, leca + lava.

It's possible the roots are dieing from the salt/pH problem with the eucagenera mix. The osmocote could be releasing too much fertilizer on the moist media without sufficient leaching. Often people assume roots are dieng from rot when in reality the roots are simply decaying after dieing from...

Did you add the osmocote fertilizer or did it come with it? It could be creating a salts problem in the media with your infrequent once a week waterings compared to the nursery's frequent heavier watering.

The mix looks way to dense and moist. Consider reporting into leca stone. Use semi-hydro style pots with side drainage holes keeping all roots above the drainage holes in the pot. You could water these every day and never over water.

Have you said what your substrate consist of, I've not read the whole thread? If you're watering only once per week and roots are rotting then your media is probably retaining too much water. Use coarser components to create more air around the roots. The open spaces will have humid saturated...

1223.4 FC for 12 hours a day is a good starting point.

What time does the sun move away? To know the the total hours of full sun hitting the plants.

How many hours per day do they receive full sun?

With your 2500 FC on for 14 hours the DLI calculates to 25.0. five times more than the plants are going to use. Here is a phrag seedling deflasked 6 weeks ago grown at DLI 1.6 for 5 weeks and increased to DLI 5.0 for the last week. Too much light I think.

At 14" from the lights it measures 860 FC. The DLI is 6.90 with 12 hour lighting. I think phrags need less than a DLI OF 5.0. that would mean tje lights can be raised to probably 24" or higher.