Besseae hybrid tendency to grow out of the pot

[e-spice]

Hi,

I guess everyone is familiar with the tendency for Phrag. besseae hybrids to grow out of the pot. This isn't good because you're always trying to figure out a way to keep them in the pot so the new growths will be able to develop roots that grow into the medium.

Over the past year my phrags have grown very well but seem to have been worse about growing upward. Does anyone know any factors that might affect this? Water, humidity, growing medium, etc.?

Phrags are my favorite orchids but they sure are a challenge to keep growing in the pot.

Thanks in advance for any info.

 

[Missgreen]

What medium do you use?

 

[TyroneGenade]

If you go have a look at the biotope pictures you will see the plants growing up the cliff face. What you are reporting is the natural tendency of the plant to want to climb (poor thing hasn't been told it doesn't have to worry about falling off the cliff). So, perhaps the solution is ecoweb: http://firstrays.com/cart/index.php?route=product/product&path=14&product_id=324 . Plant the plant in ecoweb cubes with the next growth point facing a slab of ecoweb standing up against the inside of the pot and then let the plant do what it does naturally: grow up onto the ecoweb.

 

[e-spice]

What medium do you use?

That's a good question. I should have included it in the original post. I use a LECA type material similar to the original PrimeAgra. I try to moisten the top of it every day but have had times where I could only get to it every 3 to 4 days over the past year.

 

[NYEric]

Many of us have home built contraptions and tall pots to deal with the stolonous growth of besseae and it's hybrids. I install baskets of loose, moist, sphagnum for the new growths to set roots in.

 

[Dane]

In nature they grow several cm above the rocks with seepage water running over their roots, and constant air movement. That's why they grow upward. You can either mount it with sphagnum and a thick mesh and tie it on the side and allow a dripper to drip through the sphagnum or keep potting it.

 

[SlipperFan]

Many of us have home built contraptions and tall pots to deal with the stolonous growth of besseae and it's hybrids. I install baskets of loose, moist, sphagnum for the new growths to set roots in.

I'd like to see a photo, Eric.

 

[terryros]

I do the same as Eric. As soon as I see root beginnings on a stoloniferous growth, I wrap the growth with sphagnum. If the new growth is very close to the original growth, I will just use a couple of ties to secure the sphagnum wrap to the growth. If there is more space, I have a little group of small pots that I have cut in half. I will put the two halves around the growth and secure them together with duct tape. Almost always, I get great root growth into the sphagnum and a few months later I just cut off the new growth (often fairly mature) and pot it up. I grow everything in pure sphagnum. These new growths continue to grow well and flower the coming season. Yes, I don't get multigrowth plants out of this process, but not doing this leaves me with a new growth inches above the pot with roots that brown up and are useless - almost a dead end plant at that point because it is hard to get new roots going when you haven't fostered the initial ones.

I don't think you can defeat the genetic tendency to be stoloniferous. I can't identify any growth conditions that create more or less stolon formation. Some plants always do it and others do not, under the same conditions.


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[NYEric]

I'd like to see a photo, Eric.

will do, i have some photos to post tomorrow.

 

[Paph_LdyMacBeth]

Damn stolons!!!!
They are a source of frustration for many. I found the key was bending them just so and burying them. Seemed to work.

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