Fritz and Dick bud watch

[monocotman]

Hi,
a couple of phrags about to open.
At the front the single growth is a seedling Fritz Schomburg from the EYOF.
The large plant at the back is the interesting one.
This is Mem Dick Clements and about the first phrag that I bought.
There are four stems about to open and three have branches. Nobody told me that they get this tall. The tallest is approaching 3 feet in height.
Anyway this plant grew slowly for me for years and flowered occasionally on small growths.
It did slowly increase the number of growths but it had yellowish leaves and never amounted to much.
About 18 months ago I was thinking of getting rid of it.
Since then it has rebounded in an amazing fashion. It has received the same treatment for years - rain water plus rain mix. The only difference I can think of is that I added a phrag growing in mainly growstones to the tray where it sat. Maybe this substrate added something or altered the pH of the water that they sat in.
There is now no chance of this plant moving on!
David

 

[Achamore]

Isn't it wonderful and irritating how they can do poorly, and then suddenly do well... That certainly is a great looking plant now! Look forward to seeing the blooms!

 

[NYEric]

Yay besseae hybrids!

 

[troy]

Excellent!!! Post the bloom pics!!

 

[orchidman77]

Excited for updates!!

David

 

[Happypaphy7]

Wow~ I'm impressed that you have kept those leaves free of unsightly marks and such.
:clap::clap::clap::clap::clap:

Nearly every singly phrags I have seen had ugly leaves, even single growth plants.

 

[monocotman]

Leaves

Come to think of it they are fairly pristine.
My other phrags look the same. Very few marks.
Maybe due to growing indoors in a very well buffered environment with few stresses or due to the low levels of feed used. Rain water is 30 units on the salt pen and after adding rain mix feed it rises to 120. My local hard tap water reads 300.
The water that the phrags sit in year round has slightly higher readings but even so it never rises above 200.
The growstones added something else so I add these now to the water the phrags sit in.
David

 

[monocotman]

MDC update

Hi,

MDC is starting to put out the flowers,

https://www.flickr.com/gp/39664958@N03/GGBK32

David

 

[monocotman]

Another

Now I can finally upload links here is an individual bloom.
Just over 4 inches across.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/39664958@N03/C4Zr7t

David

 

[SlipperFan]

Wow.

 

[Ozpaph]

Sorry, the link is 'dead'.

 

[monocotman]

Link restored

Hopefully the link to the photo of the individual flower now works,
David

 

[trdyl]

The links are working. Your MDC is beautiful!

 

[My Green Pets]

Very purdy

 

[Migrant13]

That is a nice one. Your Phrags look like shrubs!!

 

[abax]

What an outstanding bloom count! Beautiful plant as well.
I like that deep red.

 

[troy]

The plant looks very healthy, nice blooming!!!!

 

[JasonG]

Great looking plant very nice! How do you grow it?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[monocotman]

Culture

Indoors in a west facing window.
It gets pretty sunny during the summer but the phrags seem to enjoy it.
It shares a water filled tray together with several other phrags.
Feed is akerne's rain mix plus rain water year round at every watering but at a low rate.
My rain water measures 30 units, the feed takes it up to about 120 units. The local hard tap water reads 300 units.
The water in the tray rises to about 200 units but no more.
It is kept at around 1cm deep in the tray year round.
David

 

[JasonG]

Thanks. Great job, that is great looking plant!