Candace
Well-Known Member
Have they grown at all? Doing well?
Hey Lance! Any updated PK photos??
- Thread starter Candace
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gonewild
Grower
Candace said:
They are growing quite well. I'll try take some pictures today. I guess it has been almost 3 months now. As expected they grow slower than hybrids. Well actually I don't think they grow slower, they just get bigger slower. They grow new leaves but the leaves don't elongate as much as hybrids and other species so the leaf spread does not increase much with each new leaf. As well they shed old leaves often and tend to only have 3 or 4 leaves at a time.
So although it appears they are growing slowly they are actually aging well, if that makes sense?
gonewild
Grower
Here is a picture of some of the kovachii seedlings today and a picture of the same plants the day they were potted from flask.
Marco
Slipperless member
Lance they look great. What's the white stuff on top of the medium in the first photo?
gonewild
Grower
The white stuff is oyster shell.
NYEric
Well-Known Member
Raw oysters! Yum!!
gonewild
Grower
Hien said:
The cups are 3 inch diameter.
I think they are all growing about the same rate. The front row plants are actually bigger than they appear in the photo because they face away from the camera more toward the light on the shelf and the plants in back are more facing the camera. I think in 6 months time they will all nearly equal out in size.
gonewild
Grower
Here is a picture of some of the roots that are showing. I guess they like water? 
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Marco
Slipperless member
Those are some of the sexiest roots I've ever seen
kentuckiense
Debaser
I think Lance has these things figured out. Wow!
Glen & Fritz send me some pk out of flask around the end of March. They are smaller than yours, perhaps about the size of the your 4th and last row. But they are still doing ok (If they past this summer , then I would know for sure)gonewild said:
Seeing your result, I think I will give them a little more water.
I think they like clay pebble much better than the Diatomite (same with my besseae, at the beginning, the Diatomite works very well, then I guess it absorbes too much salt, the plants deteriorate )
gonewild
Grower
Hien said:
Maybe the diatomite does accumulate salts or possibly it actually dissolves and releases an excess of some minerals? I like the inert leca.
The key to growing any cloud forest plant is to apply lots of water, frequently. In order to do this you need a media that drains very fast and has lots of air for the roots. Maybe the diatomite is too fine? In the Andean rainforests every night and most days plants get soaked with water if not from rain then from condensation. Maybe they will grow OK with "normal" orchid pot culture practices but they will grow better with lots of water.
P. kovachii roots grow very slowly and small seedlings may depend on absorption of water and nutrients from their foliage until they develop a root system. In the leca pebbles it is not possible to over water them.
Candace
Well-Known Member
They look very happy, Lance. I may have to try one, although I still worry it gets too hot here. Do you have problems with the oyster shell washing out or plugging the s/h holes? What other paphs or phrags do you do that with?
Ron-NY
Well-Known Member
They are looking good Lance!! Are you controlling the temps as well?
gonewild
Grower
Candace said:
I don't think you get too hot, I doubt you are much hotter than the Midwest states? It gets pretty hot in the Andes also. Everyone thinks the high elevation orchids are always cold but they are not. I've been collecting at those elevations and been so hot you couldn't stand out in the sun.
The oyster shell was applied as a top dressing so it does not get down to the drainage holes. But I doubt it would not stop the drainage anyway. It may slow it down but not keep the water from draining to the hole level.
I have only used the oyster shell on the kovachii. I may try it on some of the seedling paphs I have also in the near future to see what happens.
gonewild
Grower
Ron-NY said:
Yes the temperature runs at around 80-85 days and 62-72 at night.
They are growing in the house with us so we just open a window if it starts to get to warm during the day. But then I just noticed it is only 74 degrees in here right now, I better go put on a sweater.
NYEric
Well-Known Member
NYC = 52 degrees F!
N
Nikolaus
Guest
those PK´s look great. It is quite late in the evening now and so I have in mind to take a picture of my two PK´s tomorrow. One has a leaf span of now 22 cm and I have them in a mixture of fine bark basis and they are standing in water about 3 cm high. More about them tomorrow
Hello from Germany
Nikolaus
Hello from Germany
Nikolaus
Candace
Well-Known Member
In the hottest part of our summers, my greenhouse can get up in the mid to high 90's for several weeks in a row. Outside temps. get in the 110-117 range. From what I've read on the different forums, people say they tend to start declining at temps in the high 80's. But, of course, that may also mean they're drying out too much, etc.
