i have never bloomed a phrag before. do they have the same chunky lump in the middle if you lightly pinch the crown like paphs do? trying to figure out the phrag "tell". much appreciated!
how to tell if phrag is in bud?
- Thread starter merc
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Basically the same. Spikes come from the crown and later the buds form on the spike.
https://www.slippertalk.com/threads/what-do-phrag-sheaths-look-like.56287/
I asked a similar question earlier this year and got some good answers and examples!
I asked a similar question earlier this year and got some good answers and examples!
they tend to not be as round as nascent paph spikes. so when you feel the base the swelling will be much more subtle. so the best thing to do, imo, is wait...
PhilaGardener
Well-Known Member
and be careful not to squeeze too hard! 
Don't squeeze at all. Wait and see. Soft new forming reproductive tissue might be damaged easily.
I often squeeze gently if I come across paphs for sale that might be budding up. unless you mash on them you aren't causing a bit of harm. note I said "feel" initially. not squeeze.
thank you so much for the great examples!
the feel of the phrag crown is a lot more rigid and substantial compared to that of a paph. i admittedly give my bloom size paphs a gentle feel for bud formation almost every time i water. it's become part of my weekly watering and inspection ritual and is oddly satisfying. i think the rigidity of the phrag crown threw me off. i thought i had a spike, but really it's just the difference between paphs and phrags since there's no double center leaf just yet.
the feel of the phrag crown is a lot more rigid and substantial compared to that of a paph. i admittedly give my bloom size paphs a gentle feel for bud formation almost every time i water. it's become part of my weekly watering and inspection ritual and is oddly satisfying. i think the rigidity of the phrag crown threw me off. i thought i had a spike, but really it's just the difference between paphs and phrags since there's no double center leaf just yet.
As somebody who obsessively peers into the cracks of the leaves in the depths of my phrag growths, I feel you!thank you so much for the great examples!
the feel of the phrag crown is a lot more rigid and substantial compared to that of a paph. i admittedly give my bloom size paphs a gentle feel for bud formation almost every time i water. it's become part of my weekly watering and inspection ritual and is oddly satisfying. i think the rigidity of the phrag crown threw me off. i thought i had a spike, but really it's just the difference between paphs and phrags since there's no double center leaf just yet.
