I don't know what to get!!

[Marco]

I have room for 2 more plants in my tiny little growing area and I have no idea what to get. I've boiled it down to this tiny list.

Paph Haynaldianum alba
Paph (philippinense x hirsutissimum)
Paph Iantha Stage (sukhakulii x rothschildianum)
Phrag Lindenii
Phrag warscewiczianum

I'm really not sure about the Phrags because I don't have any and I don't know how to take care of them! And I'm really sketchy about their watering buying distilled water and lugging it home would be a pain. Also I want to put them in S/H for ease and convenience but I don't know how they'll fare. I don't want to buy a 50-70 dollar plant as an initial experiment and end up loosing it. But oh I so want a Phrag!

Any suggestions, ideas or thoughts would be great

 

[kentuckiense]

I have room for 2 more plants in my tiny little growing area and I have no idea what to get. I've boiled it down to this tiny list.

Paph Haynaldianum alba
Paph (philippinense x hirsutissimum)
Paph Iantha Stage (sukhakulii x rothschildianum)
Phrag Lindenii
Phrag warscewiczianum

I'm really not sure about the Phrags because I don't have any and I don't know how to take care of them! And I'm really sketchy about their watering buying distilled water and lugging it home would be a pain. Also I want to put them in S/H for ease and convenience but I don't know how they'll fare. I don't want to buy a 50-70 dollar plant as an initial experiment and end up loosing it. But oh I so want a Phrag!

Any suggestions, ideas or thoughts would be great

Aside from Ray, I've never heard good things from people who tried the long petaled Phrags in s/h. Basal rot, ahoy!

Iantha Stage all the way!

 

[bwester]

My vote is for the Phrags, they are alot more tolerant than you think.

 

[Heather]

Ugh...one of you is going to make me try one of my long petaled species in S/H aren't you? oke:

Hard to say what to choose Marco, other than the Phrags, I like Iantha Stage best from those Paph. options.

 

[bench72]

Ugh...one of you is going to make me try one of my long petaled species in S/H aren't you?

It does sound like an experiment just 'dying' to be tried out Heather oke:

Out of the list above, I also go for Paph Iantha Stage as first choice. The plant's aren't huge (compared to parent Rothy that is) but the flowers are!

Second choice and could even surpass first if I ever see a photo.. Paph philippinense x hirsutissimum... I am imagining a richly coloured multiflowering plant... ie rich dark pinks on long petals with a beautiful striped dorsal with a base of hirsutissimum colour... (I'm not this vivid really, I just got my inspiration from Orchideen website of Paph Jim Binks which is a haynaldianum x hirsutissimum cross)

 

[bwester]

Ugh...one of you is going to make me try one of my long petaled species in S/H aren't you? oke:

Hard to say what to choose Marco, other than the Phrags, I like Iantha Stage best from those Paph. options.

Just dont try it on the one your saving for me

 

[Heather]

Just dont try it on the one your saving for me

(Note to self, remove Blake's plant from that vase and abort water culture experiment ....)

Hehe, just kidding you. Actually, no guarantees but I am pretty darn sure we're gonna see a sheath emerging on your plant in a few days/week.

 

[Jmoney]

I personally would buy a minicatt (I really hate those) before sticking a long-petalled phrag into s/h. yeah I know some people do it successfully but not that many as far as I've heard.

I think all those paphs are suitable for s/h culture. I am very partial to Iantha Stage; it's one of my favorite primaries.

 

[littlefrog]

For what it is worth, I have had some luck with long petalled things (hybrids, all), in a semi-semi-hydroponic potting method. What is that? Diatomite (medium) straight, in a standard clay or plastic pot with holes in the bottom. For other phrags I use diatomite (medium or small, depending on the plant) in more 'traditional' S/H pots. Diatomite holds something like 100% of its weight in water (you can hear it hiss as dry product sucks up water, weird...). So there is a bit of humidity at the roots at all times, but not soggy wet.

All long petal phrags would really rather be treated like standard cattleyas, in my experience.

Amazing how semihydro has become 'traditional'. Guess it must work.

Rob

 

[SlipperFan]

I agree with Rob. I had almost all my Phrags in S/H Prime Agra with S/H pots. This Spring, I repotted them, and found that the hybrids with a long-petalled parent had a lot of root rot. Even some of the non-long hybrids didn't do so well after 3 years in the same pot. So now most of my plants are in either straight diatomite in S/H pots, or a diatomite/coconut husk/pearlite/charcoal mix, and they seem to be doing better. Lots have new growth already.

 

[adiaphane]

Get the phrag!!! I was resistent for a long time agianst phrags because they sounded so finnicky, but actually, I have found them to be pretty easy. They groq quickly and the flowers look so different from paphs. And, if you only have one phrag, buying the distilled water isn't as much pain as you think it is. It's when you get more than that, but then, if you get more than five or six, maybe it would be time to invest in a r/o system (something I'm trying to convince my BF that we need; he's not buying it.)

 

[Marco]

Get the phrag!!! I was resistent for a long time agianst phrags because they sounded so finnicky, but actually, I have found them to be pretty easy. They groq quickly and the flowers look so different from paphs. And, if you only have one phrag, buying the distilled water isn't as much pain as you think it is. It's when you get more than that, but then, if you get more than five or six, maybe it would be time to invest in a r/o system (something I'm trying to convince my BF that we need; he's not buying it.)

Tell him youre going on a diet and want to stay sexy for him and that there's to much salt in the water. So you need an RO system

 

[couscous74]

I think you should get phrags too. I resisted getting them initially, since it was another genera to get into, but they have been so easy to grow that I think they are worth getting more of...

If you spend any money at all on bottled water (drinking or plants), then getting an RO unit is easy to rationalize. Just look at how much money you spend on bottled water, and you will quickly see how an RO unit will save you money. Which ultimately means more money to spend on plants...

 

[adiaphane]

See, this is the problem. We get water delivered from Arrowhead every three weeks, and it's spring water, so that's already pretty expensive. We could forgo the delivery, except we just spent money on a nice water cooler/heater thing. Hot tea in a matter of a minute! I think I am beginning to sway him though, because I make him carry the water home. We live in a neighborhood where parking usually takes half an hour to an hour, so we normally have to park blocks away. And we live on a hill with very steep inclines.:evil:

 

[PHRAG]

See, this is the problem. We get water delivered from Arrowhead every three weeks, and it's spring water, so that's already pretty expensive. We could forgo the delivery, except we just spent money on a nice water cooler/heater thing. Hot tea in a matter of a minute! I think I am beginning to sway him though, because I make him carry the water home. We live in a neighborhood where parking usually takes half an hour to an hour, so we normally have to park blocks away. And we live on a hill with very steep inclines.:evil:

Women are so good at this type of "convincing."

 

[SlipperFan]

There are a couple of other options. Have your tap water tested. Unless it's high in sodium, it should be OK for Phrags, especially if you flush the pots periodically with distilled or rain water.
Option 2: collect rain water. I have a rain barrel under my eavestrough, and in the winter I place a heater in it, the kind farmers use for horse/cattle tanks. Works very well.

 

[bwester]

The problem with rainwater is that you have to let it rain a bit before you start collecting. The rain acts as a giant air filter for the first 30 minutes or so and you get everything that was in the air in your water. It might not be so bad where you live, but in farm country, it makes for bad orchid water.

 

[Marco]

Rob/Slipperfan/blake - Thanks for the info on the medium for Phrags and ways of collecting water. It's definately going to come in handy. I really have no idea where to start with them.

Tien - I think one of these for your boyfriend would be a very wise investment!

:rollhappy:

Women are so good at this type of "convincing."

John - Women are evil they love to abuse men. Fortunately, sometimes I love getting abused by them.

Marcus - that whole other genera thing is also another big one =\.

I'm torn I do want the iantha stage and phil x hirsut. Oh so badly. Seriously though i'm thinking maybe I can squeeze 3 plants in. Then i'd get 2 paphs and a phrag.

Anyway, I'm going to decide this sunday on the paphs and phrags. Paydays on the 15th so I need a couple of days for my check to clear oke:.

 

[SlipperFan]

The problem with rainwater is that you have to let it rain a bit before you start collecting. The rain acts as a giant air filter for the first 30 minutes or so and you get everything that was in the air in your water. It might not be so bad where you live, but in farm country, it makes for bad orchid water.

Hmmm -- I'm pretty much in farm country, and I don't have a problem collecting rain water. In the summer, it can get a bit slimy/nasty in the barrel, but a little bleach (less than 1%) or a product called GreenShield seems to keep the water pretty clean.

 

[Heather]

Tien - you watch out - you start with rain and then you get mosquitoes and then you get fish to eat the mosquitoes and then...well come winter, you need to bring the fish inside...

Now, I have fish!
I love my fish though. (thanks yet again, Lien!)

What is it with us orchid growers anyway?
I always wonder if it is just a coincidence that we are all type A.
Someone should really do their PhD on us!