Paph species issues

[NYEric]

The phrags are a bit easier in my conditions as I have very good water and love to use it.....The besseae hybrids are very easy and much easier than the species itself. Phrag besseae flavum is very difficult.....

I agree, the few besseae flaums I have all seem to be slow growers; but remember they all come from the one original plant. Like I said, if it was easy they'd be growing on our lawns. :wink:

 

[littlefrog]

I agree, the few besseae flaums I have all seem to be slow growers; but remember they all come from the one original plant. Like I said, if it was easy they'd be growing on our lawns. :wink:

I don't think besseae flavum is that difficult to grow. Seems pretty much like the other besseaes. It is completely intolerant of high heat and will die back to almost nothing if you let it get too hot and bright in the summer. This I have learned the hard way. But, even little nubbins seem to come back if they are in semi-hydro with a bit of spagnum moss on top. I think I have four or five that look really nice right now, one is in spike. They seem to hate being repotted.

'Normal' besseaes tolerated the high heat better, but not well. I think I learned something important last summer, and maybe it will actually stick...

 

[SlipperFan]

Rob, how will you take care of your besseaes in the summer heat?

 

[NYEric]

I don't think besseae flavum is that difficult to grow. Seems pretty much like the other besseaes.

I don't think they're difficult just slow. I dont have the heat issues because mine are in circulating water which cools the media. I think my issue is w/ fertilizing; now I'm putting MSU fertilizer to the R.O. water in the trays at 1/4 strength to give the plants a boost. :wink:

 

[gonewild]

I don't think they're difficult just slow. I dont have the heat issues because mine are in circulating water which cools the media. I think my issue is w/ fertilizing; now I'm putting MSU fertilizer to the R.O. water in the trays at 1/4 strength to give the plants a boost. :wink:

Eric,
Remember to replace evaporated water with plain R.O. water to maintain the 1/4 strength of your tray water. Adding R.O. with fertilizer to replace evaporated water will cause a rise in the fertilizer concentration. Of course I bet you can use a lot stronger boost anyway.

 

[littlefrog]

Rob, how will you take care of your besseaes in the summer heat?

I'll move the really good ones to the basement (closed for the winter), and the other ones to the the shadiest spot I have. That seemed to work last year, I just started the process way too late. This year I'll start in June...

 

[SlipperFan]

I'll move the really good ones to the basement (closed for the winter), and the other ones to the the shadiest spot I have. That seemed to work last year, I just started the process way too late. This year I'll start in June...

What we don't do for our orchids. I'll be moving mine out of the basement (and the rest of the house) for the summer...

 

[Bob Wellenstein]

I think this is one of the most interesting queries posted on an orchid forum. I've spent hours thinking about this subject, and it would take hours to write my thoughts, time I don't have at the moment. However, I'd like to add a few quick thoughts. First, we have considerable experience with mastersianum, violascens and sangii, and in reproducing all three. They are more challenging, but not to the levels they have gained a reputation for. In fact, I'd consider mastersianum moderate at worst, and can be grown into decent sized clumps that flower every year. Paph. violascens is tougher, and Paph sangii is the toughest of the three. Water quality, humidity, and weak acidic fertilization are the most important keys. No, I don't think any of them are naturally on their way out in nature, nature grows them really well. The second quick point is that there is a tremendous turnover of even the easiest to grow species through lack of grower knowledge, inattention to details, neglect, lost interest or whatever. Otherwise the species market would saturate pretty quickly for most. A feew years back we produced about 10,000 fairrieanums in one year, sold a bunch as flasks and most of the rest as well established compots. The markey should be flooded, its not, probably because most are deceased. We released enough sangii flasks a few years back that pretty much anyone that should want one should have one. We kept a number of flasks and they grew quite well in compots. We ended up selling most of the compots, in some cases to commercial "expert" growers who had already lost their plants. This is discouraginging, we certainly have a lot of room for improvement of our compot growing, but there are a lot of growers who have a lot more. So, even some of the less notoriously tough Paphs need constant reproduction to keep them in supply. Third point, please, everyone, learn the difference between line breeding and selective breeder. I hear line breeding used all the time when the cross is not line bred, but selectively bred. Unless you know the pedigree, be careful of the term line bred. Don't have time to proof, hope this makes sense.

 

[SlipperFan]

Third point, please, everyone, learn the difference between line breeding and selective breeder. I hear line breeding used all the time when the cross is not line bred, but selectively bred. Unless you know the pedigree, be careful of the term line bred. Don't have time to proof, hope this makes sense.

Please elaborate, Bob.

 

[IdahoOrchid]

In leopard geckos we use the term "line breeding" when a daughter or son is bred back to its parent or to a sibling. "Selective breeding" is used when using select individuals from different breeding groups.

 

[Bob Wellenstein]

Pretty much as Idahoorchid explained, line breeding is breeding a plant back into a genetic base that is in its close background. You will find many variations on what constitutes line breeding, but I generally define it as a cross where the inbreeding coefficient is 25% or greater. Selective breeding is the art of selecting plants with "superior" breeding qualities and crossing them. For it to be useful the hybridizer needs a fair amount of experience with how various traits express themselves, and has an eye for the faults of the plants also and the knowledge to match plants to breed away from these faults. Proper line breeding is selective breeding.

 

[SlipperFan]

Thanks. That makes sense.

 

[wonderlen3000]

The most trouble group for me is pravi species and their hybrids. All seem to be growing for a while and then they always seem to decline and die. I think i killed about 5 arm and 4 mic. already =( i grown them underlight with good high humidity and imed. temperature.....oh well guess u can't grow them all...

 

[Rick]

The most trouble group for me is pravi species and their hybrids. All seem to be growing for a while and then they always seem to decline and die. I think i killed about 5 arm and 4 mic. already =( i grown them underlight with good high humidity and imed. temperature.....oh well guess u can't grow them all...

Leo has great results with parvi's under lights, and I know he detailed some of his culture tips on this site. Use the search mode for some of his older posts.

 

[Rick]

The most trouble group for me is pravi species and their hybrids. All seem to be growing for a while and then they always seem to decline and die. I think i killed about 5 arm and 4 mic. already =( i grown them underlight with good high humidity and imed. temperature.....oh well guess u can't grow them all...

Leo Schordje has great results with parvi's under lights, and I know he detailed some of his culture tips on this site. Use the search mode for some of his older posts.

I just did the search and found a thread he started called "growing micranthum under lights".

 

[Grandma M]

Rob

I agree. I put my besseae plants on my covered deck last summer. They looked horrible. This year they stay in my basement.