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IdahoOrchid
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Is phrag. besseae a lithophyte, a terrestrial or an epiphyte?
Interesting question. Why do you ask?IdahoOrchid said:Is phrag. besseae a lithophyte, a terrestrial or an epiphyte?
MUTATION!!!bwester said:whats a besseae?
IdahoOrchid said:Why do I ask? Mainly because I recently purchased one. Secondly, to try to clarify the conflicting information I have been seeing around. I guess it didn't really help.
I guess it is like most orchids and is quite adaptable within a fairly decent range of tolerances.
terrestrial_man said:NYEric,
I see that your "ground water" is circulating. Has anyone has success with "stagnant sitting water"??
My Phrag Aurora came from a grower who said she grew it sitting in water, when I tried to grow it in the trays it almost died. I took it out and keep it separate w/ less water and now it's coming back. My set up is simple, I got some of those Sterilite containers, fluval 1 aquarium pump/filters [the foam filter is replacable] and some plastic"egg-crate" ceiling light diffuser material to raise plants to different levels in the water. The trays are lifted under one side so the water flows into the pumps in the bottom. To fertilize the plants I sit them in separate trays [fert. solution is stagnant] for a few days, then rinse them out w/ R.O. water and put them back in the clear trays. I change the filters and R.O. water in the clear trays when the water doesn't seem clean. I used to change them every 2 weeks but the water is now almost constantly clear. I am thinking of adding a LOW! dose of MSU or other fertilizer to the clear trays, I will get some kind of meter to measure the salts and pH. I think this will be the secret to bigger plants.terrestrial_man said:NYEric,
Sure would like to learn more about your set up on the P. besseae. ... Has anyone has success with "stagnant sitting water"??
IdahoOrchid said:So, you don't think the roots are growing through the detris and clinging to the rocks at all?
I think Eric's setup is the exception, rather than the traditional setup. From what I have read and heard from local people, most submerge their phrags in water up to 90% of the pot height. They change it regularly, but it is not circulated.
NYEric said:To fertilize the plants I sit them in separate trays [fert. solution is stagnant] for a few days, then rinse them out w/ R.O. water and put them back in the clear trays.
I change the filters and R.O. water in the clear trays when the water doesn't seem clean. I used to change them every 2 weeks but the water is now almost constantly clear.
I am thinking of adding a LOW! dose of MSU or other fertilizer to the clear trays, I will get some kind of meter to measure the salts and pH. I think this will be the secret to bigger plants.
kentuckiense said:Ok, so what is the correct terminology?
A terrestrial that grows in accumulated organic matter / moss on rock faces?
terrestrial_man said:AH THE PITFALLS OF SEMANTICS!
Glad the plants don't know how to read!
:rollhappy: BS, I think.gonewild said:I guess besseae could be a semantic. What kind of stuff do they grow on?
:evil:
About as BS as you can get.SlipperFan said::rollhappy: BS, I think.
So I have a stupid question. If besseae is not a lithophyte, why does it grow so well in diatomite?