Phrag Sant Ouen and how I solve the growth habit

[Berrak]

Here is my Saint Ouen. I am sure now after seeing pictures in Topical Slipper Orchids and pictures on the net. It was the one I bought as bessae.
I got a real besseae for 10 USD from the seller after a complaint.

When new growths comes high I just add more greenmix as a pyramide.
It will always be wet as its S/H which gives new roots a chance to grow well.
In this way I dont have to repot so often.

 

[P-chan]

Nice! what is your growing medium?

 

[Berrak]

Green Mix - Often moss starts to grow on the surface which looks much better.

Its sold by Hans Christiansen in Denmark.

Here you can read about it.

http://www.orchidegartneriet.dk/?pid=79&sub=70&sub2=71

 

[rdlsreno]

Great idea!

Ramon

 

[JeanLux]

very nice bloom, and good deal for the besseae purchase!!! Jean

 

[NYEric]

Good luck. I hope it doesn't rot.
Yay besseae hybrids!

 

[Berrak]

Why should it rot??

It has been in this medium since more than a year. This is the second flowering. It has no signs of illness. Last blooming was March to May this year and this blooming started in September.

By the way - I have all my phrags in this medium and they are all looking great and grows very well.

 

[SlipperFan]

But what exactly is "Greenmix"? I didn't see what it is comprised on on the linked website--or did I miss it?

 

[biothanasis]

Nice plant and flower!!! Clever technique!!!!

 

[cnycharles]

down in the bottom of the page it says that the greenmix is a blend of water absorbing and water repellent rockwool. looks like chopped rockwool fiber cubes (small), and is mixed some with perlite and other things. the addition of the water-repellent rockwool may be why it isn't as prone to rot as someone might think; the drier pieces would allow more air around the roots rather than just a sponge that all absorbent rockwool might become in s/h culture. this is of course just speculation! I've never used tiny rockwool chunks yet, though have been thinking about it for phals in larger pots

I don't know how they would mix the wet and dry cubes so that they would be evenly distributed, so you wouldn't have potential wet/dry pockets, but maybe it isn't that fussy

 

[NYEric]

The material looks like its wet on top and moisture sitting in the leaf axils of new growth can cause rot.

 

[Berrak]

Correct its amixture of two types of mineral woll one water reppelant and one water absorbant. It also contains perlite.

Erik - First comes the new growth - then i put the greenmix up againt the base of the new growth. Soo far I have not lost any new growth on any of my plants.

 

[cnycharles]

is it listed anywhere what proportion there is of wet wool to dry wool? or is it just a 50/50 mix (of wool, then plus some perlite)? also what size are the pellets? less than 3/4 inch (2cm)?
thanks,
charles

 

[Berrak]

Charles I do not know the portions. It is not cubes - it is wool.
The perlite is a approx 3-5 mm size.
Before the Danish company Grodan produced the greenmix but today Hans produce it and the quality seems better with better wool structure and lager perlite than before.

 

[cnycharles]

oh, okay. there is a new form of rockwool that is in cubes and can be put into pots like bark chips or chc's. thanks

 

[NYEric]

I thought rockwool was always avail in cubes??? I don't like it because I'm allergic to synth spun wool materials!

 

[Bodil]

Rockwool

:sob: I have used this rockwool, and yeah, it works, but to what cost? It is ugly, it looks like something the cat draged out of the matress. When I used it I had to use gloves because my skin become very dry and sore.

 

[swamprad]

My Jason Fischer, which I bought a year ago in bloom, was growing in a little pot of rock wool, tons of roots, growing like a weed. I repotted it into s/h, and it is now in bud for me again. I think there must be something to rockwool for phrags, would like to learn more about it.

 

[Hera]

I just read something about the ph in rockwool being difficult to control. Is that true about Greenmix?

see link http://www.simplyhydro.com/growing3.htm

 

[Berrak]

I dont expect any pH problems with Greenmix. I have not noticed any problem with any of the phrags I have i that. I have no brown leaf tips any more. The growth is much better than before.

I agree Greenmix looks ugly but this is the result I want.
And from time to time I get a tremendous growth of moss on the surface as in the picture below.