Hello Group!

Ray, good luck with the surgery and a speedy recovery.

I just wanted to share my luck at having the subject Phrag send out a
spike this year. I got it several years ago from Woodstream orchids
(even though the guy said it gets kinda big for a windowsill).
My wife liked the flower. We brought a young plant, with a single
growth, and this is it's first attempt. In fact it's the first new
growth. I'm not sure how quickly this Phrag grows, like is it
normally slow or is it me?
I was letting it dry between waterings, until I read (yet again) that
Phrags like it wetter than many orchids. The resulting flash from the
lightbulb over my head frightened the fish and the cat. The increase
in frequency of watering, I think, resulted in the flower spike?
Perhaps?
I hope you all have a great day!
Bob Campoli - Philadelphia, Pa - great anticipation for the Philly
flower show this week!!!
I'm usually a bit jealous of all you guys and gals in the warmer areas
because it seems like there is an orchid show every other week there.
LOL

yeah, i kept my first phrag (also from woodstream) in a puddle (at their
suggestion); it was a seedling that they said would bloom in 12-18 mos.

18 mos later it sent up a spike, so i couldn't complain. it's in s/h
now and has rebloomed a couple times with multiple growths.

i got a jason fischer seedling from them last summer and s/h-ed it in
november; it, OTOH, is taking it's own sweet time doing *anything.*

--j_a




In article
,
bobc wrote:

Hello Group!

Ray, good luck with the surgery and a speedy recovery.

I just wanted to share my luck at having the subject Phrag send out a
spike this year. I got it several years ago from Woodstream orchids
(even though the guy said it gets kinda big for a windowsill).
My wife liked the flower. We brought a young plant, with a single
growth, and this is it's first attempt. In fact it's the first new
growth. I'm not sure how quickly this Phrag grows, like is it
normally slow or is it me?
I was letting it dry between waterings, until I read (yet again) that
Phrags like it wetter than many orchids. The resulting flash from the
lightbulb over my head frightened the fish and the cat. The increase
in frequency of watering, I think, resulted in the flower spike?
Perhaps?
I hope you all have a great day!
Bob Campoli - Philadelphia, Pa - great anticipation for the Philly
flower show this week!!!
I'm usually a bit jealous of all you guys and gals in the warmer areas
because it seems like there is an orchid show every other week there.
LOL

On Sun, 02 Mar 2008 11:04:04 -0500, unknown
wrote:

yeah, i kept my first phrag (also from woodstream) in a puddle (at their
suggestion); it was a seedling that they said would bloom in 12-18 mos.

18 mos later it sent up a spike, so i couldn't complain. it's in s/h
now and has rebloomed a couple times with multiple growths.

i got a jason fischer seedling from them last summer and s/h-ed it in
november; it, OTOH, is taking it's own sweet time doing *anything.*

--j_a

In general Phrags LOVE S/H and they like more light than most growers
give them. Could be yours needs another site. A little fertilizer to
equal the additional light and it will take off.
SuE
http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/main.php

On Mar 9, 11:40*pm, SuE wrote:

In general Phrags LOVE S/H and they like more light than most growers
give them. *Could be yours needs another site. *A little fertilizer to
equal the additional light and it will take off.
SuEhttp://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/main.php* * *


hmm. it's in an eastern window with the phals and the other phrag in
MD 6b. it gets MSU at -counts on fingers- 1.5 tsp/gal drench 3 out
of 4 waterings. (75-100 ppm? i'd have to look at the bottle.) i'd
really like it to grow more roots, but the green parts are growing,
albeit very slowly. i just put it down to being half species;
anything i have that's half or more species progresses very slowly.

--j_a

On Mar 10, 3:21*pm, wrote:
On Mar 9, 11:40*pm, SuE wrote:

In general Phrags LOVE S/H and they like more light than most growers
give them. *Could be yours needs another site. *A little fertilizer to
equal the additional light and it will take off.
SuEhttp://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/main.php** *

hmm. *it's in an eastern window with the phals and the other phrag in
MD 6b. *it gets *MSU at *-counts on fingers- *1.5 tsp/gal drench 3 out
of 4 waterings. (75-100 ppm? i'd have to look at the bottle.) i'd
really like it to grow more roots, but the green parts are growing,
albeit very slowly. *i just put it down to being half species;
anything i have that's half or more species progresses very slowly.

--j_a

Mine is in an eastern window too. I've been thinking of trying S/H
with a few of the plants, but haven't actually done it yet. I assume
that with the relatively low light levels available to the plants I
have, I would need to keep the amount of fertilizer low. I have been
checking out Ray's info on S/H. The orchids I'm thinking of moving
into S/H are the Phrag, a division of a Pleurothallis grobyii, and one
of my Paph delanati. I'm not sure about my Brassidium Lillian Okra -
it's already big enough! I'm also worried about the light because of
the new windows - low E glass - cutting back on the already just
adequate lighting. I'm getting good growth and flowering with a Soph.
cernua and a Christieara, but the Brassidium only flowered once, a
NOID Paph hasen't flowered in a while and the Phals (also NOID) have
fewer flowers than before. However, the other variable - fertilizer -
I haven't fed them much in the past year. I brought Dyna-Gro (grow
formula)and am using that now. I guess I'll find out over the next
year.
I'm starting to collect cacti - Gymnocalyciums mostly, because they're
easy to grow and flower. And they look cool too. I have a G.
pflanzii that I've had for several years and it flowers every summer.
I just got what I think is a G. ragonesei. I was surprised that the
big cactus vendor at the Philly flower show didn't have any tags on
their plants (that I saw). All the orchid vendors did.
I am also going to try an Echinodorus tenellus (Pigmy Chain Sword) in
a water tight pot in the window. I believe it grows in the wild
partially emersed (at least part of the year). I wonder - it may
also be a good candidate for S/H?
Anyway, thanks for listening!
Bob Campoli - Philadelphia, Pa

Bob,

The phrag is a "natural" for S/H culture, but be aware that some have
problems with parvi paphs (delenatii) in it. I don't, but I have been in
discussions about that a fair number of times.

Your brassisidium is probably suffering from the low light level, and it's
Lillian Oka, not a hybrid with a slimy vegetable (but one that's great when
fried).

Now that I re-reread your post, I will accuse you of "plant abuse". They
really do need nutrition, you know. Under your apparently light starved
conditions, I'd recommend a teaspoon of "Grow" per gallon about twice a
month. In my greenhouse here in Doylestown, I feed what would be the
equivalent of two teaspoons per gallon at every watering.

I would also say that you'll need to start looking into supplemental
lighting. The low-E glass will have a significant impact in the incident
light intensity - fortunately, it is fairly uniform at attenuating all
wavelengths the plants care about. Also, as the seasons change, the angle
of the sunlight will increase, and even less will get in.
--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies. Books, Artwork, and lots of Free Info!


"bobc" wrote in message
...
On Mar 10, 3:21 pm, wrote:
On Mar 9, 11:40 pm, SuE wrote:

In general Phrags LOVE S/H and they like more light than most growers
give them. Could be yours needs another site. A little fertilizer to
equal the additional light and it will take off.
SuEhttp://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/main.php

hmm. it's in an eastern window with the phals and the other phrag in
MD 6b. it gets MSU at -counts on fingers- 1.5 tsp/gal drench 3 out
of 4 waterings. (75-100 ppm? i'd have to look at the bottle.) i'd
really like it to grow more roots, but the green parts are growing,
albeit very slowly. i just put it down to being half species;
anything i have that's half or more species progresses very slowly.

--j_a

Mine is in an eastern window too. I've been thinking of trying S/H
with a few of the plants, but haven't actually done it yet. I assume
that with the relatively low light levels available to the plants I
have, I would need to keep the amount of fertilizer low. I have been
checking out Ray's info on S/H. The orchids I'm thinking of moving
into S/H are the Phrag, a division of a Pleurothallis grobyii, and one
of my Paph delanati. I'm not sure about my Brassidium Lillian Okra -
it's already big enough! I'm also worried about the light because of
the new windows - low E glass - cutting back on the already just
adequate lighting. I'm getting good growth and flowering with a Soph.
cernua and a Christieara, but the Brassidium only flowered once, a
NOID Paph hasen't flowered in a while and the Phals (also NOID) have
fewer flowers than before. However, the other variable - fertilizer -
I haven't fed them much in the past year. I brought Dyna-Gro (grow
formula)and am using that now. I guess I'll find out over the next
year.
I'm starting to collect cacti - Gymnocalyciums mostly, because they're
easy to grow and flower. And they look cool too. I have a G.
pflanzii that I've had for several years and it flowers every summer.
I just got what I think is a G. ragonesei. I was surprised that the
big cactus vendor at the Philly flower show didn't have any tags on
their plants (that I saw). All the orchid vendors did.
I am also going to try an Echinodorus tenellus (Pigmy Chain Sword) in
a water tight pot in the window. I believe it grows in the wild
partially emersed (at least part of the year). I wonder - it may
also be a good candidate for S/H?
Anyway, thanks for listening!
Bob Campoli - Philadelphia, Pa

On Mar 12, 9:30*am, "Ray B" wrote:
Bob,

The phrag is a "natural" for S/H culture, but be aware that some have
problems with parvi paphs (delenatii) in it. *I don't, but I have been in
discussions about that a fair number of times.

Your brassisidium is probably suffering from the low light level, and it's
Lillian Oka, not a hybrid with a slimy vegetable (but one that's great when
fried).

Now that I re-reread your post, I will accuse you of "plant abuse". *They
really do need nutrition, you know. *Under your apparently light starved
conditions, I'd recommend a teaspoon of "Grow" per gallon about twice a
month. *In my greenhouse here in Doylestown, I feed what would be the
equivalent of two teaspoons per gallon at every watering.

I would also say that you'll need to start looking into supplemental
lighting. *The low-E glass will have a significant impact in the incident
light intensity - fortunately, it is fairly uniform at attenuating all
wavelengths the plants care about. *Also, as the seasons change, the angle
of the sunlight will increase, and even less will get in.
--
Hi Ray.
Yes I've been abusing my poor plants :-(
I won't mention the low humidity or intervals between watering.g
I do have some supplemental lighting. For some of the plants (the
ones who behave, that is). I know it isn't enough, though.
As for the recommended amount of Dyna Gro - I'm dosing at one quarter
teaspoon per gallon, at every watering. Prior to now it was at the
same rate maybe once a month or so with Miracle Grow 15-30-15.
And now I know why the brassidium isn't flowering - I've been
insulting it! LOL
Thanks!
Bob