Phragmipedium Grande finally blooming. Thanks OB!

[euplusia]

Seems that you´ve devellopped a kind of "green thumb". Well done.

[RosieC]

Fantastic! Love the look.

I've found my phrag in S/H does the best. That means it's always wet and it just seems to love it (and has just flowered). I think I'm going to switch my other over when it warms up a bit as that is struggling and I keep drying it out too much scared of overwating. In S/H I'm not scared to give it the water it needs.

[Discus]

My Prag. caudatum has really perked up after languishing for more than 6 months - the bark it was in turned out to be quite degraded. In my version of S/H (full catchpots), it's perked up a lot and is suddenly throwing out about 3 new growths. I've also increased it's light a lot from being in some fairly deep shade to having a T5 light over it.
Mine gets very dilute ferts in RO water.

[jkrobins]

Thanks for the information about S/H and Phrags. What do you do in summer? All my orchids go outside in the summer (except the Phals.) under a pergola attached to the house. I water from a rain barrel which has really helped to stop the brown leaf tips.

[Discus]

Brown leaf tips in phrags are either not enough water, or more likely, salt build up, which your rainwater soaks will definitely help with! I imagine a good "leach" once a month or so will help (water well, wait an hour, water well again). Theoretically, proper S/H shouldn't require this, so long as your fertigation water is the right concentration for your plants.

I wish I had somewhere outdoors - I live on the second story and "garden" in an enclosed balcony!

[Vanda lover]

Beautiful! I've been waiting for mine to bloom since I bought it as a seedling 7 years ago! I don't know what it will look like, but I'm pretty sure that is now getting ready to bloom. It loves s/h.