Advice on Phrag. Andean Fire needed plz

[D&S Mabel]

First, I know little about Phrag. so any adivce is appreciated -

I have had a Phrag. Andean Fire 'Michelle Lee' AM/AOS x Sorcerer's Apprentice 4N for three years. It was a gift that I have place in amongst my Onc. types, outside year round and the plant itself seems to do ok. It gets water, like the Oncs, every three days, puts out new growths and is a nice green color. It's actually gotten larger over time so I think its happy. I recently repotted it into a Cat. type mix, in a clear pot as the old mix seemed to have pretty much worn out.

The problem I have is that every spring, in April/May, the plant puts out a nice spike that grows to about 5" - 6" long, quits growing and eventually turns brown and dies off.

Can anyone tell me about this plant? I don't know if I have it in the wrong mix, if I am not watering it enough, if it is too hot outside for it, etc.??? I'd love to see what it's flower is supposed to look like some day, so any help is very much appreciated!!

[Shirley]

I've been growing an Andean Fire for eleven years now and it does well for me but I have it indoors in a sunroom. I know that it's happy in bright, indirect light and likes to be moist. It's in a bark/perlite/charcoal mix, watering every five or six days now and I have it sitting in a saucer which holds about a 1/2 inch of water. I hope this helps.

[unhappykat]

kind of sounds like your not giving it enough warmth to support the sikes development. I get this on paphs sometimes during the winter if the heat is not high enough the spikes stall and rot. try giving it more warmth after you see the spike emerging and that might stop it from dieing. That is weird though.