Purchasing my First Phragmipedium! Advice please? - Orchid Board

Cattleya17 · #1 10-16-2012, 07:57 PM

Hello all! I am buying my first Phrag this week and the running is down to two hybrids. The first is a Phrag. Memoria. Dick Clements and the other is a Phrag Don Wimber. I love both of them so much but only have room for one until spring or until I sell a few other plants.

Are these two plants good choices for a first Phrag?

They both are coming from orchids limited.. unless the plants are listed as in spike its difficult to tell what is mature size!! The Don Wimber is in a 6 inch pot so I would imagine that it is but all the rest are in 3.25-4 inch pots are these mature as well do you think? Feel free to chime in Especially if you have bought Phrags from Orchids Limited before!!!

RosieC · #2 10-17-2012, 06:55 AM

I only have two phrags and Phrag. Memoria. Dick Clements was the second one I got. I love it and I've found it easy to grow as I didn't have much experience with them.

They are not massive, so could be mature in that size pot, I can't be certain though.

I've found they don't like too much fertiliser, MDC is particularly likely to get brown leaf tips with too much (more than my Eugene Conroy). They also like to keep their feet wet.

terryros · #3 10-17-2012, 03:35 PM

It is hard to not put an Orchids Limited Phrag Jason Fischer ahead of a MDC or Don Wimber. The Jason Fischer made with besseae 'Rick Hunter' is particularly nice and they have several other new batches of Jason Fischer's that they are very positive about. You might want to just call Jerry or Jason Fischer. If you like red, get the Jason Fischer. If you like orange, get a Don Wimber.

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quiltergal · #4 10-17-2012, 07:00 PM

My vote would go to Don Wimber. It's not at all fussy and very easy to bloom. Perfect beginner Phrag.

Cattleya17 · #5 10-17-2012, 08:01 PM

Is the don wimber large? I called them today and Jerry sold me on the Jason Fischer! He also sold me on the don wimber! I'm getting the Jason Fischer tonight and the don wimber on Friday!

All I can say is that it's gonna be a dent I'm my wallet! But how could I not get both!!! The Jason Fischer is in bid and the don wimber ,Jerry said, will be blooming in about march.

How important is clean water? I don't have a R/O system or rain water. Will my tap water kill them? It's what I use on all my other chids it also is great drinking water. Is it possible to distill your own water If need to?

terryros · #6 10-17-2012, 09:03 PM

I would try to use fairly pure water and low concentrations of fertilizer. If you have a small collection, just getting distilled water at a grocery store can work. If a larger collection, there are fairly reasonable table top reverse osmosis units that are very nice. I have about 20 Phrags, almost all of which are from Orchids Limited.

I would try and use concentrations of Nitrogen in the fertilizer of only about 60-70 PPM. I grow all of my plants in straight sphagnum moss (high quality that I get from Orchids Limited) but I am very careful of when to water each plant. The phrags get watered when the top of the medium is becoming just slightly moist. I am also using K-Lite fertilizer from First Rays as a trial and I am also using KelpMax (cold pressed kelp) as a root stimulator during the active growing time of the year.

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Cattleya17 · #7 10-17-2012, 09:30 PM

Ok I'm interested in learning about R/O I will only have two phrags so I suppose that I could get distilled water but that can add up quickly especially since they need a lot of water. How much space will the R/O system occupy and does it need to be connected to my main plumbing?

billc · #8 10-18-2012, 04:01 AM

Hi Sam, The Hannafords in Vails Gate has an RO water dispenser and it's .45 per gallon in your own jug. 4 or 5 gallons ought to last you a while with 2 phrags.

Bill

RosieC · #9 10-18-2012, 06:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cattleya17

How important is clean water? I don't have a R/O system or rain water. Will my tap water kill them? It's what I use on all my other chids it also is great drinking water. Is it possible to distill your own water If need to?

I use tap water on them, no idea what it's like but it's good quality but sort of mid hardness.

I only find I get browning leaf tips when I use fertiliser too regularly at the strength used on other orchids, if I keep the fertiliser week or less frequent the new leaf tips don't brown.

Tap water has not seemed to harm their health otherwise.

quiltergal · #10 10-18-2012, 10:44 AM

I do as Bill suggested and refill my jugs at the grocery store @ about .40/gal. Cheap, and easy to do.

My Don Wimber is not really huge. I'd say it's probably medium sized for a Phrag. I also have a Jason Fisher, but IMO it's not a very good cultivar. I'm thinking of getting rid of it and trying for one with better form.