Phrag. schlimii - If I feed it shrimp, will it get pinker?

[bethmarie]

My new schlimii bloomed --flower fell before I got a shot of it to post. Probably for the best, since it was pretty ho-hum. Supposedly of Orchid Zone origin, bred for color and vigor, but this one was washed out, some faded pink at best. Bummer. I'm seriously regretting giving up my first schlimii, which had color and character to spare.

[Bulbofett]

If it works for Flamingos then it should definitely work for your orchid. That's the good/bad thing about Paphs and Phrags. They're like a box of chocolates, you neva know what ya gonna get.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

To be precise, plants grown from seed are like a box of chocolates. You neva know what you're gonna get.

There is some amount of variation between individuals within a batch of seedlings from the same parents.

The parents might be of exceptional stock, but the seedlings might not necessarily come out looking nice.

[MrHappyRotter]

Either way, it's hard to go wrong with Phrag. schlimii. Even if the color isn't that great, they're usually fairly fragrant (for a slipper orchid)! And that alone makes them a pleasure to have blooming, right?

Of course it's easy for me to say that when my lovely schlimii is one of the really colorful, pretty ones. LOL My main gripe is that the individual flowers aren't lasting very long this year for some reason, so the plant is going without an open flower for several days at a time between blooms. I know most phrag flowers don't have a long shelf life, but give me a break.