Phragmipedium Acker's Flare

[MrHappyRotter]

Phrag. Jason Fischer x Beauport

Unfortunately, this has proven to be a reluctant bloomer, and it seems like all of them prefer to rot rather than grow. Over the years I've tried all kinds of cultural changes and the only thing that seems to somewhat help was to reduce light levels.

The flowers are pretty, the shape is excellent, and the color is nice. So, I'll continue the struggle to keep it alive and healthy enough to bloom.

[Plodde]

I love phrags! Does your have a scent? My schlimii smells like candy

[MrHappyRotter]

Originally Posted by Plodde

I love phrags! Does your have a scent? My schlimii smells like candy

This hybrid has some schlimii in the background, but no fragrance. I think the genes are too far diluted in Acker's Flare. My Phrag. Seymour Tower, however, is nice and fragrant, and I've got some other hybrids that are as well.

[gnathaniel]

Great color and shape! Too bad about the rot-proneness, have you ever tried any biotic treatments like Inocucor, worm tea, Rootshield, etc.? Live sphagnum in your mix might be worth a shot, too, though in my experience Sphags are even more sensitive to water quality than Phrags...

[WhiteRabbit]

Fabulous!

[MrHappyRotter]

Originally Posted by gnathaniel

Great color and shape! Too bad about the rot-proneness, have you ever tried any biotic treatments like Inocucor, worm tea, Rootshield, etc.? Live sphagnum in your mix might be worth a shot, too, though in my experience Sphags are even more sensitive to water quality than Phrags...

I haven't tried any biotic treatments. I do use dead sphag in my mix, which is otherwise composed of inorganic media. The sphag helps drop the pH, provides a little bit of a reservoir for organic "food", and in theory, provides a nice home for beneficial bacteria in the root zone.

I do grow mosses and liverworts in as many pots as I can get them to grow. For one, I like the look. But also, I've read (and seen anecdotal evidence) that these plants are beneficial for orchids.

Anyway, in terms of the Acker's Flare ... I've had them for many years. They've struggled to thrive, and I've tried many, many things to combat it. They've been in a variety of mixes from bark, to sphag, to my standard rockwool. I tried growing them wet, and I've even tried growing them dry. I've cut way back on fertilizer, tried the k-lite diet even. I've sprayed with neem, cinnamon, peroxide, aspirin, and all sorts of other things.

I got so disgusted with the plant one year that I mostly just gave up on it. I moved it from a prime spot on the light shelves and placed it in a shady spot where I wouldn't have to see it as it slowly died.

To my amazement, almost immediately after putting it in a darker spot, the rot mostly stopped. There really wasn't any other cultural change. And since I started growing it in much shadier conditions, it's bloomed a few times, something it never did before.

Since that time, I've tried this experiment with other phrags that presented similar issues. It seems that reducing light levels is good for some plants, possibly including schlimii. And it seems that shadier conditions are helpful when dealing with other ailments like leaf tip die back and various types of foliar rot. At least, that's the lesson I take away from my experience, your mileage may vary.

[phragguy]

nice one

[lotis146]

That's beautiful, I really like the color.

[No-Pro-mwa]

Lovely.

[Tindomul]

Gorgeous colour and shape!