Ecuagenera video of Phrag habitats

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Just randomly found and watched this really cool video on Phrag habitats that Ecuagenera had produced some time ago. The video quality is lacking, but the information in it is awesome for Phrag growers.

Phragmipedium in-situ Ecuador - YouTube

[DeaC]

TY for this! There may be hope for me yet.

[billc]

Very informative. Now I need to figure out how to explain to my wife that I need a granite cliff.

Bill

[estación seca]

Compromise. She gets granite kitchen countertops, you get granite cliff.

[Optimist]

It is very strange, but today I was also browsing youtube for orchid videos and also was attracted to an equagenera video about bessia on a granite cliff!! I swear it was random!

Oh, so I decided to do an experiment because I feel that my semi-hydroponic is not doing well, and the roots of my 4 plants are not doing so well.

They are in an east window. I put them in shallow rocks in net baskets, and then got a 10 gallon fish tank, (distilled water) and put a filter in it. Then I got a flat sheet of styrofoam, which floated like a "cap" on the top of a water, except for a slight sheeting of moving water on the styrofoam sheet. Then I put the phrags in rocks on the sheet of styrofoam and also moved my humidifier nearer to them.

So now they have the air and the sheeting, moving water on their roots, but the root zone is above the rocks.

I will watch them and see if they like this.

Do you think as it is winter, I should put a fish tank heater in the water to get it a bit warmer? Or will room temperature do?

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by Optimist

They are in an east window. I put them in shallow rocks in net baskets, and then got a 10 gallon fish tank, (distilled water) and put a filter in it. Then I got a flat sheet of styrofoam, which floated like a "cap" on the top of a water, except for a slight sheeting of moving water on the styrofoam sheet. Then I put the phrags in rocks on the sheet of styrofoam and also moved my humidifier nearer to them.

So now they have the air and the sheeting, moving water on their roots, but the root zone is above the rocks.

I will watch them and see if they like this.

Do you think as it is winter, I should put a fish tank heater in the water to get it a bit warmer? Or will room temperature do?

Phrag besseae really seems to love moving water I had created a little "fountain" with a submersible pump for Disas (which are still alive, amazingly) and put the Phrag besseaes in there during the warm months, potted as you suggested, with rocks at the bottom so that the roots were not in the water. Once night temperatures are below about 50 deg F., they needed to be a bit warmer, so moved them into the GH, set up a pan of water (I used a broiler pan because it was handy, had enough depth) with an aquarium bubbler to provide water movement and aeration. That turns out to work just as well, and is a lot easier to maintain than the fountain since only a plastic tube is actually in the water. The roots grew down into the water (all over the place) and the plants are growing well.

House temperature should be fine for the water.

[Optimist]

Hi thanks, Roberta! Instead of buying more plants this year, I have decided to focus on getting the culture right for those plants that are not as happy as the ones I do the best at (Phals, and Cattlayas). I have a collection now of 4 big phrags, and 9 paphs, but I am missing the boat somehow in their culture. Any help is welcomed.

[ABAcyps]

Thank you for the post, always great to see plants in their native habitat.

[estación seca]

Originally Posted by Optimist

Hi thanks, Roberta! Instead of buying more plants this year, I have decided to focus on getting the culture right for those plants that are not as happy as the ones I do the best at (Phals, and Cattlayas). I have a collection now of 4 big phrags, and 9 paphs, but I am missing the boat somehow in their culture. Any help is welcomed.

If you haven't read it, look up my lecture notes here from when Brandon Tam of the Huntington talked to our society about growing Paphs. He also mentioned Phrags.

[ABAcyps]

Will do,thanks again.