Kovachii care vs. the other ones.
 

Hi everyone! I have expanded in other directions, plant wise, and so I do not have as big a collection as before. I have mostly paphs and phrags now, as well as a tiny hamdful of other orchids.

So, I have tried twice now to grow Kovachii just like my others-- semi hydro, and to tell the truth, so far, the Kovachii hybrids are not going for it. I am trying to figure out what I am doing wrong because I just got a hybrid, La Vingtaine (which I killed previously) and a species Kovachii. According to the seller they are mature-- and I know La Vingtaine was also very large.

I water only with RO or rain water. I keep the resivoir filled. I water often. I feed very sparsly with K-lite. Since I use lecca I do not often change the medium so I don't move the plants around much.

How do you grow Kovachii?

I have Fritz Schomburg (kovachii x Besseae) in semi hydro w lecca. First year I kept it too cold, it lived but blasted its buds and lost a new growth. this year I kept it intermediate min 68 max 80 and then it is making a comeback, blooming and is growing a new growth and regrowing the lost growth. Also k-lite and ro. What kinds of temps do you give it?

La Vigntaine was killed by me last year. It never bloomed. It is in the same kind of temps as the other phrags and paphs (I mostly only have them). So 70-ish in the winter and 80-ish in the summer. (This is the Southwest USA). The Kovachii I had before the La Vigntaine was a seedling that was smashed in transit (by the heat pack).

My thought was that it needs more calcium then the other ones. The peruvian ones must have different mineral needs if that makes sense.

---------- Post added at 05:10 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:05 PM ----------

Mem. Dick Clements x kovachii

M.D. Clements is
Phrag. sargentianum 50.0%
Phrag. besseae 50.0%

S/H is not the issue, temperature is. Everyone I know that grows them well seems to be able to keep them no warmer than the 70’s with a good nighttime drop.

I, so desperately, want to grow one, but down here in NC, it’s just too warm. I keep trying, but it’s a costly, losing battle.

Actually, my fritz Schomburg is in a room w air conditioning so it likely doesn’t see the 80s very often.

I have killed my fair share of kovachii seedlings in the past, so take this with a grain of salt. But I think I am doing better, as I have acquired several near mature plants, some of which are trying to put up spikes (but I think they are not quite big enough yet...maybe this year).

I think they like wet, and ideally cool. however they tolerated low 80s in the summer just fine last year for me. their natural habitat is I believe on the neutral/basic side.
They do NOT like acidic media, unlike many other phrags which thrive in for example sphagnum moss.

hybrids are of course much more forgiving.