Neofinetia, Kyokusho 旭昇

[Hakumin]

Not the most elegant arrangement of blooms, but I like the contrast with the yellow variegation in the leaves.

[u bada]

Really beautiful but then again it may be deceiving because maybe it's more your photo skills than your plants ;P

You grow this like other tigers? if so feel free to share any secrets to keep that variegation...

Also, is there something unique going on with the spurs thats unique to this variety?... or just me looking at too many qualities in neos these days that I'm overly sensitive to slight details that are actually nothing particularly different...

[Hakumin]

Originally Posted by u bada

Really beautiful but then again it may be deceiving because maybe it's more your photo skills than your plants ;P

You grow this like other tigers? if so feel free to share any secrets to keep that variegation...

Also, is there something unique going on with the spurs thats unique to this variety?... or just me looking at too many qualities in neos these days that I'm overly sensitive to slight details that are actually nothing particularly different...

It's just my photography skills. It's actually just a 1 growth plant. All the leaves you see are just an illusion.

Joking aside, I grow this one under the highest light I can give out of any of my neos, but since I grow under lights, it's hard to explain exactly how much total light it gets in relation to growing under other light sources. Other than that, the care I give it is identical to any standard neo.

As for the spurs, it's just the one in the front that got the funny curl. The rest are pretty normal.

[camille1585]

Gorgeous plant! Like you, I really like the contrast between the yellow striping and the white blooms. Is it just me, or do the spurs have a slight tinge of pink?

I think I need to add some tiger striped plants to my small but growing collection.

[Hakumin]

Originally Posted by camille1585

Is it just me, or do the spurs have a slight tinge of pink?

The spurs are faintly pink, and the pedicels are as well.

[Shoreguy]

Originally Posted by camille1585

I think I need to add some tiger striped plants to my small but growing collection.

Camille,

For a tiger stripe, I highly recommend N Karanishiki.

It is somewhat high end. In addition to the tiger stripes, it has ruby root tips. Do an internet search to familiarize yourself with how it should look and be sure to get a picture of the exact plant you will be purchasing so you won't be conned. The picture should have been taken during root tip growth to see the tips in all their glory.

Another excellent choice is N Byakko, more readily available and more affordable. Plain root tips. One issue with Byakko is that the variegation is white and not yellow resulting in it being more subject to sun damage.

---------- Post added at 12:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:22 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Hakumin

It's just my photography skills. It's actually just a 1 growth plant. All the leaves you see are just an illusion.

Joking aside, I grow this one under the highest light I can give out of any of my neos, but since I grow under lights, it's hard to explain exactly how much total light it gets in relation to growing under other light sources.

Hakumin,

You grow under lights? I never would have guessed.

I nearly fell off my sofa (something hard to do) when reading that. Such success with the alternate source!

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by Shoreguy

Camille,

For a tiger stripe, I highly recommend N Karanishiki.

It is somewhat high end. In addition to the tiger stripes, it has ruby root tips. Do an internet search to familiarize yourself with how it should look and be sure to get a picture of the exact plant you will be purchasing so you won't be conned. The picture should have been taken during root tip growth to see the tips in all their glory.

Another excellent choice is N Byakko, more readily available and more affordable. Plain root tips. One issue with Byakko is that the variegation is white and not yellow resulting in it being more subject to sun damage.

Thanks for the suggestions. The selection of Neos for sale is more limited here, and mostly depends on what my favorite supplier chooses to buy in his twice per year imports from Korea. I'll note these names and keep an eye out, or ask if he can include one in his next import.

[Shoreguy]

Originally Posted by camille1585

Thanks for the suggestions. The selection of Neos for sale is more limited here, and mostly depends on what my favorite supplier chooses to buy in his twice per year imports from Korea. I'll note these names and keep an eye out, or ask if he can include one in his next import.

What happens if your supplier orders an inferior Kara Nishiki and you have to turn it down? That could result in problems with your future dealings.

Ask the supplier to be sure to order one with good distinctive yellow tiger variegation and if in active root growth, ruby tips. You might ask him if he can email you a picture of the exact plant being considered and you can approve or disapprove based on appearance and price to you. It’s your money.

[u bada]

Yeah was shocked about that too... but thinking about it, many plants grown under lights look very perfect meaning very even growth and his plants look pretty perfect to me.

What lights are you using, Hakumin? and how close do you have them?

Have light setups, but LED pretty strong, but have been growing the neos at an window setup and and on balc to see differences, maybe I should have a couple under lights to test that too.

Just got a byakko, pretty excited, but one leaf burnt a little so I pulled it further from window and the variegation lessened and now back to a brighter but more even lit spot. Maybe that's worth trying under lights.

[Hakumin]

Originally Posted by u bada

What lights are you using, Hakumin? and how close do you have them?

I simply don't have the place to grow outdoors since I live in a third floor apartment in a city, so I learned to make do.

I am currently growing under three 24" T5HO tubes. At least until I can find LED replacement tubes with the output and spectrum that I want, I'll stick with these for now. I am currently using Sunblaster 6400K tubes. My plants seem to do best under them after having tried several brands.

I have three shelves. All three shelves have one middle tube that turns on and off at sunrise and sunset. The outer tubes on each shelf is timed separately from the middle to give varying amount of light to each shelf during the day as needed.

The plants are arranged on each shelf depending on their light requirements since there is higher light towards the middle of each shelf as opposed to the edges.

The plants are between 4 and 8 inches away from the tubes depending on height of the plant. If a plant needs less light, I'll put it towards the edge of the shelf or on a lower light shelf. If a plant needs more light, I'll put it towards the center of the shelf or on a higher light shelf.

The most important thing to understand about growing with artificial lights is that you cannot take the usual outdoor footcandle recommendations for plants at face value.

If a plant is said to require 3000 fc, this means that it requires that intensity at peak intensity as the light increases and decreases gradually over the course of a day. It does not mean that you should give it 3000fc constantly throughout the whole day.

Artificial lights generally do not gradually rise and fall in intensity the way sunlight does, and if you attempt to give that plant 3000 fc using artificial lights, it's way too much light.

Anyway, this pic is a bit old, but this is how it's set up: