Growing techniques?

[MrHappyRotter]

Yeap, solid points on the water quality.

Tap is actually okay to use in most of the country. Even in my area, the TDS meter tends to run anywhere from 75 - 250 ppm, which is pretty good. Certainly won't kill your phrags. In fact, I used to water with it and then periodically flush with rain water.

But, when I started switching over to mostly rain water, I saw marked benefits and better root and foliar growth. Quite simply, the phrags in particular liked it better. My plants have never had perfect foliage, but the foliage looks way better now, and there's much less leaf tip die back, which is a symptom of high TDS.

But collecting rainwater is difficult where I'm at now, not to mention we go through periodic droughts. So, RO or DI are what I use. You can find the machines at certain grocery stores, but since I'm also an aquarium guy, I usually just stop by the local aquarium store. They always have it because people use it for their fish tanks. Basically, I bought a few of the 5 gallon water jugs, and then it's usually in the $5 - $7 range to fill them up every other week or so.

But back to the water quality thing. Using RO/DI/rain has the benefit that you can "fine tune" your feeding a bit easier, in that you can feed at higher rates with specific fertilizers and supplements while sill keeping TDS very low. More food (and fewer extras) in the water means better growth. But, I almost always mix in some tap water, whether I'm mixing in other supplements or not. That way the plants are always getting some minerals like calcium, iron and magnesium when I water, and the minerals help buffer the water's pH to keep things a bit more stable.

[Vanda lover]

My phrag is very happy in s/h in lava rock in an east window. I feed very lightly and our tap water seems to suit it fine, though I do flush with rain water once in a while when we have it.

[Tindomul]

Thanks so much for this great info!!

Originally Posted by MrHappyRotter

I love phrags! Don't tell the paphs, but phragmipediums are my favorite orchid genus. They're just plain easier to grow, grow faster and flower more often than the average paph.

Most phrags need to be kept in very moist or wet potting conditions. The exception is the long petalled species and their hybrids, which prefer similar moisture conditions as paphs. However, when it comes to the long petalled hybrids, they often have water loving parents in the background, so at the end of the day, you may want to experiment a bit and see if they can handle wet feet.

All phrags need clean, fresh water. Get a TDS meter, even a cheap one will help. Use rainwater, distilled water, RO water or other very pure water sources mixed with tap at a ratio of 3:1 or 4:1. For the water loving phrags, I've found it's better to leave water sitting in their saucers at all times. However, empty it out and refill/rewater with fresh water daily if possible, but no less than 2 - 3 times a week. While they like sitting in water, they won't handle stagnant conditions very well.

Feed very lightly. Your average orchid fertilizer will work, but you'll only need and want to use a fraction of the amount they recommend. Having a TDS meter will help significantly with determining the correct measurement. I feed with almost every watering, so I keep the TDS below 100 ppm, and try to never let it go above 200 ppm. This usually amounts to 1/4 - 1/8 the recommended amount on the label, but different brands vary in that respect. These are not exact numbers, though, and I don't treat it as a science.

At least once a month, flush the pots with pure water. This means running several volumes of water through the pot to remove any built up nutrients and salts that could harm the roots.

So, watering and water quality seem to be the biggest, most important factors in healthy growth. Otherwise, phrags are pretty adaptable to your growing conditions. They're fine with intermediate to warm growing conditions. Many of them are fine with medium-low light levels but will also grow in cattleya level light (once acclimated). They prefer elevated humidity levels, but don't fuss too much as long as it doesn't drop much below the 40% - 50% range. I've found that good airflow is very important, the same as it with paphs, you tend to get bacterial or fungal problems if there's not some air movement to keep things at bay.

In terms of my growing conditions...

I grow indoors, on shelves using fluorescent lights with some supplemental light from a window. My plants are anywhere from 1" to 8" from the bulbs. The majority of my plants are water lovers, so I keep water in the saucers at all times. I top the water off daily or as needed, and empty the saucers and refill with fresh water every 2nd or 3rd day. I use a variety of fertilizers in rotation, but feed very lightly at almost every watering. Ferts include miracle grow orchid fertilizer, seaweed extract, calcium nitrate cal-mag product, super thrive, aquarium plant fertilizer and I even mix in aquarium water from time to time. Once or twice a month, I flush the pots. My favorite potting mix is rockwool based, but I mix in lots of other goodies including a tiny bit of sphagnum moss, medium charcoal, aliflor (LECA), sponge rock and a small amount of a few other miscellaneous things like oyster shell, sand and eggshells.

[NYCorchidman]

Great info on the culture, thanks!

I have one and only phrag, Eumelia Arias.
I bought it as bare root, and I potted it up in fine coconut husk podwer in a clay pot.
I was worried that the roots might rot, so I kept it a bit dry and the plant didn't like it.
Since I put the pot on the wet feet, the plant took off!

I water with tap water, but I need to start fertilizing more as I have fertilized only once in the past 9 months or so. lol

[Vanda lover]

I figured that if I put the phrag in s/h that it could sit in water without the medium rotting and breaking down.
it works!

[RosieC]

I have two in S/H, one of those is a new young one and it's putting down some lovely roots

I have one in an almost soil looking mass of bark that has probably needed re-potting for a few years. It keeps growing but is not doing so well just now. Planning to move that to S/H soon (probably in the spring).

Then I have a new one in bark, only got it at the weekend so not decided quite what to do with it yet. Might leave it in the bark for now.

All phrags get rain water only, and only low levels of fertiliser (MSU equivalent).

[Paphluvr]

Originally Posted by jeremyinsf

Before you spend a bunch on a system, perhaps consider getting a TDS meter (amazon) to check what your existing water actually is. I have no idea what Boston's water supply is but it's possible you already have very clean water... I know NYC has amazing water, and I here in SF do too. My TDS is so low it would be a waste for me to get a system, when I can just get clean water from the tap. This is not, however, the case for most people so you want to check what you have and know what you are working with.

Excellent advice, Jeremy!

[Vanda lover]

I discovered that if I google Port Alberni water, there is a detailed list of PH, minerals, etc. Our PH is 7.2 to 7.8. I think that's not too bad.

[bethmarie]

I've been bitten by the Phrag bug very recently. thanks for the very helpful thread.

[Vanda lover]

I'm finding my Super Grande is one of my easiest orchids to grow. it's nice that the bugs never bother it.