I'm using Bob Wellenstein's advice for Paph compots (on his web page ladyslipper.com) for growing a Phragmipedium kovachii compot. I've put the undisturbed compot complete with agar in a plastic pot and in-filled with small bark (about 1/4 inch). As the agar melts away I infill with more small bark. They get misted 3x a day for a few minutes. Any water that makes it through the compot/bark medium or comes from the misters gets trapped in a very shallow tray. They get MSU fertilizer diluted to about 1/4 tsp/gal and city water. Mine are in intermediate to cool temps.... Maybe I should move mine. I figured if they were from high elevation in nature they'd be a cooler grower. (?) But they seem to be growing and haven't lost any yet. (Jinx!) Any advice is welcome. Who's Alfredo Manrique? I got my compot at a farmer's market in Oakland. I paid $29.95 plus tax, which ticked me off because none of the other stalls charged tax on their produce... so what's up with that? Jess Pullnyerchayn N Calif, USA > > Hi Kathy, > At risk of sounding grumpy, would you please call the plant by > > its > name. You sound like a gushing and swooning Dave's Garden perpetual > > novice > when you use Pk. Every time somebody uses that abbreviation I > > think: > reaction equilibrium constant, pK spell check corrected by > > Microsoft. (can > you tell I have a sometimes miserable day job in the > > chemical industry?) > I am treating my seedlings from Alfredo Manrique only > > slightly > different than normal Phrag seedlings. I do top dress my potting > > mix with > crushed oyster shell. My mix for some is diatomite, for some it > > is bark, > perlite & charcol and I stand all the pots in individual shallow > > trays of > water. There seems to be no big difference between the seedlings > > in bark > mix versus diatomite. Otherwise they are being treated just like > > seedlings > of Don Wimber or Jason Fisher. OK, I do admit I look at them > > daily, which > is attention the other seedlings don't get. But that is all. > > I am watering > with municipal tap water (about 225 ppm) to which 1/2 > > teaspoon per gallon > MSU Fertilizer has been added. Temps intermediate to > > warm. > Hope this helps> Leo> _________________________________________________________________ More photos; more messages; more whatever – Get MORE with Windows Live™ Hotmail®. NOW with 5GB storage. http://imagine-windowslive.com/hotmail/?locale=en-us&ocid=TXT_TAGHM_migration_HM_mini_5G_0907 _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
