Phrag besseae in S/H

Does anyone have experience growing a besseae in s/h? I have read about their culture and found contrasting information. some say that they love water, and some say that they need to dry a bit before watering again. Any help would be geartly appreciated.

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Matthew Christie

besseae likes water. very pure water. a term i've heard is that you have to "sneak fertilizer in". i don't think the plant will suffer if one never fertilizes it. it doesn't like to be sopping wet, but it certainly does not grow dry like a caudatum. in fact, growing besseae dry is a good way to exacerbate the salt issue.

the biggest issue with besseae, in my experience, is keeping the roots cool. i had success for a long time with clay pots and NZ sphagnum. roots nice and chilly from evaporative cooling. i moved to s/h near the end of last summer with good results up until now. the dog days of summer took their toll, even with s/h, and the plants were not doing so hot. i suspect the root zone temps to be the culprit, so back into clay/sphag they went.

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Jason

Thanks Jason, I have had good luck this summer growing mine in a fine bark mix with chopped sphagnum, however it has been a mild summer here. I may have to try the clay pot and moss technique if next summer proves to be hotter. I guess I'll just keep on doing what seems to work and avoid the s/h for now.

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Matthew Christie