Ok, I'm trusting you guys...

I believe someone here said that you can tell a phrag is about to flower when a new leaf starts to come up even though a previous new life is still rather small? Well, my Phrag Wossner Super Grande decided to start a new little leaf even though the previous leaf is small and relatively new. I know the growth is mature, so here's hoping....

I also was amazed to find that my Penns Creek Cascade (or whatever it's called), got two new growths started while I was gone the past week. Woo woo!

Could very well be a spike, John. Often times that is the first sign of a spike from a phrag. Should know for sure in a few days to a week.

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Jason

Excellent! If it is a spike, this will be my first phrag to bloom, ever. I have it in a semi-sunny spot right now - gets sun until mid-day, then gets dappled sun because of a tree overhead. Would you leave it where it is as the spike grows, or should I worry about any sun hitting the spike?

Perfectly true with my Phrag SA.

light won't hurt it unless it's really bright. or hot. then i'd move it to a bright but less direct-sun location. some say that bright light helps the reds and mahoganies develop. once it blooms, you can consider moving it to a shadier spot to maximize color retention and flower longevity. or so i'm told--i'm not sure it makes a ton of a difference for plants that grow in high light to begin with.

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Jason

Let me ask one more question, not really related to this:

What's the difference between:

phrag wossner super grande
(caud. var. warscewiczianum x longifolium)

phrag grande
(caudatum x longifolium)

Obviously, it's the two types of caudatum, but what is in fact the difference between those caudatums, and what is the difference in an actual phrag grande vs a super grande?

depending on who you ask, you either have 4 varieties of caudatum or 4 separate species. currently the RHS considers warscewiczianum to be a separate species, hence the two names for the hybrid. among the 4 longpetalled species, caudatum and wars share many similarities, as do wallisii & lindenii.

wars blooms on very small plants, 12-14" across at maturity. the flowers are the same size as caudatum, but should overall be much darker. that said, i've seen wars that are pretty crappy...but the good ones are incredible. scroll down to the bottom of this page--H.P. Norton has some really spectacular phrags.

Orchidview

when it comes to the hybrids, there is no real difference. they should all be easy growing and light-loving. supergrande may or may not be darker than regular grande, and it might be noted that many of the old time long petalled hybrids (especially the dark clones) were probably made with warscewiczianum.

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Jason

You may want to touch little below the newly emerging leaf. If you "feel" something, that well may be a flower bud. If you feel "flat," it may not be the flower bud.

phrag spikes are notoriously flat. basal pinching works well for paphs though.

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Jason

Thanks everyone. I'd read that wars. was considered, by some at least, to be a separate species. Also, I have a picture of the Super Grande plant that my division comes from, and the flowers are very red/chestnut - judging by the wars. pictures I just looked at online, I suspect that influence is pretty clear in my plant.