Phrag Pearci in bud and over grown

[Diane]

Here is my Pearcei, it grew in two directions and got out of the pot before I noticed. Suggestions for re-potting or dividing?

[ksriramkumar]

I vote for repotting in a bigger pot. I don't like it to be divided.

[78Terp]

I think dividing it would be a mistake too. It would set it back.

Mine was growing vigorously and blooming. Then stopped growing and blooming and now is in decline. I haven't figured out why. Probably water quality.

[mrhappyrotter]

I recognize that this is an old thread, but I thought I'd weigh in for anybody who happens to see this and have similar questions.

Phrag. pearcei is a small grower, and while the plant in OP's photo has a lot of growths, it's still a bit on the small side to try and divide. I'd say at this stage, you divide in half and expect some success with the divisions, but it may take awhile before the plants will bloom again. It also looks like it will eventually self-divide somewhere near the center where the current spike is. With this species, allowing it to self-divide is preferable to forcing it.

Pearcei is a stoloniferous grower (rambler with proportionally long stolons/stems between growths), so keeping it contained can be difficult. I try to keep an eye on the plant, and as it pushes out new growths, I use toothpicks and wooden skewers to to carefully redirect their growth towards the inside of the pot. Also, this is a phrag that likes to grow wet for me, and needs brighter light than most of my other phrags to flower.

As a consequence, when you pot it up, use a relatively wide & shallow pot. I doesn't have to be a bulb pot, but if you find one of an appropriate size, that would work. I use a chunky mix that can withstand lots of constant moisture without breaking down, and then use sphagnum moss on top of the mix to provide an extra moisture retentive layer of mix right at the plant's new roots. Then I'd set the whole pot into a saucer, where I'd keep a small amount of water pooled inside at all times.

Given enough light and warmth, Phrag. pearcei will grow year round. In their native habitat, these are often found growing on the sides of rocks in or next to rivers and streams. They'll be positioned just a small distance above the water line, growing directly on the rock, but with roots covered in moss, and slightly shaded from full sun by grasses and other taller plants. And they receive almost constant moisture from frequent rains, but also from splashing water.

[sciencegal]

I'm dredging this thread up. I just bought my first two phrags and this is one of them and it is in bud. It should arrive this week. This is helpful information. The other one is a Phrag. popowii. I couldn't resist and I think it will do well here with my cooler temps.

[Aeronaut]

I found with my pearceii like warm temps, I have quite a few of them, some in bloom still, now from the summer, but multiple spikes have dried up from cool temps, in nature they grow in low altitude hardly experiencing temps under 65-70 as a low temp
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[sciencegal]

I thought I read that pearcii is good with cooler temps which is why I bought it. My house can get down to the mid 50s at night and it has since I got it. It came in bloom and has produced two more blooms from the same spike and is still in bloom. I keep it wet and in a clay pot to help keep it cool.
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[Aeronaut]

Pearceii is a warm to hot grower, I have 4 of them, they all have 7 or more growths 2 of them are still in bloom, on 2 plants had 3 spikes but blasted when my temps dropped, one of them has a branching spike, I can post a picture if you would like to see
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[sciencegal]

I believe you. What did your temp drop down to?
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---------- Post Merged at 02:44 PM ----------

I just rechecked IOSPE and it says cool to warm grower.
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[Aeronaut]

I'll start a new thread anyhow, dropped to 58 at night
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