Phragmipedium besseae

[Orquiadicto]

This is another one I bought at the show. Any culture tips will be very much appreciated.

[zainal abidin]

Lovely wish it will reward you again for the next season.

[Ron-NY]

besseae like cooler night time temps. 65 F. Medium light.

[Brutal_Dreamer]

Beautiful

Cheers
BD
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[Lanny Morry]

I have friends who grow phrags in a reservoir with water. I don't but these are a plant that don't like being dry, they like humidity and wetter rather than drier conditions, so I water them well -- in the growing season two times a week and I ensure the medium is really soaked, not just moist to the touch, and I mist daily. Do not under water because this can be the death of them, especially the species used to moisture and high humidity. I had friends who grew their phrags standing in reservoirs of water and they thrived and bloomed, and thrived, and bloomed. I don't do that, but they are well watered every time the top of their sphag/bark mix looks the least bit dry coloured!

[gardenguysorchids]

I grow mine with pots sitting in a plastic plant caddy with about an inch or two of distilled water in them. I use only distilled water for my Phrag collection. They thrive and bloom for me in my basement growing under lights and never being left to dry out. They are grown in clay pellets so repotting only happens when plants out grow the pots. I do flush the pots once every week or so when I water the rest of my orchids.

[Lanny Morry]

That is basically in keeping with what I believe works best too. My plants always have water underneath... about an inch and when I water them I drench. And like you I grow under lights, and I certainly don't believe in letting them go dry. Mine are grown in a mix of bark and sphagnum moss, about a half and half mix. I am still trying to figure out how to get them to bloom when I want them to bloom which is not summer here in Canada when my son and I are heavily into growing our outdoor daylily garden (we hybridize). We want bloom for our orchid show in late April... and I suspect the tips I got at our last meeting from a renowned Canadian paph expert who is a member of the Montreal botanical garden crew, may hold the clue as to what I need to do. Interestingly, despite the fact they come from different continents I think the latitude they come from also matters and if so they come from the same basic conditions, and I shall experiment with lighting and heat and see what I get using paph rules to try to bloom phrags on a similar cycle that will take me to show time in April 2015. I have one species cross in bloom now (longifolium x wallisii... that is picture perfect, with one bud open and two opening. The open flower has tendrils now about 20 inches long and growing daily, and everything looking wonderful. The other two buds are fattening and getting set to open imminently -- the first is just a couple of days off and the other is imminent, within a couple of days of the next one to open. Ihave several other phrags of different crosses also set to awe me in the next couple of days so they obviously like my current in house under lights conditions .

[orchidsal]

A beautiful Phrag. If I ever get a Phrag. it will be something quite like this that is for sure. Good information in these posts! AL

[78Terp]

I like this phrag besseae a lot. I may have to get one for my collection.

I currently have 3 phrags.
2 in bark (Eric Young and Olaf Gruss) and the one I have had the longest and the only one not in bloom when acquired was moved into s/h several months ago (pearceii). It has kind of languished until recently. Now it has 4 new growths going on it. So I guess it was just adjusting to s/h.

[coeruleo]

i was thinking as i read the posts maybe it would be a good semi-hydro plant... i would LOVE one of these and this one has such wonderful color. it's so dry here i would probably have to do it in a puddle of water or semi-hydro.