Help me get happy about this Phrag. Besseae var flavum purchase

[Howard A Guest]

It is all about this Phrag. besseae var flavum ('Rising Sun' AM/AOS x 'FVG' AM/AOS) that I purchased a month ago via mail order. It is does not appear to be happy. It only had two leaves when I received it and the remains of several leaves with a third new leaf on the way. Now the youngest leaf is coming in and the oldest is dying just as fast. It looks as if it has been growing like this for a while now.

I am now noticing that there are several dates penciled on the label that go back to April 2002 ( I assume they are repot dates), if this plant is now four years out of compost shouldn’t it be more developed than this?

I am concerned for this plant. I really want a happy besseae var flavum, and with my purchase since spending $107 for a single plant is a big step for me, but I felt confident since I have made several great purchases with this vendor, and all of the phrags I have are doing very well for me.

So now I am curious: is there something unique about this variety that is different than other Phrag besseae’s that make it require different growing conditions than the grower or I have not been giving it?, or is it just a uniquely picky plant? , or is this really a runt and I should be asking for another replacement plant? Is two leaves normal for this plant and I making it loose its oldest leaf? I am currious what everyone thinks of this.