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Thread: Phragmepedium Sorcerers Apprentice ( my original plant)

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  1. #1
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    Geoff Hands
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    Default Phragmepedium Sorcerers Apprentice ( my original plant)

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    I got an award for this plant , looking much like this in 2005; split into 4, sold 2pieces, and slowly grew the others on. Three spikes for the first time since then- worth showing now, especially as it is now ( again for the first time since 2005) strong enough to carry several flowers at once on each spike. Has been grown in my automatic watering system - probably every 2-3 days, for at least a year, and loves it. Might be much better again next year - there seem to be at least two other growths almost up to flowering size, and spike quality should be up too. The lateral down swept petals are about 3 inch long, so the flowers are maybe 5 inch natural span.
    The plant stands 47 inches high ( from base of pot); I measured it, because I was fairly sure that it would not go into most cars I have had, and I should have had a struggle getting it to a show in one piece ; after the Spring Shows this year, I swapped my car for one more suitable for that purpose ( not having my dear late wife here to ask me if that ws not being a bit extravagant ! ) so I took my tape measure out to my new ( Passat Estate - VW - although it may be called something different where you are ) and bingo - one inch clearance ! I got that one right. Alas there are no shows to take it to, at the moment.

  2. #2
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    Lutz Haunert
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    Georgeous!

  3. #3
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    Leigh
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    Just spectacular Geoff.
    Sorcerer's is an all time classic hybrid and just a beastly example of "hybrid vigor".
    Are those spikes standing straight up like that unsupported?

  4. #4
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    Geoff Hands
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    just as much as I am, Leigh, and I had two glasses of ( organic) Pinot Noir to wash down my lunch and console me for my girl friend being too far away.....

  5. #5
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    Leigh
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    Ha ha ha........ good show old boy (as you say)!
    It may be that mine are grown outside and the wind gets to the spikes or that it's just I'm thinking about when they get further along in their bloom cycle and the stalks are much longer but I always seem to need to support mine with 3' bamboo stakes. And, to boot, I end up needing 2 or even 3 of those stakes taped up end to end to be long enough to hold them upright.
    Mine can be in bloom for 6+ months straight some years.

  6. #6
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    Geoff Hands
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    Yes, the successional blooming is good. These do have just 15 inch or maybe 18 inch stakes to bring them closer together, the bottom 8 or more inches of the stakes being buried in the pot, but I don't need them to support the height. . I think my culture has improved since I read Guido Braem's book "The genus Phragmipedium" . Before then, I had been following a guy who seemed to do quite well, who gave talks to UK Orchid Societies, and claimed that they would take very high levels of fertiliser - he talked of measuring in Siemens - not microSiemens and whilst I felt I couldn't bring myself to go as far as he did , I was going higher than I did for anything else.
    He ( Guido- he is a German botanist , has been to the UK Paph Society where I used to be a committee member - giving very good talks) , said - and maybe quoting the Fishers , keep it low - up to 200 µS . And I think my leaves are more solid and spikes stronger too.

  7. #7
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    Leigh
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    Interesting tip on the fertilizer and I'm going to see if I can find that book and read it.
    We actually held our annual society picnic yesterday and this year was at the home of a good friend who has received countless AOS awards for his plants.
    A) it was really, really good to see everyone in spite of the masks and social distancing in the gardens, and B)
    I bought a couple of newer divisions from him while I was there one of which was Phrag. China Dragon. I've been looking for one of those large flowered reds
    that I'd be able to grow in the FL Keys and I think that grande x besseae cross will work there.
    BTW- the other was a piece of his Catt. percivaliana 'Alberts'.

  8. #8
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    Susan
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    Very nice Phrag. Looks happy and healthy.


    Susan

  9. #9
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    Bruce Brown
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    That is an amazing, phrag, Geoff! Bravo! I wish there was a show for you to take it and show it off. Man, that is so beautiful. Well grown, sir!!

    cheers,
    BD

  10. #10
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    Ray Barkalow
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    I have a Sorcerer’s Apprentice as well and I feed it a 100 ppm N solution of K-Lite (12-1-1-8Ca-3Mg) weekly. The EC of that in pure water is about 0.71 mS, so 710 microSiemens.

    When it was growing in my greenhouse in PA, where I had the fertilizer fed into all water via an injector pump, the solution was about 25 ppm N, making the EC about 180 microSiemens, but there it was watered 3-4 times a week.

    I think it’s quite misleading to make recommendations of feeding in terms of EC alone, as the fertilizer formula affects that, and a recommendation of concentration should also be accompanied by the frequency of application.

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