Phragmipedium orchids are found in Central and South America and are mainly terrestrial growing in light friable soils rich in organic matter or are lithophytes growing on rocky granite cliff faces at elevations between 400 to 2200 meters. The growing environments are usually very humid with the roots receiving abundant moisture.
Phragmipedium also called as Lady's slipper orchids, Uropedium, Phragmipedilum, is a genus of the Orchidaceae family. This species was named refers to the separated wall in the ovary and was described by Robert Allen Rolfe in 1896.
IDENTIFY PHRAGMIPEDIUM ORCHID PLANT
Phragmipedium orchids are found in Central and South America and are mainly terrestrial growing in light friable soils rich in organic matter or are lithophytes growing on rocky granite cliff faces at elevations between 400 to 2200 meters. The growing environments are usually very humid with the roots receiving abundant moisture.
Lady's slipper orchids are sympodial plants with short stems, fibrous roots, with fan shaped groups of 6 to 8 coriaceous, about 80 cm long leaves. They are much larger growing than Paphiopedilums and some hybrids can grow up to 60 cm wide and 60 cm high and so require more bench space. There are also dwarf species that only grow about 15 cm high.
They mainly flower in late winter and spring but flowering can extend throughout the year. Plants with sequential flowering can flower for several months. They produce multiple flowers on a spike that can be up to 1 meter high and flowers can be very long lasting with spikes that flower for many months under good conditions. Flowers can have very long petals that hang down for 30cm or more. The flower colors vary from green to mahogany-pink and the brightly fluorescent orange of Phragmipedium besseae and even magenta (Phragmipedium kovachii).
PHRAGMIPEDIUM ORCHID PLANT CARE AND CULTURE
Cultural information should only be used as a guide, and should be to be adapted to suit you. Your physical location; where you grow your plants, how much time you have to devote to their care, and many other factors, will need to be taken into account. Only then can you decide on the cultural methods that best suit you and your plants.
Light:
Phragmipedium orchids generally require medium to bright light (30000-70000 lux) similar to Cattleyas and Vanda and require more light than Paphiopedilums. This includes the long petaled Phragmipedium caudatum and Phragmipedium xerophyticum. Exceptions are the mottled leaf types Phragmipedium besseae and Phragmipedium schlimii that prefer lower light levels (15000-20000 lux) and they should be grown lower down on the bench.
All species must be kept out of direct sunlight. They like more light in winter. They will grow in lower light but are much slower growing and will tend to climb more. Flower colour is also more intense when grown in bright light. Young seedling plants are reported to require less light.
Lady's slipper orchids can also be grown and flowered successfully under artificial plant lights such as fluorescent lights, high pressure sodium or metal halide. Some artificial plant lights produce enough heat to burn the leaves if positioned too close to the plant. When using any artificial plant light source be sure to position the plants under the lights in accordance to the needs of the plants.
Temperature:
Phragmipedium orchids are regarded as intermediate temperature plants with the optimum minimum temperature being about 10°C which is higher than for Paphiopedilums. Some will tolerate minimum temperatures down to 3°C but they will not tolerate frost. Phragmipedium besseae and Phragmipedium schlimii prefer cooler conditions and Phragmipedium xerophyticum warmer conditions. The maximum temperature should ideally not exceed 30°C but higher temperatures up to 40°C will be tolerated for short periods if humidity is raised by misting or other techniques and good airflow is maintained with a fan if necessary. If daytime temperatures are above 35- 40°C the light level should be reduced further with additional shading or plants placed down low in the shade house.
Due to their temperature requirements, Phragmipedium are best gown in glasshouses where temperature and humidity requirements are more easily satisfied. They do not require cooler night temperatures to initiate flowering as many other orchids do, but cooler night temperatures do give more intense flower colour. When grown at cooler temperatures they may not flower as frequently as new growths will take up to 2 years to flower compared to 1 year at higher temperatures.
Humidity:
Lady's slipper orchids like high humidity preferably above 50%, but will tolerate humidity as low as 35%. Sitting them on trays filled with stones and water assists in raising humidity.
They need good air movement. Growths that do not dry out by evening can get bacterial rot. This is a particular problem in caudatum types and their hybrids. Fans may be required to aid air movement if fungal or bacterial diseases are a problem. Some growers leave fans on 24 hours where natural airflow is not good such as in a glasshouse.
Substrate, growing media:
Phragmipedium orchids flower best when allowed to develop into larger plants and so should not be subdivided unless necessary. The root systems of Phragmipedium are more robust than Paphiopedilums. They are best grown in deeper nursery shaped pots rather than squat pots favored by many other orchids.
Phragmipedium can be subdivided into two distinct groups (dry vs wet group) with different watering and potting mix needs: The dry group are older hybrids containing Phragmipedium caudatum, Phragmipedium sargentianum and Phragmipedium longifolium which use a standard seedling grade 5-10mm bark mix containing perlite and sometimes coarse river sand and vermiculite; The wet group potting mix contains 3 parts sphagnum moss, one part volcanic rock and 1 part perlite and is for newer hybrids containing Phragmipedium besseae and Phragmipedium schlimii. The wet group should be grown in saucers of shallow water about 2cm deep during the warmer months in a shade-house or year-round in the glasshouse.
Adding polystyrene chunks to the bottom of pots assists in providing good drainage which is essential. They prefer a slightly acid potting medium with pH 5-6 containing no calcium carbonate (lime).
Repotting:
It is recommend to repotting Phragmipedium every year, to every year and a half. To properly repot your Phragmipedium simply remove it from the pot and let the existing potting mix fall away from the roots. Keep the pot size as small as possible, just large enough to accommodate the roots. Trim any damaged or dead roots and let the potting mix fall away. If the plant is root bound, no further trimming is necessary, just pot into a slightly larger pot.
When subdividing large plants it is important to have at least 3 strong growths or leaders in each division, as these will grow more vigorously than new plants with only one or two growths. When repotting the newest growth must be at or slightly below the potting mix surface, as they will not produce aerial roots to grow into the potting medium.
Watering:
These plants should be kept moist year round with frequent watering and not allowed to dry out. Plants can be kept a little drier in winter. Some growers stand the pots in shallow trays containing water about 2cm deep in warmer weather. Phragmipediums prefer tank or filtered water where possible and are sensitive to high levels of chlorine in the water. Treated water can cause brown tips on the leaves.
As they have no bulb to store water, plants should be kept moist year round but not soggy. They should be watered in the morning so the leaves are dry by the afternoon to prevent bacterial rot and fungal problems. New growths tend to collect water that can easily result in rotting and plant death. Do not water on cloudy days in winter when they will not dry by evening as this can cause bacterial rot. If plants are grown under cooler conditions they should not be kept as wet as when in glasshouse conditions.
In summer plants can be watered every 2 to 3 days in hot weather but in winter they may require watering only every 7-14 days depending on the potting mix and weather conditions.
Fertilizer:
Phragmipediums are heavy feeders and can have more fertilizer than Paphiopedilums but too much fertilizer will cause leaf tip burn.
Some growers find slow release fertilizers cause poor root growth and prefer liquid fertilizers. Generally soluble fertilizers are preferred to solid fertilizers. Alternating soluble fertilizers with seaweed extracts has proven very successful for many growers. It is recommended to applying a 20-20-20 or similar balanced fertilizer once every 2 to 3 weeks. Less fertilizer should be used in winter. Some growers suggest high phosphorus fertilizer in autumn encourages flower development but others actively discourage it.
BUY PHRAGMIPEDIUM ORCHID PLANT AND RELATED PRODUCTS
SOME SPECIES AND VARIETIES OF PHRAGMIPEDIUM ORCHID WITH CULTURE SHEET AND CARE TIPS:
- Phragmipedium andreettae - Andreetta's Phragmipedium
- Phragmipedium besseae - Mrs. Besse's Phragmipedium
- Phragmipedium boissierianum - Boissier's Phragmipedium
- Phragmipedium caricinum - The Reed Grass-Like Phragmipedium
- Phragmipedium caudatum - The Tailed Phragmipedium - The Mandarin Orchid
- Phragmipedium kovachii - Kovach's Phragmipedium
- Phragmipedium lindenii - Linden's Phragmipedium
- Phragmipedium lindleyanum - Lindley's Phragmipedium
- Phragmipedium longifolium - The Long-Leaf Phragmipedium
- Phragmipedium pearcei - Pearce's Phragmipedium
- Phragmipedium reticulatum - The Reticulated Phragmipedium
- Phragmipedium sargentianum - Sargent's Phragmipedium
- Phragmipedium schlimii - Schlimm's Phragmipedium
- Phragmipedium vittatum - The Striped Phragmipedium
- Phragmipedium wallisii - Wallis' Phragmipedium
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