The Orchid Garden

Prag.Besseae question

Question:

Hello Your ’spike’ seems to me like a new growing shoot. it will grow like this for  some time, then it will develope leafs, but no roots. If it is develpoing  leafs you should carefully bent it down to the substrate and fasten it there  with some kind of rhizome clamp. It will only develope roots when it is in  contact with the substrate. And it will also bloom only then. Just for fun I  let one shoot of a plant develope ‘as it liked’. Now it made its 3th growth  this way, but all of them have neiteher roots nor did they bloom. Greatings from germany, Joachim

Response:

Hello Your ’spike’ seems to me like a new growing shoot. it will grow like this for some time, then it will develope leafs, but no roots. If it is develpoing leafs you should carefully bent it down to the substrate and fasten it there with some kind of rhizome clamp. It will only develope roots when it is in contact with the substrate. And it will also bloom only then. Just for fun I let one shoot of a plant develope ‘as it liked’. Now it made its 3th growth this way, but all of them have neiteher roots nor did they bloom. Greatings from germany, Joachim

Bend it down?  Oh, my, that makes me nervous just to ponder doing it! Should I wait until it has grown a little bigger?  I think most of the energy is towards flowering right now. Also, what potting mix do folks recommend?  I have a NZ sphagnum/small bark type mix for my Masdevallias.  Go with that or add more drainage with perlite or something? Thanks for all the help! — 18 Oct ‘96, the phrase "You Play Like a Girl"  ==If equality is viewed took on an entirely different meaning-American ==as a loss, what does Basketball League inaugural game.  GO LASERS!  ==that tell you about the http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~cfairman/      ==previous situation?

Response:

these words: – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello Your ’spike’ seems to me like a new growing shoot. it will grow like this for some time, then it will develope leafs, but no roots. If it is develpoing leafs you should carefully bent it down to the substrate and fasten it there with some kind of rhizome clamp. It will only develope roots when it is in contact with the substrate. And it will also bloom only then. Just for fun I let one shoot of a plant develope ‘as it liked’. Now it made its 3th growth this way, but all of them have neiteher roots nor did they bloom. Greatings from germany, Joachim Bend it down?  Oh, my, that makes me nervous just to ponder doing it! Should I wait until it has grown a little bigger?  I think most of the energy is towards flowering right now. Also, what potting mix do folks recommend?  I have a NZ sphagnum/small bark type mix for my Masdevallias.  Go with that or add more drainage with perlite or something? Thanks for all the help! — 18 Oct ‘96, the phrase "You Play Like a Girl"  ==If equality is viewed took on an entirely different meaning-American ==as a loss, what does Basketball League inaugural game.  GO LASERS!  ==that tell you about the http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~cfairman/      ==previous situation?

I am afraid that I must differ on that advice! I have never heard of anyone bending a growth down like that. I have grown bessae and it is not necessary to do it the growth root with no trouble whatsoever. I did not see your original post, but I would say don’t try it. Geoff

Response:

Hello  The Phrag Bessae is doing stolons, that is your funny stem at the base. Everything is normal, take great care not to break it… Best GK – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m really a Masdevallia grower… Now I have this Phrag.besseae which I bought from a florist shop, of all places.  It has a spike and a few more flowers look to be in store there.  It also has this spike thing coming out from its *base*, almost like a Phal. spike would be. Any idea what this spike thing is?  I bought the plant in part because that looked intriguing, almost like a flower spike in that it is covered in bracts (it’s currently about 7 cm tall) except the spike with the flower is a red thin stem.  Do the spikes in the center of the plant’s leaves also start out this way?  Did I score a good plant or a mutant one? — 18 Oct ‘96, the phrase "You Play Like a Girl"  ==If equality is viewed took on an entirely different meaning-American ==as a loss, what does Basketball League inaugural game.  GO LASERS!  ==that tell you about the http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~cfairman/      ==previous situation?

Response:

these words: I’m really a Masdevallia grower… Now I have this Phrag.besseae which I bought from a florist shop, of all places.  It has a spike and a few more flowers look to be in store there.  It also has this spike thing coming out from its *base*, almost like a Phal. spike would be. Any idea what this spike thing is?  I bought the plant in part because that looked intriguing, almost like a flower spike in that it is covered in bracts (it’s currently about 7 cm tall) except the spike with the flower is a red thin stem.  Do the spikes in the center of the plant’s leaves also start out this way?  Did I score a good plant or a mutant one?

Hi Sounds like a new growth to me, certainly not flower spike, I would say keep an eye on it for a while and see what developes. don’t allow the plant to completely dry out between waterings. It really is not compatable with Masdevallias in that they require much lower temps. Phrag bessae is an intermediate grower. You should get away with it if you can put it nearer the heater. Geoff. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – — 18 Oct ‘96, the phrase "You Play Like a Girl"  ==If equality is viewed took on an entirely different meaning-American ==as a loss, what does Basketball League inaugural game.  GO LASERS!  ==that tell you about the http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~cfairman/      ==previous situation?

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – these words: I’m really a Masdevallia grower… Now I have this Phrag.besseae which I bought from a florist shop, of all places.  It has a spike and a few more flowers look to be in store there.  It also has this spike thing coming out from its *base*, almost like a Phal. spike would be. Any idea what this spike thing is?  I bought the plant in part because that looked intriguing, almost like a flower spike in that it is covered in bracts (it’s currently about 7 cm tall) except the spike with the flower is a red thin stem.  Do the spikes in the center of the plant’s leaves also start out this way?  Did I score a good plant or a mutant one? Hi Sounds like a new growth to me, certainly not flower spike, I would say keep an eye on it for a while and see what developes. don’t allow the plant to completely dry out between waterings. It really is not compatable with Masdevallias in that they require much lower temps. Phrag bessae is an intermediate grower. You should get away with it if you can put it nearer the heater. Geoff.

Thanks!  Apparently the technical term is stolon.  I don’t have it at Masdevallia conditions, it is currently on the kitchen table, gracing me with the bud of the next flower to be. I found some web pages on that species, so I figured out about watering schedules, and am using distilled water (Masd. species prefer that, I’ve found).  But it’s good to hear more about its preferences. Intermediate according to Phrag, culture, or Masd. culture?  I saved the AOS Bulletin (whatever it is called now) on Prag. besseae, so that has helped. I must have known I would get one someday; I have a real weakness for orange flowers (this isn’t one of the deep red ones, which is fine with me). I figured it would winter indoors (winter in the Bay Area of CA is kinda a joke, but it gets cold enough that Masd. coccinea, a real cool grower, is very excited about flowering in the spring), but be happy outside the the summer with the rest of my orchids.  I’m, planning on putting in a heating coil for my Phals and warm growing Masd. (they just need warm roots, at least the Masd. don’t know if the Phals will be happier), so maybe that would be enough for nighttime 50 degrees? Should the Phrag stay indoors all winter? Almosta better deal than plants at the plant table at orchid society meetings, with that new growth and all! — 18 Oct ‘96, the phrase "You Play Like a Girl"  ==If equality is viewed took on an entirely different meaning-American ==as a loss, what does Basketball League inaugural game.  GO LASERS!  ==that tell you about the http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~cfairman/      ==previous situation?

Response:

I’m really a Masdevallia grower… Now I have this Phrag.besseae which I bought from a florist shop, of all places.  It has a spike and a few more flowers look to be in store there.  It also has this spike thing coming out from its *base*, almost like a Phal. spike would be. Any idea what this spike thing is?  I bought the plant in part because that looked intriguing, almost like a flower spike in that it is covered in bracts (it’s currently about 7 cm tall) except the spike with the flower is a red thin stem.  Do the spikes in the center of the plant’s leaves also start out this way?  Did I score a good plant or a mutant one? — 18 Oct ‘96, the phrase "You Play Like a Girl"  ==If equality is viewed took on an entirely different meaning-American ==as a loss, what does Basketball League inaugural game.  GO LASERS!  ==that tell you about the http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~cfairman/      ==previous situation?

Response:

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