Hi Ed, this video is a condensed version of all the knowledge that you have accumulated over the years as an expert orchid grower. In only 15 minutes you have given us almost all there is to know about successfully growing phragmipediums. You are generous person and a good teacher. Thanks Ed.
And just a reminder for everyone so you don't forget always click the like button before you start to watch the video! I always do because it's just a tiny thing to reward the person who took the time to post the video for all of us to enjoy and to learn from as we View! Also the RUclips algorithm looks at the comments and how engage people with video. This helps them to post the videos on the news feed to help the RUclips channel get more views. And deserves all the thumbs up and comment because he does a great job
I would like to think that your comment will be read by many growers and subscribers.......they do take a lot of time to make and edit. Sometimes, depending on the length, a video will have a couple of dozen seperate videos to edit and combine into one viewable video. Thank you and have a lovely Sunday. Ed.
Its always a great pleasure to watch your videos Ed! They are so informative! Thanks for sharing, I was surprised about feeding twice a year😁 Drop system is interesting too👍 Your phragmipediums are stunning, very well done!🤩🤩🤩
Thank you Dinara for the very appreciative words. Pleased you enjoyed the video and I hope that you have gleaned a little information from it. Thank you once again for the comment, keep safe and happy growing. Ed.
Well that's brilliant Dragon fly and what a nice variety you have chosen. All of them require to be kept very wet except the caudatum which is the more difficult one. These are sometimes found as epiphytes so do not require the complete wetness of the others. I wish you a mountain of luck but if you have access to good quality water then luck will only play a small part in their cultivation. Take care, Ed.
Hello, Ed! Thank you for the advices and informative video! Your plants look perfect! I have only one phrag and it grows very slowly. Hope one day will see its blooms. Happy growing!
Oh thank you so much for that Ed!!!!! It was a very big help!! I do have a question about the moss ball. Where do you put it and how big?? Does it affect the medium?? I don't know, maybe show how you do it?? Can you wrap your water pipe or had a heating system to it?? Thanks again. It is always better to learn from someone where you can see beautiful plants so you know they are doing something right 😁😁👍👍👍
Sorry Valarie......it's not a moss ball for the besseae it's a moss pole for the plant to cling to when it starts to climb. The cold water pipe is lagged when it comes out of the house but, due to its position under the garden I an inable to do anything with it. Hindsight is a wonderful thing but always comes too late.!! Ed.
Also your orchid blooms are beautiful absolutely fabulous you must be so very proud of them and thank you for explaining what kind of media you use for them. Your plans are so healthy looking the leaves are so Lush and green and I especially thank you for letting me know that they don't like to dry out like other orchids. That might be what's going on with Carolyn lady slipper orchid it would get a bloom Spike and never bloom
By the sounds of your slipper orchid it must be a paphiopedilum......don't keep these wet it will cut off the air supply to the roots and the plant will 'drown'........just water them again when they are almost dry. I hope your slipper orchid is not in a room where there is fruit.....that will blast the buds. Ed.
@@EdsOrchids I don't keep fruit out in the kitchen it's all an open dining living room kind of area but the kitchen has three walls. I either learn from you or from Carolyn not to let any fruit in the room because the ethylene gas will cause the buds to blast or the blooms to die. In fact on my phalaenopsis orchids if a bloom starts to dive back I remove it because I think it also causes the other blooms to die. Thank you so much for that important information and I will pass it on on my channel. God bless have a wonderful weekend. We got about 18 inches of snow last week and the temperatures barely got above freezing so I've been bringing in snow and letting it melt to water my Orchids with so I hope that's as good as almost does RO water or distilled water. It's Crystal Clear so I'm bottling up as much as I can when it melts in the house. I save as much rainwater as I can to water my plants with especially my orchids. After they soaked in their nutrient solution the leftovers from the orchids get put on my houseplants or on my flowers growing outside. Last year I had the most beautiful pansies from the orchids Leftovers teehee... I plant my pansies in the fall because then they sit there and grow roots all winter long and in the spring they're just full of blooms... Many more blooms then when you plant them in the spring because here in Maryland it gets hot and humid and they die back when summer is here
Thank you, Ed. I can't imagine who you were thinking of when you made this. I would love to have a greenhouse. It's hard when you're growing in the house and the temperature is pretty much always the same. I'm in the U.S. - New England and the sun rises late and sets early these days...hasn't gotten to cold yet though.
I was thinking of everyone who has asked me questions about phragmipediums. These plants I would think are a little more difficult to grow in the house because of their requirements. I'm sure you can sort it out!! Ed.
So nice of you to take a look at this video and for your valuable comment..I hope all is well with you and your plants..........take care and thank you, Ed
Hello, I would like to ask you for advice... my last acquisition is a Paphiopedilum Edna Ratcliffe (St Swithin x glanduliferum) Bought in the greenhouses of Vacherot and Lecoufle (I am French ☺️) I would like to repotting, I usually use small pine bark free of dust, Perlite, crushed horn and live sphagnum moss above the pot. Does this seem correct to you, or would you do differently? Thank you in advance
@@lespacevert7832 Hello there and thank you for your question. As you probably know Ratcliffe orchids closed their business some 6 years ago.The plant Edna Ratcliffe is a beautiful multi floral orchid so I hope it does well for you.These hybrids are always planted in media which allows for the free flowing of water so I wouldn't use any items which hold quite a lot of water like sphagnum. Treat the plants as though they were epiphytes because, unlike Phrags, they require their roots to be dampand airy, whereas Phrags love their feet to be wet. So use a larger size of bark in Paphiopedilums than you would use in Phragmipediums. A bark size of 12mm - 18mm is ideal with the addition of perlite, charcoal and limestone chippings although limestone and 'horn' are only slightly soluble in cold water.....and we should never water with cold water. Please ask as many questions as you like and I will do my best to answer you on my experiences with these wonderful plants. Thank you and take care , Ed
@@EdsOrchids Thank you so much for this very informative answer. I did well to ask you the question before repotting this superb orchid 🤗 Thanks again, take care
Thank you so much for your content, I've always wanted to grow a Phrag but thought they were too difficult! You've inspired me to give them a try, thank you for that.
Phragmipediums only require good clean water with a low tds.....and plenty of it. Couple this with intermediate temperatures and not too bright a light and you've cracked the cultivation. Hope you can get the Phrag you are after....follow the above and you will have no problems. Thank you for your kind comment, Ed.
Hi Ed, I am new to Phrags, just got two and advice would be helpful! After listening to this I will water more often, using rain water in NJ!(Phrag Manzur LaAldea Flaviumx Linoleyanum and Phrag Guadeloupe Kings Landing! Thanks
Hello Cindy and thank you for your comment. Phrags are quite easy if you keep their feet wet with good quality water. If you can get Fish,Blood and Bone fertilizer i would use teaspoonful of this scattered over the surface of the media, and not touching the plants, every six months. This is quite sufficient for their upkeep and they love it.....thank you and take care, Ed.
Eddd!!! Looking dandy in pink!! This luck of yours growing phrags (especially which flowers) is why I call you a guru.... my guru always!!! Thank you Ed!! Ayubhowan!! 🙏🏼 (This is how we bow in Sri Lanka and in Sinhalaese the word ‘Ayubhowan’ means that, may you live long!!)
Good video Ed. That rainy UK climate, cool to intermediate temps, and constant high humidity also work great for Phrags. A bit more challenging here in the NE US.
Your Phrags will stand very warm temperatures as long as you can give them a minimum 10 degree drop in temp during the night time. I would have thought the NE of the USA would be ideal after all these plants do come from the north of S. America where it's a lot warmer then over here!! Ed.
Do you know the show that's called Ted Talks? I watch a lot of random speakers on there because there are so many things to learn. Well, these carw vide9s of your's should be titled Ed Talks ... love them! 👍🏼
I don't know about that Nina as I'm not a great talker I do prefer answering the comments you send. When I'm talking my mouth is way ahead of my brain. Ed.
Thank you for such a fabulous video! I think I saw your video were you were talking about the fish bone and blood fertilizer you do twice a year is that in a powdered form and is there a brand name for it so I can buy it here in America. I do once a month or every two months put some pelleted lime a few sprinkles on top of the bark... Rick of Rick's orchids said he got in touch with the better grow people but make the fertilizer for orchids and also have the bag babies for sale here in the United States... He asked them why they didn't have calcium in their mix and I believe their response was it won't stay stable or can't be combined with the fertilized ingredients. So when they re pot or at certain times of the year they use the pelleted lime is everything to you which gives orchids calcium and magnesium.
Hi Kathleen. You must always use calcium in your orchid feed.....it's the builder of the structure of our orchids. They are not right , in my opinion, to say that calcium cannot be combined with the other ingredients in fertilizer. If you are mixing your own feed you must dissolve the calcium nitrate and Epsom Salts separately before combining them otherwise they will........I think the word is dissipate.....and form a sludge in the mixing bowl . The Fish, blood and Bone is manufactured by Westlands and comes in a small pelleted size. Ed.
@@EdsOrchids I'm going to have to see if that Blood and Bone Belichick fertilizer is sold here in America. I don't use calcium nitrate because I just didn't know about it until I watched orchids and I still have lots of other orchid fertilizer to use up. So I use the Cal Magic brand of calcium and magnesium supplement and I also use pelleted line every month or two. On the surface... I really appreciate your replies to my comments and questions. I know Rick always said you were wonderful addition to our Orchid community and he was very correct in his praise
Thanks for the info, very helpful and interesting. I’ve got pennes creak cascade I’ve had for 14 years. Il be trying blood fish and bone and keeping wetter. Thanks.
Ed thank you for such interesting and valuable info, everything you said makes perfect sense. But, I didn't understand 'what' it is that you feed your Phrags with twice a year, can you tell me what it is you use?
So sorry I'm late with this reply...I do apologise. The stuff I use is a powder called Fish, Blood and Bone, It's a slow release fertilizer but contains all the necessary ingredients for ultimate growth. Once again my sincere apologies for being so late.....take care, Ed.
Hello Ed there's one thing that you didn't mention how high of the humidity do you recommend on these phrag orchid? Thank you for sharing your experience with these orchids I like to own one one day. Have a good day and happy Orchid growing. : )
So sorry about that Reah..I realized what I'd missed out when editing the video.........they do however like a humidity as high as you can give them. If you get one of these you will be hooked on the bug.....a dangerous process!!!! Ed.
Hello, I have seen that in situ longifolium and bessae grow on cliffs. which explains why bessae needs a sphagnum stake. is this also the case for longifolium? I have a green wall at home and would like to install a phragmipedium there. I was going more on longifolium, but with your video, bessae seems more appropriate. I am wrong ?
Hello there. Longifolium does climb but the bessae is the one you should use to climb up a pole. A member of our club had one climbing up a pole and it got so big he had to make many divisions of it. He also made wire cages around the pole so the plant had always something to grab hold of and he used quite a lot of sphagnum to keep the plant wet......hope this will help you to make the right choice. Ed.
No problem Sharon......yes you can use the Epsom salt flush on all orchids.. It's a beneficial thing to do especially if you think you maybe over-feeding. Thanks for asking and take care. Ed. Ed..
Hi Sue. Thanks for your kind comment on my phrags I do keep all of the phrags in the greenhouse over winter with the thermostat set at a minimum of 12c. If the sun shines, which is not very often, the temp will rise into the low 20's. Take care and thankyou Ed.
@@EdsOrchids Thank you Ed. So glad I have discovered your channel, learnt a lot already. I placed an order with Wichmann as I couldn’t get Orchid garden to respond either. Hope you get your order! Would you consider to make a video on good nurseries to order from and what to look for when buying orchids? What would help beginners like me who are just starting out? Eg growing media, light, air circulation, feeds etc. How to best achieve these. There is so much information out there, it can be very confusing. Thanks again.
Sue you ask so many questions when the answers are quite simple. To begin with light.....all plants need light but your plants will adapt to the light you provide ....if it's too dark the leaves will be a dark green, if too light they will be light green going onto yellow. Air circulation is a must but the plants don't need hurricane forces, a nice steady draught where you will notice a little sway on the leaves is ideal, Feed is a topic that you can't generalise about ..some growers say that they need heavy doses, i am not one of those, I think that orchids will grow without feed but will grow better if you only give them just a little. All your plants should be treated as epiphytes where they receive plenty of air and the only feed they get is from bird droppings etc which runs down the trees when it rains.......so if your keeping them in pots make sure that the water you give them runs freely through the medium so as not to create pockets of water which will very quickly decimate the roots. The roots, although they need water, they require air and only need to be watered again when dry or almost dry which depends on the type of plants you are keeping.. I can only give you my opinion on these subjects. If you require more of the way I do things you can always email me on edsorchids.com Thanks Sue, Ed.
@@EdsOrchids Thank you Ed, really appreciate your reply with the thorough advice. I have watched a lot of your videos these past few days and learnt a lot. Thanks you again, stay well and look after yourself.
Hey Ed you legend do you grow phags from flask if so what medium do you deflask them into? I have 20 Eric young’s in spagnum moss at the moment. just wondering how a pro like yourself would set them up?
Good morning Martin. That's a lot of Foundation plants...are the all of the same variety?? I would never put any of my phrags in sphagnum moss, simply because as the sphagnum gets older it will compact and become acidic. Although phrags like an alkaline substrate they do like their water to be slightly acidic and their roots cool. Depending on their size I would put them in a medium bark with any added alkaline pebbles or stones and keep them very wet. I don't like standing the plants in water because if the water becomes stagnant then you are opening the door to fungii and bacteria. Water quality is very important to them and I use RO water. I must add these are only my opinions and that there are many other ways of cultivating these beauties. Ed
Good evening Trish. Phrags will do very well in cocohusk providing you can be certain that the sea salt has been washed out of them In fact phrags will grow in anything as long as you can give them good low tds water and keep them wet. Thank you for the comment and keep safe. Ed.
Hi Ed, this video is a condensed version of all the knowledge that you have accumulated over the years as an expert orchid grower. In only 15 minutes you have given us almost all there is to know about successfully growing phragmipediums. You are generous person and a good teacher. Thanks Ed.
That's very kind of you Andre but I honestly don't deserve such praise but thank you very much.
Ed.
The Phragmipedium Fritz Schomburg back crossed to besseae that you have, is named after myself, Phragmipedium Robert-Jan Quené. You have a nice one!
Indeed it's a great pleasure for me to hear from you. Thank you so much and I hope all is well with you....take care,
Ed.
And just a reminder for everyone so you don't forget always click the like button before you start to watch the video! I always do because it's just a tiny thing to reward the person who took the time to post the video for all of us to enjoy and to learn from as we View! Also the RUclips algorithm looks at the comments and how engage people with video. This helps them to post the videos on the news feed to help the RUclips channel get more views. And deserves all the thumbs up and comment because he does a great job
I would like to think that your comment will be read by many growers and subscribers.......they do take a lot of time to make and edit. Sometimes, depending on the length, a video will have a couple of dozen seperate videos to edit and combine into one viewable video. Thank you and have a lovely Sunday.
Ed.
Lovely orchids, Ed. Thank you, as always, for the information.
As always Sharon the pleasure of doing these videos is entirely mine. Take care.
Ed
Its always a great pleasure to watch your videos Ed! They are so informative! Thanks for sharing, I was surprised about feeding twice a year😁 Drop system is interesting too👍 Your phragmipediums are stunning, very well done!🤩🤩🤩
Thank you Dinara for the very appreciative words. Pleased you enjoyed the video and I hope that you have gleaned a little information from it. Thank you once again for the comment, keep safe and happy growing.
Ed.
@@EdsOrchids Thank you Ed! Keep safe too and happy growing!
Sir Ed I really have enjoyed you and your channel since I've subscribed. Keep them coming!!!😎
Well thank you very much for that lovely comment.....it makes making the videos worthwhile.....thank you.
Ed
Hello Ed! Congratulations with the best year and thank you for sharing with us your experience!
Entirely my pleasure Mash V. and thank you for taking a look at the channel.
Ed.
Ed, thank to you I've just purchased my first lot of Phrags...a Longifolium, Pearcei, Caudatuma and Besseae 🙂 wish me luck!!!
Well that's brilliant Dragon fly and what a nice variety you have chosen. All of them require to be kept very wet except the caudatum which is the more difficult one. These are sometimes found as epiphytes so do not require the complete wetness of the others. I wish you a mountain of luck but if you have access to good quality water then luck will only play a small part in their cultivation. Take care,
Ed.
@@EdsOrchids thanks Ed I will certainly take your advice!
Hello, Ed! Thank you for the advices and informative video! Your plants look perfect! I have only one phrag and it grows very slowly. Hope one day will see its blooms. Happy growing!
If your keeping it very wet it will bloom for you Svetlana........it's a bit of a patient wait though. Take care and good growing.
Ed.
Thank you Ed!
For an excellent video.
Thank you John for taking a look.....hope it can help you in some way.....take care,
Ed.
Great piece of info Ed, great to hear you’ve had a good season, my season hopefully starts now ❄️ cooler day’s.
Couldn't be more pleased with my progress on the massies...thanks to you Mick.
Ed.
You’re welcome Ed glad I could of helped.
Thanks for the information Ed. You are my favourite Orchid guru
That's very nice of you to day so Luis...thank you very much,
Ed.
Oh thank you so much for that Ed!!!!! It was a very big help!! I do have a question about the moss ball. Where do you put it and how big?? Does it affect the medium?? I don't know, maybe show how you do it?? Can you wrap your water pipe or had a heating system to it?? Thanks again. It is always better to learn from someone where you can see beautiful plants so you know they are doing something right 😁😁👍👍👍
Sorry Valarie......it's not a moss ball for the besseae it's a moss pole for the plant to cling to when it starts to climb.
The cold water pipe is lagged when it comes out of the house but, due to its position under the garden I an inable to do anything with it. Hindsight is a wonderful thing but always comes too late.!!
Ed.
Also your orchid blooms are beautiful absolutely fabulous you must be so very proud of them and thank you for explaining what kind of media you use for them. Your plans are so healthy looking the leaves are so Lush and green and I especially thank you for letting me know that they don't like to dry out like other orchids. That might be what's going on with Carolyn lady slipper orchid it would get a bloom Spike and never bloom
By the sounds of your slipper orchid it must be a paphiopedilum......don't keep these wet it will cut off the air supply to the roots and the plant will 'drown'........just water them again when they are almost dry. I hope your slipper orchid is not in a room where there is fruit.....that will blast the buds.
Ed.
@@EdsOrchids I don't keep fruit out in the kitchen it's all an open dining living room kind of area but the kitchen has three walls. I either learn from you or from Carolyn not to let any fruit in the room because the ethylene gas will cause the buds to blast or the blooms to die. In fact on my phalaenopsis orchids if a bloom starts to dive back I remove it because I think it also causes the other blooms to die. Thank you so much for that important information and I will pass it on on my channel. God bless have a wonderful weekend. We got about 18 inches of snow last week and the temperatures barely got above freezing so I've been bringing in snow and letting it melt to water my Orchids with so I hope that's as good as almost does RO water or distilled water. It's Crystal Clear so I'm bottling up as much as I can when it melts in the house. I save as much rainwater as I can to water my plants with especially my orchids. After they soaked in their nutrient solution the leftovers from the orchids get put on my houseplants or on my flowers growing outside. Last year I had the most beautiful pansies from the orchids Leftovers teehee... I plant my pansies in the fall because then they sit there and grow roots all winter long and in the spring they're just full of blooms... Many more blooms then when you plant them in the spring because here in Maryland it gets hot and humid and they die back when summer is here
Thank you Ed, you know you are my slipper mentor!
Thank you Anne.....I'm really pleased that I could be of help to someone.
Ed.
Thank you, Ed. I can't imagine who you were thinking of when you made this. I would love to have a greenhouse. It's hard when you're growing in the house and the temperature is pretty much always the same. I'm in the U.S. - New England and the sun rises late and sets early these days...hasn't gotten to cold yet though.
I was thinking of everyone who has asked me questions about phragmipediums. These plants I would think are a little more difficult to grow in the house because of their requirements. I'm sure you can sort it out!!
Ed.
Superb video and beautiful orchids 😃 Thank you for your valuable advice, I will add some limestone fragments to the next repotting 🤗
So nice of you to take a look at this video and for your valuable comment..I hope all is well with you and your plants..........take care and thank you,
Ed
Hello, I would like to ask you for advice... my last acquisition is a Paphiopedilum Edna Ratcliffe (St Swithin x glanduliferum) Bought in the greenhouses of Vacherot and Lecoufle (I am French ☺️)
I would like to repotting, I usually use small pine bark free of dust, Perlite, crushed horn and live sphagnum moss above the pot. Does this seem correct to you, or would you do differently?
Thank you in advance
@@lespacevert7832 Hello there and thank you for your question. As you probably know Ratcliffe orchids closed their business some 6 years ago.The plant Edna Ratcliffe is a beautiful multi floral orchid so I hope it does well for you.These hybrids are always planted in media which allows for the free flowing of water so I wouldn't use any items which hold quite a lot of water like sphagnum. Treat the plants as though they were epiphytes because, unlike Phrags, they require their roots to be dampand airy, whereas Phrags love their feet to be wet. So use a larger size of bark in Paphiopedilums than you would use in Phragmipediums. A bark size of 12mm - 18mm is ideal with the addition of
perlite, charcoal and limestone chippings although limestone and 'horn' are only slightly soluble in cold water.....and we should never water with cold water. Please ask as many questions as you like and I will do my best to answer you on my experiences with these wonderful plants. Thank you and take care ,
Ed
@@EdsOrchids Thank you so much for this very informative answer.
I did well to ask you the question before repotting this superb orchid 🤗 Thanks again, take care
@@lespacevert7832 Consider it my pleasure......thank you,
Ed.
Thank you so much for your content, I've always wanted to grow a Phrag but thought they were too difficult! You've inspired me to give them a try, thank you for that.
Phragmipediums only require good clean water with a low tds.....and plenty of it. Couple this with intermediate temperatures and not too bright a light and you've cracked the cultivation. Hope you can get the Phrag you are after....follow the above and you will have no problems.
Thank you for your kind comment,
Ed.
I really enjoy all your videos. Lots of blooms this year so congrats.
So nice of you to say so Marielos......thank you for taking a look. take care and keep safe.
Ed.
Thanks Ed, will give that a try!
I hope it becomes successful for you Johnny.....thank you and take care,
Ed.
Hi Ed, I am new to Phrags, just got two and advice would be helpful! After listening to this I will water more often, using rain water in NJ!(Phrag Manzur LaAldea Flaviumx Linoleyanum and Phrag Guadeloupe Kings Landing! Thanks
Hello Cindy and thank you for your comment. Phrags are quite easy if you keep their feet wet with good quality water. If you can get Fish,Blood and Bone fertilizer i would use teaspoonful of this scattered over the surface of the media, and not touching the plants, every six months. This is quite sufficient for their upkeep and they love it.....thank you and take care,
Ed.
Eddd!!! Looking dandy in pink!! This luck of yours growing phrags (especially which flowers) is why I call you a guru.... my guru always!!! Thank you Ed!! Ayubhowan!! 🙏🏼 (This is how we bow in Sri Lanka and in Sinhalaese the word ‘Ayubhowan’ means that, may you live long!!)
Wow anishka that's a wonderful thing to say. I thank you so much for these words they mean so much to me. Thank you keep safe and keep well.
Ed.
Good video Ed. That rainy UK climate, cool to intermediate temps, and constant high humidity also work great for Phrags. A bit more challenging here in the NE US.
Your Phrags will stand very warm temperatures as long as you can give them a minimum 10 degree drop in temp during the night time. I would have thought the NE of the USA would be ideal after all these plants do come from the north of S. America where it's a lot warmer then over here!!
Ed.
Great job again, Ed. Lots of information and beautiful plants! I will try the blood and bone fertilizer...
I'm pleased that you are trying it Paul you won't be disappointed. It will stay in the medium for a long time so don't be quick to add other ferts.
Ed
Great information 👍
Glad it was helpful Helen and thank you.
Ed
Thank you fir sharing... I don’t have ANY phrags and you are about to convince me to get one... but I don’t know where to begin...🤔
You should try and contact your nearest society and they should be able to advise you.......or you could try ebay
Ed.
Thank you very much for this video
Glad it was helpful!
Ed
Do you know the show that's called Ted Talks? I watch a lot of random speakers on there because there are so many things to learn. Well, these carw vide9s of your's should be titled Ed Talks ... love them! 👍🏼
I don't know about that Nina as I'm not a great talker I do prefer answering the comments you send. When I'm talking my mouth is way ahead of my brain.
Ed.
Exactly 👍
Those Orchids are so healthy and beautiful....Sir!!
I try to do my best for my orchids...thank you Zahela.
Ed
@@EdsOrchids How is your Orchids during Winterr season?
Thank you for such a fabulous video! I think I saw your video were you were talking about the fish bone and blood fertilizer you do twice a year is that in a powdered form and is there a brand name for it so I can buy it here in America. I do once a month or every two months put some pelleted lime a few sprinkles on top of the bark... Rick of Rick's orchids said he got in touch with the better grow people but make the fertilizer for orchids and also have the bag babies for sale here in the United States... He asked them why they didn't have calcium in their mix and I believe their response was it won't stay stable or can't be combined with the fertilized ingredients. So when they re pot or at certain times of the year they use the pelleted lime is everything to you which gives orchids calcium and magnesium.
Hi Kathleen. You must always use calcium in your orchid feed.....it's the builder of the structure of our orchids. They are not right , in my opinion, to say that calcium cannot be combined with the other ingredients in fertilizer. If you are mixing your own feed you must dissolve the calcium nitrate and Epsom Salts separately before combining them otherwise they will........I think the word is dissipate.....and form a sludge in the mixing bowl . The Fish, blood and Bone is manufactured by Westlands and comes in a small pelleted size.
Ed.
@@EdsOrchids I'm going to have to see if that Blood and Bone Belichick fertilizer is sold here in America. I don't use calcium nitrate because I just didn't know about it until I watched orchids and I still have lots of other orchid fertilizer to use up. So I use the Cal Magic brand of calcium and magnesium supplement and I also use pelleted line every month or two. On the surface... I really appreciate your replies to my comments and questions. I know Rick always said you were wonderful addition to our Orchid community and he was very correct in his praise
Thank you
My pleasure to show you Karla.....thank you,
Ed.
Thanks for the info, very helpful and interesting. I’ve got pennes creak cascade I’ve had for 14 years. Il be trying blood fish and bone and keeping wetter. Thanks.
Glad I could be of some help John. Thanks for the comment and happy growing.
Ed.
You remain the Slipper Master !🌺
Thank you Jo but there are others who will deserve that comment instead of me....but thankyou for the lovely gesture. Take care.
Ed.
Ed thank you for such interesting and valuable info, everything you said makes perfect sense. But, I didn't understand 'what' it is that you feed your Phrags with twice a year, can you tell me what it is you use?
So sorry I'm late with this reply...I do apologise. The stuff I use is a powder called Fish, Blood and Bone, It's a slow release fertilizer but contains all the necessary ingredients for ultimate growth. Once again my sincere apologies for being so late.....take care,
Ed.
Tan lindas saludos desde Colombia
Thank you so much for your very welcome comment.....take care and have a lovely Christmas,
Ed.
Hello Ed there's one thing that you didn't mention how high of the humidity do you recommend on these phrag orchid? Thank you for sharing your experience with these orchids I like to own one one day. Have a good day and happy Orchid growing. : )
So sorry about that Reah..I realized what I'd missed out when editing the video.........they do however like a humidity as high as you can give them. If you get one of these you will be hooked on the bug.....a dangerous process!!!!
Ed.
Hello,
I have seen that in situ longifolium and bessae grow on cliffs.
which explains why bessae needs a sphagnum stake.
is this also the case for longifolium?
I have a green wall at home and would like to install a phragmipedium there.
I was going more on longifolium, but with your video, bessae seems more appropriate.
I am wrong ?
Hello there. Longifolium does climb but the bessae is the one you should use to climb up a pole. A member of our club had one climbing up a pole and it got so big he had to make many divisions of it. He also made wire cages around the pole so the plant had always something to grab hold of and he used quite a lot of sphagnum to keep the plant wet......hope this will help you to make the right choice.
Ed.
@@EdsOrchids Thank you ed.
it help me a lot.
Pierre.
Sorry, this is a question from another video. Can you use the Epsom salt flush on all orchids?
No problem Sharon......yes you can use the Epsom salt flush on all orchids.. It's a beneficial thing to do especially if you think you maybe over-feeding. Thanks for asking and take care.
Ed.
Ed..
Wow! Those Phargs are beautiful. I managed to kill mine. Now I stick to hybrid Paphs. Are all your orchids in the greenhouse over winter?
Hi Sue. Thanks for your kind comment on my phrags I do keep all of the phrags in the greenhouse over winter with the thermostat set at a minimum of 12c. If the sun shines, which is not very often, the temp will rise into the low 20's. Take care and thankyou
Ed.
@@EdsOrchids Thank you Ed. So glad I have discovered your channel, learnt a lot already. I placed an order with Wichmann as I couldn’t get Orchid garden to respond either. Hope you get your order! Would you consider to make a video on good nurseries to order from and what to look for when buying orchids? What would help beginners like me who are just starting out? Eg growing media, light, air circulation, feeds etc. How to best achieve these. There is so much information out there, it can be very confusing. Thanks again.
Sue you ask so many questions when the answers are quite simple. To begin with light.....all plants need light
but your plants will adapt to the light you provide ....if it's too dark the leaves will be a dark green, if too light they will be light green going onto yellow. Air circulation is a must but the plants don't need hurricane forces, a nice steady draught where you will notice a little sway on the leaves is ideal, Feed is a topic that you can't generalise about ..some growers say that they need heavy doses, i am not one of those, I think that orchids will grow without feed but will grow better if you only give them just a little. All your plants should be treated as epiphytes where they receive plenty of air and the only feed they get is from bird droppings etc which runs down the trees when it rains.......so if your keeping them in pots make sure that the water you give them runs freely through the medium so as not to create pockets of water which will very quickly decimate the roots. The roots, although they need water, they require air and only need to be watered again when dry or almost dry which depends on the type of plants you are keeping.. I can only give you my opinion on these subjects.
If you require more of the way I do things you can always email me on edsorchids.com
Thanks Sue,
Ed.
@@EdsOrchids Thank you Ed, really appreciate your reply with the thorough advice. I have watched a lot of your videos these past few days and learnt a lot. Thanks you again, stay well and look after yourself.
any recommendation for an online seller of phragmipediums in USA? ty
Living in the UK I am not aware of USA dealers...but I do like Equagenera phrags.
Ed.
Hey Ed you legend do you grow phags from flask if so what medium do you deflask them into? I have 20 Eric young’s in spagnum moss at the moment. just wondering how a pro like yourself would set them up?
Good morning Martin. That's a lot of Foundation plants...are the all of the same variety??
I would never put any of my phrags in sphagnum moss, simply because as the sphagnum gets older it will compact and become acidic. Although phrags like an alkaline substrate they do like their water to be slightly acidic and their roots cool. Depending on their size I would put them in a medium bark with any added alkaline pebbles or stones and keep them very wet. I don't like standing the plants in water because if the water becomes stagnant then you are opening the door to fungii and bacteria. Water quality is very important to them and I use RO water. I must add these are only my opinions and that there are many other ways of cultivating these beauties.
Ed
Do you think phrags would do well in Coconut Husk??
Good evening Trish. Phrags will do very well in cocohusk providing you can be certain that the sea salt has been washed out of them In fact phrags will grow in anything as long as you can give them good low tds water and keep them wet. Thank you for the comment and keep safe.
Ed.
In process of cleaning coco husk now. I think I will give a go at the phrag- those blooms are gorgeous