ORCHID FRAGMIPEDIUM – CARE AND FEATURES OF GROWING
Fragmipedium photo
The shoe fit right
When I saw the bloom of this orchid - a relative of papiopedilum (venus shoe), then fell in love with her forever. Now I can't imagine my collection without these luxurious, relatively unpretentious and willingly flowering plants.
FRAGMIPEDIUM – LANDING
Young specimens are recommended to be replanted annually at the end of winter-spring, mature - every two years, better after flowering. Fragmipedia, usually, transplant well. The plant is shaken out of the pot, examine the roots, remove rotten and damaged ones and plant in a new container with fresh substrate, after laying drainage on the bottom.
The mixture for planting phragmipediums is based on the bark of the medium and fine fraction, charcoal, perlite, pieces of lava. Also, the composition may include fragments of the roots of tree ferns. Plants are planted in a pre-moistened substrate. It is important to tamp it well, the pot by weight must be heavy. The soil is kept moist all the time, a little water is left in the pallet at the bottom.
During transplantation, orchids can be propagated by dividing the rosette, but experience shows, that undivided plants are stronger and more resistant to disease, bloom long and profusely. So it is undesirable to bother them with such a procedure without unnecessary need..
Fragmipedium – cultivation
LIGHTING AND TEMPERATURE
For phragmipedia, long-term (not less 12 hours)daylight hours with bright diffused lighting and protection from midday sun rays. At home, a lack of light is often the cause of a depressed state and a lack of flowering in adult plants.. Alternatively, orchids thrive well under fully artificial lighting.
Fragmipediums can withstand the heat up to +32 city., in winter they are comfortable at temperatures around +18 city. Can grow at slightly lower winter values, in this case, the color of the flowers even becomes brighter, richer.
PLANTS need a difference between day and night temperatures in 7-9 city.
IRRIGATION AND FEEDING OF FRAGMIPEDIUM
Fragmipedia do not tolerate drought. The soil should always be moist,
and to avoid root rot, good drainage is important, choose a breathable mixture. Orchids do not tolerate salinization of the substrate, therefore, it is advisable to water them with boiled, distilled or,as a last resort, separated water, just don't tap directly from the tap.
Feeding fragmipediums all year round, slightly less intense in winter. Use special fertilizers for orchids, following the instructions and not exceeding the dosage.
Fragmipedium orchid
DATING HISTORY
The first in my collection appeared Phragmipedium 'Hanne Popow’ (Phr. besseae х Phr. slime), arrived from Ecuador in the fall 2016 r. Roots wrapped in sphagnum moss, slightly withered leaves, de lenca - from two sockets. I was very worried before boarding, so afraid of making a mistake in something and harming an already weak orchid. I put her in a transparent pot in the bark of a fine fraction, adding moss, small stones and coconut chips. Watered with a mixture of settled and distilled water. Little by little the phragmipedium recovered, in a transparent pot you could see, how the roots grow, leaf turgor recovered.
Already in March 2017 r. I noticed the long-awaited buds among the leaves. And a month later, in April, the first flower has blossomed. He turned out to be so handsome, gentle, proud and most delightful! There was a faint scent of peaches.
Now in my collection 14 phragmipediums, different by age (there are teenagers, there are seedlings) and size (large, very small). While blooming 5 copies, but, hopefully, soon I will wait for the others to bloom. AND, sure, I'm not going to dwell on this. My collection will definitely be replenished with new representatives of this magnificent genus of orchids..
SOME DIFFICULTIES OF GROWING
The ends of the leaf blades can brown for several reasons.: salinization of the substrate, inappropriate fertilizer or exceeding its dose, excess light.
An orchid may not bloom if there is insufficient light or there are no differences between day and night temperatures..
An indispensable condition for the successful development of phragmipedia is a constant supply of fresh air, however, drafts can cause buds to fall off.
Dossier
The genus has about 20 species. The name comes from the Greek fragma - "separation, partition "and pedilon -" shoes, shoe ". Fragmypediums grow in the lowland and mountain rainforests of Central and South America. For the first time, an orchid was presented to the scientific community in 1896 year by the British botanist and connoisseur of these plants Robert Allen Rolfe. He singled it out as a separate genus Phragmipedium in the subfamily Cypripedioideae (Cypripedia). Evergreen orchids, with long leathery xiphoid leaves, assembled into an outlet. Usually terrestrial, but there are also lithophytes among them, growing on the surface of the mountains, and epiphytes, tree-dwelling. Fragmipedia are varied in habit, and also in form, size and color of flowers. Numerous varieties and hybrids obtained.
New Orchid Fragmipedium / Phragmipedium caudatum x sedenii.
© Author: Natalia PYLINA, orchid collector, r. Volgograd. Photo by the author
