Hi y'all,

As my list of Phrags increase... was hoping someone could advise which of the following plants will need to sit on water and which ones will need to 'dry' out a bit.

Phragmipedium bessae
Phragmipedium boissierianum var czerwiakowianum
Phragmipedium caudatum
Phragmipedium lindenii
Phragmipedium longifolium
Phragmipedium reticulatum
Phragmipedium richteri
Phragmipedium Sorcerer's Apprentice

Also, with the obvious exception of the last, are the others valid species names?

Thanks and cheers
tim

DRY:
richteri
caudatum
lindenii
bessae

WET:
Sorcerer's Apprentice

That's all I know sorry

I'd actually say on the wetter side for richteri, longi, czer (??) and SA. The long petaled species like it dryer.
Other than that what Tadd said.

richteri I don't (yet) grow - but same (I think) family as pearcei, ecua, caricinum, which in my care seem to do better on the wet side of things.

richteri was amazonicum so maybe... Man I wrote it down as dryer on my list hhhmmm. I will let the phrag experts weigh in.

Most people handle their richteri/amazonica's the same way as pearcei/ecuadorensis (generally wet).

The boissierianum (an varieties reticulatum and czerwaikawianum) is epiphytic like the long petaled phrags so dryer.

The terms wet vs dry are relative, and in my experience with phrags not very different. My epiphytic types also sit in trays of water, but as opposed to the "wet" phrags they are not constantly filled with water.


And I agree with Peter that airflow is very important.

I grow all my long petalled Phrag species like caudatum, warscewiczianum, wallisii and lindenii on the dry side, not bone dry but moist and not too wet with plenty of air flow (very important). My besseaes are watered a little more often than the longer petalled species, they don't like to be too dry nor too wet constantly. My longifolium, richteri, caricinum, ecuadorense, hirtzii on the other hand, they all love water and can never be overwatered.

The boissierianum (an varieties reticulatum and czerwaikawianum) is epiphytic like the long petaled phrags so dryer.

The terms wet vs dry are relative, and in my experience with phrags not very different. My epiphytic types also sit in trays of water, but as opposed to the "wet" phrags they are not constantly filled with water.


And I agree with Peter that airflow is very important.

My czerwiakowianum is my one plant that's in S/H - so far, seems to be enjoying it.

My Two Cents:

Wet:
Phragmipedium bessae
Phragmipedium boissierianum var czerwiakowianum
Phragmipedium lindenii
Phragmipedium longifolium
Phragmipedium reticulatum
Phragmipedium richteri
Phragmipedium Sorcerer's Apprentice

Dryer:
Phragmipedium caudatum
(although I have found one should never let a Phrag dry out completely as doing so shocks it quite severely)

Phragmipedium boissierianum var. reticulatum -
Phragmipedium reticulatum

--Stephen

Thank you all for the response...

now, do I really need to put them in a tray of water? I'm a bit of a waterer... I find it therapeutic.. course some of my plants do not... so would that be enough 'wetness'?

if not, if I put the wet ones in a tray together, will they all enjoy the same amount of light levels?

Finally thanks for the taxonomic education... guess I have two boiss then :)

Cheers
tim