Time for a Kovachii update - anyone else got pics of how their species or crosses are doing? I got two Kovachii x Saint Ouen crosses from Piping Rock. Knock on wood, they're both growing and surviving now that we're, what, about 2 months in.

I'm growing mine in sphag, in a small open-topped plastic thingy. And have diatomite in about 2 inches of water below them, to hopefully add a bit of humidity. They're quite happy, knock on wood.

Click image for larger pic.

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/1879/kovachiiupdaterq0.th.jpg (http://img204.imageshack.us/my.php?image=kovachiiupdaterq0.jpg)

They look quite healthy! Good job!

Great looking seedlings, well done!:cool: I ordered a kovachii from Glen but they are not ready to be shipped yet.

:great: :welldone:

Thanks guys. I've noticed with my other paphs and phrags, now that I'm into year 4, I think, of growing orchids, that it really is a matter of natural selection, what grows and what doesn't grow. Some plants the roots are great, others I just kill, and they're side by side. There's no rhyme or reason. Some seedlings love me, others hate me, some big plants rot, others thrive. I'm saying this because this time around I decided to keep the plants in sphag since that's how they've been growing. I am moving a lot of my plants to semi-hydro as I've been having much more luck with s/h now that I have better lighting, cfls and fluorescents. I won't risk that with these plants yet - they're gonna get sphag for a long while, and maybe eventually I'll try one in semi-hydro. But it has been interesting that I still find it to be hit or miss which plants thrive and which plants die. Then again, my set up is in my studio, so while the temps aren't the problem, nor the light, humidity is. When things get too hot in here, winter sun pouring in, I have to open the windows or it gets to 90F. That kills the humidity. So maybe those changes are freaking some of the plants out. Anyway, just rambling :-)

I agree with you John. I have noticed the same thing happens in my collection. I have noticed that some plants are more resistant to my abuse than others....only the strong will survive!

Nice looking babies John. I have to agree that at my house it's survival of the fittest, if the plants can put up with my overwatering and low humidity and fluctuating temps it's all good, if not, there is room on the window sill for a new plant ;)
Lorna

very nice pretty plans

they really do look healthy and man are they getn big

just took another shot of kovachii X Cape Sunset. If the leaves were flattened it would now have a 10" spread.
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/Ron-NY/KPxCS.jpg

Oh my Buddha,
Ron your plant is bursting to the seam, and seems to ready to flower.
What a different when you got a healthy seedling and raise by a good grower
(mine still struggling in flask):eek:

That's nice Ron, and bigger than mine - though my St. Ouen cross was supposed to grow slower, or smaller, than many of the others.

What a fantastic looking plant!!! Great job growing it!

Great looking plants guys. It is exciting to see what quality flowers these hybrids will produce!

Update, the longest leaf on my kovachii X Cape Sunset is now 8 inches...it is liking the cooler weather. So far it has been the fastest growing of the four hybrids that I have. The Saint Ouen cross seems to be the second fastest growing. Cape Sunset on left Saint Ouen on right :Party: Tom, time will only tell what the quality and form of these flowers will be. The Saint Ouen has leaf presentation more like kovachii than the Cape Sunset cross does.
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/Ron-NY/Personal/kovseedlings1128.jpg

Very nice plants, Ron! :cool:

It'll be interesting to see what some of these Pk hybrids look like!

The picture bring tears to my eyes, Ron
Want to see a picture of my tiny teeny struggling kovachii:p

Hein, my kovachii seedlings are still very small...less than 2" total spread on the leaves. These hybrids are doing much better. How big are your kovachii seedlings...please do post a pic

It is embarrasing.
I am so scare of killing the last plant from that flask that I did not dare to do any thing even remotely funny to it (such as fertilizing)
I think it is still less than 1 inch. The weird thing is all of its bigger sibblings perished while it hangs in on till now.:eek:

The little P. kovachii I have for chromosome counting is doing well in a bark mix and is now about 5" in spread. I have removed it to cut root tips and got a chromosome count and not even that treatment seemed to affect the little plant. I also have a P. kovachii x besseae that is a little smaller but doing well so far. Hope to see both flower some day.
Dean

The little P. kovachii I have for chromosome counting is doing well in a bark mix and is now about 5" in spread. I have removed it to cut root tips and got a chromosome count and not even that treatment seemed to affect the little plant. I also have a P. kovachii x besseae that is a little smaller but doing well so far. Hope to see both flower some day.
Dean


May I ask what the chromosome count was for kovachii?

thanks...

Bill, I got a number of metaphase cells out of that little root tip but none were completely spread so that no chromosome crossovers occurred. Out of the dozen or so cells that I actually photographed and analyzed, it appeared that the count is 32. This count was previously reported for P. kovachii on this forum so it is probably right. I intend to re-do it though to be sure. I believe that a brief description of the count and a photo of a metaphase will be in the next Orchids Digest.
Dean

At least that's what I'm assuming this is. I just got back from 9 days out of town, and this thing is jutting out fo the base of the plant. Loot at the white base of the root, it's huge.

http://static.flickr.com/106/310651038_34424432e4_o.jpg

Good growing, John!:cool:

looking good John !!!

John

I wonder whether 9 days of nonbabying & watering induce it to grow the big root?

Hien, the really funny thing is that I turned my lights down to 6 hours, and shut off the humidifier and the fans. I did lose one Paph Venustum, which ticks me off, but everything else was great - spikes moving along nicely, etc. The plants seemed to, oddly, enjoy the break - or at least not suffer from it. But yeah, I did not see that root before I left - and looking closely at the root, it's quite hairy too (which I never get on my roots, let alone one on top of the medium). I'm just crossing my fingers.

That looks GREAT! I love fuzzy roots! Is that cinnamon on the base?

Yes, cinnamon. I didn't like the color I was getting at the leaf axis, so put some cinnamon on to be safe.

Awesome...:woohoo:

Here's my kids. As you can see in the picture, they are still in sphag in their little pots and then set in a 6 inch clay poy and surrounded by sphag. hoping to keep the roots cool and add humidity. About 6 inch leaf span.

Very nice and healthy seedlings, Deb!:cool:

Oh my, roots coming out the bottom? They must be happy!

Obviously your phrag loves you :D ...nice new roots...:welldone:

2 month update. The Cape Sunset and the Saint ouen has grown another 2" in leaf span in the last 2 months :Party: at this rate, I hope to see buds by this time next year :woohoo: I can't say I have seen this growth rate on the Walter Schomburg and Living Fire 4N cross. :mad: but they are growing slowly. The species has hardly budged. If I would flatten the leaves a bit, Cape Sunset would measure a 12" leaf span and 10 " on the Saint Ouen:Party: There is a new leaf started on both.

This is the Saint Ouen cross
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/Ron-NY/SOXKP1-17-07.jpg
and the Cape Sunset Cross
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/Ron-NY/CSXPK.jpg

:nicephrags: :clap2:

Nice growing Ron! Really exciting to think it might bloom next season!

:nicephrags: I excited to see what the blooms will look like!!!!

Great growing, Ron!:clap:

Wait a minute John.
If I remember correctly, Kyle has pictures show kovachii plants in situ naturally have purple color at base.

Ron
Your pk is getting very big