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Tom, Yeah Phrags are way, way, easier than Disa. Disa are not very tolerant of less than ideal water, temperatures, conditions, etc., etc. Our of all of the 70+ Phrags I grew, I only had one that "climbed". It was a Phrag St Ouen. The climbing habit comes form the Phrag besseae parent. Phrag besseae is often found growing on cliff faces and has evolved that climbing habit. I have not found this habit to be too much of a bother though since I repot every Phrag every year. The plant can be reset inthe pot every year and old, leafless growths cut away.
Cynthia, do you remember where you read about the besseae being low light? If I pause for a moment and think about the conditions underwhich I grew besseae, I grew them under 2 40-watt flourescent tubes, along with my mottle-leaf Paphs. That could be considered low light, definitely. But my besseae hybrids were grown in an east window (3+ hours of direct sun each morning) with supplimental flourescent lighting. I'd describe it as a medium light situation. The red's seem better with a bit more light just as they seem better with slightly cooler temps. In the wild, some besseae grow on these exposed cliff faces and receive several hours of direct sun every day. Maybe what we're discovering here is that Phrag besseae is tolerant of a rather wide range of light conditions.
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