Pterostylis pedunculata - weed potential?

[DaveP]

I've posted about this species before, having 'rescued' a small plantlet growing on the trunk of a tree fern about 3 years ago.  It started life as a piece of rhizome and a leaf (no roots) and was potted into shredded sphagnum moss.  It rooted and developed into a small clump, producing 3 spikes for the first time last spring.  This year it carried 14 flower spikes and is now starting to enter its dormant phase.  Curious as to how many tubers it has produced this time, I knocked it out of its pot and got the shock of my life.  Clustered at the bottom of the root ball and around the sides, I counted 55 tubers each one capable of developing into a flowering plant next spring.  Inevitably there will also be quite a few within the root ball, but I'll wait until the leaves have died away before delving further.  Such profligacy is totally unremarkable in plants such as Oxalis and I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that a plant aggregation as large and diverse as the orchid family would contain species capable of such rapid increase.  Nevertheless, I'm astonished that this diminutive Australian terrestrial should prove so free and easy in such a short space of time. 

[Slug Killer]

Weeds like that would be most welcome. I had the same with Pterostylis curta which produced a huge pot full. Then lost the lot when the roof leaked and left them swimming.

Look forward to seeing them all in flower with you.

David

[Maggi Young]

I love these "good news" stories........ though DDavid the Slug Killer's tale warns we must exercise caution!! Good luck with a great display from all those plants, DaveP!

[DaveP]

I've got a few P. curta, which I bought last autumn, but they didn't do quite as well as I'd hoped.  They have recently died down and there are 2 tubers the size of marbles.  Originally there were 3 tubers, but one rotted away mid-season for no apparent reason.  I may have kept them a bit too moist (all in one pot), but the remaining tubers are a good deal bigger than those received so conditions couldn't have been too far off.