Orchis, Ophrys and others 2013

[mark smyth]

This afternoon I knocked some of my orchids out of their pots to see how damp or dry they were. I was shocked to find them very dry. All got watered thoroughly. Before replanting I removed next years tubers.

[mark smyth]

It was also very interesting to see that the new tubers are much larger than any I bought. Will these shrink a bit?

[SteveC2]

They should not shrink much if at all.  I am finding that this long cool spring has allowed many of my wintergreens to grow on for longer producing larger and in some cases more tubers than normal.  On the down side it's been a below average season for flowers, due I assume to lack of light, particularly in the autumn.

[K Andrzejewski]

They should not shrink much if at all.

- of course that tubers shrink (sometimes 15-25%) - this is natural process of loosing water in the summer time.

[Tony Willis]

- of course that tubers shrink (sometimes 15-25%) - this is natural process of loosing water in the summer time.

i will weigh some of mine when they die down and then again before I water them in September and let you know the results. On the other hand I may just get a life!

[mark smyth]

Some of mine had one large tuber and a little one. Mine are suffering from drying winds and some days high temperatures thankfully only two have died. Dactylorhizas romana and N. tridentata - can't think of the correct spelling

[fredg]

i will weigh some of mine when they die down and then again before I water them in September and let you know the results. On the other hand I may just get a life!

It's knowledge, the pursuit of it is life

[Maggi Young]

It's knowledge, the pursuit of it is life

I agree, Fred - I cannot be the only who would not expect tubers to shrink if well tended in cultivation so I would be interested to see what the experience of Tony is in this matter.

[mark smyth]

Maybe, if I remember, weigh mine also.

[K Andrzejewski]

A few pictures of Anacamptis morio tubers I bought last year from Slovenia. The seller sent photos before I decided that I will take two of them.The quality is maybe not the best I have seen, but still "the shrink-effect" is visible. One thing I repeat always and everywhere: European orchids are dependent from many factors, but the main one in my opinion is climate. All what we are doing in ours greenhouses or gardens, this is only very small "experiment" and we mostly focus on "how to have more" but not "how to understand" their nature...
Regards -
Kristof

[SteveC2]

Fine, they may shrink in nature, ( I wouldn't know as I've never dug any up!) or if allowed to completely dry out over the warm European summer months but frankly those are the unhealthiest looking tubers I have ever seen.  Mine do not like that when I repot them just before they start growth and I would be unhappy if any that I purchased arrived looking so desiccated.  At the end of dormancy most of my ophrys, orchis are still completely unwrinkled, with a healthy creamy white colour.
By the way, in my greenhouse / garden I am not conducting some great scientific experiment I am trying to grow plants which I like, to the best of my limited human ability.  Yesterday at the Sheffield Orchid Society show I put on a display of my plants which generated a lot of interest in hardies in a world dominated by tropicals, of which there were some fantastic plants on display.  I had to leave some of my bigger cyps and bowls of pleiones at home as they were too big for the car, and I could not get another plant in, but this does not matter as I am not interested in competing, I just want to encourage other people to have a go at growing these fascinating plants.
p.s. the hostas were borrowed and put on the end to act as buffers as there were doors either side.  Apologies to hosta lovers for using your favourite plants as door stops.
p.s. x2 If one or two plants look a little bent at the top it was because it was so dark and they were searching for the light, not that they were too tall for the car, though with the Anacamptis laxiflora it was a close run thing..  Now happily returned to the greenhouse they've straightened up!

[Maggi Young]

A few pictures of Anacamptis morio tubers I bought last year from Slovenia. The seller sent photos before I decided that I will take two of them.The quality is maybe not the best I have seen, but still "the shrink-effect" is visible. One thing I repeat always and everywhere: European orchids are dependent from many factors, but the main one in my opinion is climate. All what we are doing in ours greenhouses or gardens, this is only very small "experiment" and we mostly focus on "how to have more" but not "how to understand" their nature...
Regards -
Kristof

Excuse me, Kristof, but there are those of us who work very hard to study the needs of our plants to keep them growing as healthy as possible.
To my eyes  those tubers looks so shrunken as to have been kept too dry for too long.  If that appears otherwise to you then you must accept that there are great differences in how different people perceive things- and this does not necessarily mean they are wrong.

[Maggi Young]

Fine, they may shrink in nature, ( I wouldn't know as I've never dug any up!) or if allowed to completely dry out over the warm European summer months but frankly those are the unhealthiest looking tubers I have ever seen.  Mine do not like that when I repot them just before they start growth and I would be unhappy if any that I purchased arrived looking so desiccated.  At the end of dormancy most of my ophrys, orchis are still completely unwrinkled, with a healthy creamy white colour.
By the way, in my greenhouse / garden I am not conducting some great scientific experiment I am trying to grow plants which I like, to the best of my limited human ability.  Yesterday at the Sheffield Orchid Society show I put on a display of my plants which generated a lot of interest in hardies in a world dominated by tropicals, of which there were some fantastic plants on display.  I had to leave some of my bigger cyps and bowls of pleiones at home as they were too big for the car, and I could not get another plant in, but this does not matter as I am not interested in competing, I just want to encourage other people to have a go at growing these fascinating plants.
p.s. the hostas were borrowed and put on the end to act as buffers as there were doors either side.  Apologies to hosta lovers for using your favourite plants as door stops.
p.s. x2 If one or two plants look a little bent at the top it was because it was so dark and they were searching for the light, not that they were too tall for the car, though with the Anacamptis laxiflora it was a close run thing..  Now happily returned to the greenhouse they've straightened up!

Nice display, Steve - sounds like you need to make friends with a bus owner - lots of room in one of those!

[SteveC2]

Aye, and a double decker at that!

[Tony Willis]

Steve

what a smashing display,I wish I could do that.

As to your comments on growing I could not agree more,it is a hobby and I grow the plants to enjoy them and share that enjoyment with other enthusiasts.

 I also agree that when it comes to the time to start my tubers off they are plump and white not like those shrivelled ones shown by Kristof. What I would say however is that when the new growth starts the plant slowly absorbs the tuber before its roots get going and at that stage they are shrivelling like the ones he shows. I know this because I tip them out continually to see how they are progressing.