Cypripedium 2013

[goofy]

its just the question, WHO gave it to you as "tibeticum".

for me this looks very much  to be "kentuckiense /hybrid.
but iF it is from "chinese origin" it MIGHT BE fascioltum / hybrid.

next days will show.

cheers

[Otto Fauser]

Stephen , just came across your impressive pan of Cyp. formosanum , Congratulations ! Did it originate from the plant I gave you many years ago? If so you are a much better grower than I am . I see that David Kennedy lists it in his latest catalogue ,     Otto.

[angie]

Stephen I quite like the buds as much as the flowers, looking forward to see the flower open.
I am a bit worried about some of mine as they are showing really big green buds. I think I might try and cover them. They are all outside and I don't want the buds to get frost damaged.

Angie 

[Stephen Vella]

Hi Goofy, It came from crusticare...I thought pubescens and I too thought kentuckiensis, Im wishing for fascioatum.

Hi Angie,

Bud swell for you at this time is a little unusual but maybe theyre clumping and thats big flower buds in the making. Have you had a warm spell? Keep them cool,you can move them into deeper shade for winter, fleece will help, some growers use autumn leaves. Im experimenting with woodchips on a macranthos in a pot, so far doing well as it burst through, helps to keep it cool and moist.

Hello Otto,

Yes orginally from you, many moons ago. Mat and I nearly killed it at 12 buds when the potting mix needing refreshing and I started to routinely feed it. It grew larger like no other sp. I think I cracked the cultivation of it and we split it 3 years ago and Mat splits his last winter and sold a dozen eyes to Dave Kennedy and passed some to friends.

Mine is due for a repot, do you have it? be glad to give you some.

Cheers

[SteveC2]

Hello Angie,
Down the coast in Lincolnshire I'm finding the same thing.  I've just been applying an extra layer of perlite to cover them.  Mind you its not unusual, Emil and Sunny do it every year.  It just seems to me that some plants make their new buds nearer the surface than others,  With some such as Japonicum and fomomosanum I'd have to look two or three inches down, with others they are right at the surface.  Burying seems to solve the problem, I just wish that Emil would stay buried.
It's hardly surprising that they are growing though given the mild weather.  No frost, nights not much colder than they were in late August.  Some of my cyps are still in full leaf and above ground look like they did just after flowering.  My macranthos flowered in early May and is still looking green and healthy.  Hopefully it will be produce loads of buds for next year

[angie]

Thanks Stephen and Steve

Nice to hear your thoughts
Hopefully I will get a good display next year then, this year I was a bit disappointed so hoping for better results next year. I did go and cover them. I had some of those clay granules . Today was my first frost here so I am glad that I covered them.
I don't seem to have great success with Formosanum, but maybe it will perform better next year, lets hope so anyway.

Angie 

[Stephen Vella]

Angie I was just thinking in regards to your formosanum where you mentioned that it doesnt do so great for you. Its not one that needs the long 6 months of cold..You could place it indoors when the buds start to emerge and keep it inside for the early spring if you have a cool conservatorium or a sun room.

How long are your winters, how cold and when do the frosts stop?

cheers

[angie]

Stephen our winters are long up here in beautiful Scotland. I would say that I had my first frost here a couple of days ago. April is about the last month here for the last hard frost. I live quite close to the sea and I my garden isn't sheltered thats for sure so frosts aren't as hard here.

I do have a greenhouse that I keep about 3 degrees, used to keep it higher but now that I have my koi pond and heat the waterl I share the heat now. Saying this koi are swimming in a nice 17 degrees at the moment.

I killed, well I won't say home many Cypripediums as I thought they were tender but now I have stop cuddling them  I wondered if the buds were really big because we had a hard winter and a lovely summer, any thoughts.

Stephen do you grow all your Cyps, in the same compost.

Angela.

[Maggi Young]

Stephen, I live a few miles, as the crow flies, from Angie - I'd say we have six months of bad weather and then winter!

Angie, always one to  be optimistic, reckons that bad frosts can be over by April - I'd say that through all  May it's possible to have a killing frost here. We can go weeks below zero and that is with no snow cover at all.
I work at being cheerful - but when it comes to weather I often lose the battle!

[John Aipassa]

I am worried about the bad and even killing frost up until May in Aberdeen. Formosanum is an early riser and does not take  frost well, if it is in growth. The chance of killing the plant in your spring is quite high, if it is exposed in the open. If you have it in pots take it inside your green house, if these frost periods occur. If you have it in the garden, well, I would keep my fingers crossed if the plant does not have some protection.

Best wishes,

[Stephen Vella]

Angie, thoses clay granules should work. Cyps have a natural habit of clumping and growing towards the surface. Repotting is a good time to sink them further down when you get around to it.

From what Maggie and John are saying about their climate similar to yours I would place your formosanum inside your glass house in April or when you see the buds burst. It only needs 3 months of cold(dormantcy). After bud burst is the time when forosanum can suffer if it gets below zero for an extended time. If your glass house is at 3c with the plant in full sun which is gentle at that time of year it should be ok. It will favour 5c to 10c and grow. This will also give it a few more months in leaf so it should increase more. Feed it at half strength and then place it outside in June.

Yes your right the other hybrids are much more hardier and you dont have to cuddle them 

My formosanum and my hybrids like the bark/sand/perlite/diatomite mix. The diatomite is something new and already shows promise as it holds more moisture and nutrients. Its much drier here so my mix works for me. Sand and perlite works well too and this is for species,  adding the diatomite to these too.

My worry is the heat as my Cyps tend to go dormant in mid summer if too hot,35c. If dry at this time they can die. The longer you can keep the leaves green till autumn the better.

So we all have challenges and its understanding the happy medium otherwise they are easy and rewarding 

[Stephen Vella]

Cyp formosanum leaves open up and fill the pot.

And Cyp tibeticum is looking more like kentuckiensis but it is a nice species 

cheers

[John Aipassa]

Stephen,

Regarding your summers, are they dry with humidity levels low? If so, maybe you are able to grow montanum.

[Stephen Vella]

Hi John,

I thought montanum would prefer a cooler summer. In regards to humidity levels they are low in winter /spring then high in summer/ autumn depending on the monsoon from Asia that comes down here. Im better off with a hybrid that looks like montanum.

Would like to get some seed of montanum and parviflorum as I have a grower that is succssfull in germinating them in flask. Know of a source?

I have guttatum thats new to me, 2 yr old seedling and doing well, hope I can get it through the summer. Do you grow this one?

[John Aipassa]

Yes I grow guttatum from seedlings and almost flowering size now and the natural hybrid x alaskanum. Both do well straight in the garden. I find them not that hard, although they need a longer period of cold.

My experience with montanum hybrids is mixed. If the montanum blood is dominant they can be quite difficult as montanum is. Have lost a couple of them (Sebastian, Alois and even columbianum), but other specimens do well. I have been in an interesting discussion re: montanum with Bill Steele from Spangle Creek at the moment. His experience with successfully growing montanum is the dry summer and low humidity when he was living in Washington State. Now he is in Minnesota he can't grow montanum successfully anymore. Too humid and wet in the summer. He has seedlings, but don't ship internationally anymore unfortunately. I have some seeds of montanum myself for trying in vitro sowing. You should watch Ebay. Sometimes seeds of montanum is being offered there. Otherwise, I don't know.

Best,