PLEIONES -2008 (New Forum section)

[dragonfly8]

 


hi I think I have killed my pleiones I have had them without  any soil since november I empted all the soil out and cleaned all the bulbs because I thought you had to repot them every year
then i cut just a bit of the roots off and left them in my greenhouse I brought them into the house to look at them and they are very dry  although they have a lot of  roots on the bottom of the bulb could anyone give me any advice  what i could do with them
many thanks

Hi, I will merge this with the other pleione pages. M

[Paul Cumbleton]

Hi Dragonfly,
You should not have killed your pleiones by doing what you describe. They are usually dormant by November so there is no problem with un-potting them at this time. All the root made that year dies off, just like the leaves, so it does not matter if this old root looks dry - it is meant to be dead. As long as the new bulbs themselves look OK then they will be fine. Just pot them up now and keep them just very slightly damp until the leaves start growing in Spring. Hope they are OK!

Paul

[dragonfly8]

 
hi paul many thanks for your advice hope all goes well could i ask  you about sphagnum moss  I use this for my pleiones how long does the moss last before I need to change it or does it just last and last I can't find any info on it only what you can use it for
many thanks

[Paul Cumbleton]

Sphagnum is able to last for many years, but as a precaution against the build up of pests and diseases I repot every year into fresh compost. I know it seems a waste as the moss is so expensive, but I feel it necessary.

Paul

[Maggi Young]

Paul, what about sterilising the sphagnum before re-use?
(In a microwave, for instance,  smells bad, of course!)  Any thoughts on that?

[Paul Cumbleton]

Hi Maggi,
I've never tried sterilising Sphagnum in a microwave. I guess it would be fine - you would need to moisten it and watch the cooking time (to avoid moss fires!). Maybe useful for small quantities but if you have a large collection it would quickly become too time consuming to do large amounts.

I wonder how many of us admit to "culinary horticulture"? I sterilise Seramis in the microwave and clay pots in the oven...perhaps we should start a new thread to share our "cooking" tips!

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Yep - anytime Rob ! 

[chris]

here P.'Barcena' and P.'Eiger are in ful bloom, P.'Barcena' is late this year, normally it flowers in december or januari

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Good to see the first Pleione making their apearance !
My Eiger is still unfolding - a couple more days...

[johanneshoeller]

My first Pleione in 2008 - humilis

Hans

[chris]

beautiful plant Hans, I had one but lost it 2 years ago, when I see yours I now I have to try it again

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Beautiful specimen Hans !

[Luc Gilgemyn]

It's a real stunner Paul - very good colours and quite evenly shaped ! - I want to be second on the list after Derek 
I'm sure you will delight us with lots more of these new goodies as the season progresses.

Here are my season openers -

1) P. eiger
2 and 3) P. eiger 'To ah'
4) and 5) P. eiger 'To be'

[chris]

Luc I like these pale forms of eiger, here is Pl.'Hekla',

[Luc Gilgemyn]

They are new to me Chris - I hope they do well and in a couple of years we can swap...

Your P. hekla looks quite healthy !

Here's my P. zeus weinstein - two different clones from two different origins - you might recognize one Chris...