Ponerorchis

[monocotman]

Erling,

I grow mine with the pleiones in the same open compost and growing conditions and they do fine and increase.
Keep dry over winter. They can take several degrees of frost when dormant.
They survived the 2010 winter with no problems.
Water and feed when you see growth in the late spring.

Regards,

David

[mark smyth]

I've been growing mine in a 50:50 mix of perlite and sphagnum (the commercial product Supersphag) which I use for Disas. They are stood in a tray with the Disas in 0.5cm of rainwater during growth, kept drier and cost-free during the winter. My first clone (acquired from Paul Christian several years ago) doubles the number of tubers each year under these conditions.

What size pots do you use?

[mark smyth]

Andrew Bannister at Orchid Alchemy sells Ponerorchis graminifolia on eBay so I assume that is the one which you found.  I have never seen any other Ponerorchis species for sale in the UK.

I bought a couple from him without researching first 

[erf]

Erling,

I grow mine with the pleiones in the same open compost and growing conditions and they do fine and increase.
Keep dry over winter. They can take several degrees of frost when dormant.
They survived the 2010 winter with no problems.
Water and feed when you see growth in the late spring.

Regards,

David

Hello David
What type of  compost do you use for your Pleione. I use only organic material in my Pleione compost.
Regards Erling

[monocotman]

Erling,

I use a mix of NZ sphagnum, perlite and orchid bark.
It is 'springy' and very free draining,

david

[erf]

Thank you David, I will give it a try.
Regards Erling

[Maren]

Hi Erling,

first of all, I wish you and everybody else a HAPPY NEW YEAR and successful growing.

Regarding Ponerorchis graminifolia, I have a few and I grow them together with my winter flowering pleiones, which get slightly higher temperatures than the rest. They get re-potted into pleione compost in January and they seem to like it most of the time.

My treasure is a white variety, of which I have an 8cm potful, and they flowered last year for 3 months. But, generally speaking, the bulbs/corms don't seem to be long lived.

A friend brought 20 for me from Japan at great expense and none of them flowered. I also had some from Jacques Amand, saw them in flower at his nursery and he sold me the pot. They are still going but nothing special. I would really like to have some of the large flowered varieties, with the bold central patch. But that appears to be difficult.

Paul Cumbleton is very good at growing his ponerorchis. On the rare occasions when he gives talks, he shows photographs of his plants in flower, and it inspires me every time to go and look for some more (unfortunately, he doesn't sell his and I can understand why).

Good luck.

[erf]

Hello Maren
And a Happy NewYear to you and all others as well.

It seems to be a challenge to start growing Ponerorchis, but now I will try. If it trives just half as well as my Pleione, it can not be all bad. I have ordered from Wubben, and from Peter (deplantspecialist) and bought three at Ebay, so now I will have to see what I get. Maybe it is all the same clone, you never know.

Should I get some growing and flowering I wiil post pictures and comments, otherwise "nice try" 

Hope you all get a good growing season, and yet again tanks to all for comments and advise.

Regards Erling (thenotyetponerorchisexpert 

[deplantspecialist]

One of mine Ponerorchis and a beautiful white form. It flowered past year and I send this picture to the online show
of the AGS. I grow them  in forrest ground ( the toplayer) and perlite. On to warm days I put them in the shade.

 

[erf]

Hello Peter
Realy beautiful, so pure white. Thanks for sharing. I like the long spur, both that and the color reminds me of the time I was growing Aerangis, back in the warm orchids days. 
Regards Erling

[Paul Cumbleton]

Thanks for the compliment Maren, but I still find Ponerorchis far from easy to grow and several of the nice varieties I had are no longer with me. I grow mine in a mix of equal parts peat, perlite and sand. Otherwise they get the same regime as for my pleiones. Definitely fickle plants!

Paul

[deplantspecialist]

Hello Peter
Realy beautiful, so pure white. Thanks for sharing. I like the long spur, both that and the color reminds me of the time I was growing Aerangis, back in the warm orchids days. 
Regards Erling

Hello Erling,

I have some 6 or 7 Aerangis species in my LIVING room on a south window. I cover in the warm summer days for the hot sun from13.00hours till about 16.00 hours and gif them every day rain wather. Every once to 2 times a week a feed them. The are all doing perfect. No special treatment.......
The do best on a piece of wood with a little spagnum on there roods.

[Peter Maguire]

What size pots do you use?

The clone that has bulked up is in a 12cm, round, deep pot. The others are still in sqaure 7cm pots until they start to show signs of multiplying.

[erf]

Hello
Just found this web page with some insrtruction video from Japan on planting and general culture of Ponerorchis.

http://www.ranyuen.com/en/ponerorchis/

Regards Erling

[Maren]

Just came across these pictures in my gallery.

1 Ponerorchis graminifolia closeup (I have a terrible feeling that this may be Paul Cumbleton's photo. If so, I apologise, but it is rather lovely, isn't it?)

2 & 3 Ponerorchis graminifolia A friend's plant (no longer with us, the plant, that is, the friend is still there) on a Thames Valley Orchid Society display;

4 Ponerorchis graminifolia tubers (these are the ones I received from Japan that never made it). My fault, no doubt.