cypripedium

[ellenndan]

Hi there
 I am growing some Cypripedium seedlings and i am very confused about what compost mix to use. Can anyone help.
Thanks Dan and ellen

[Maggi Young]

I suggest you have a search in the "Old Forum", I recall that there were quite a few cyprepedium pages there which discussed potting medium etc.

[Joakim B]

Without being an expert I would say it depends on what sorts of Cyp it is and of how cold and wet the winter is.

Cold winters below zero that does not have much warmspells or rain early spring late autumn makes it easier. Then it might be possible to have them in "free darining garden soil". Maybe they can be protected like Malmgren does with his and then also wetter winters can have these soil for cyps.

I think Adarby might give You advise to what he uses unles You already find it on the old forum. Many uses a freedraining inorganic medium of different types based on perlite, gravel, leca vermeculite etc in different varieties.

I am using the first method and it will be my first winter now so I cannot say if it works or not untill spring. That is in Sweden. It is very hard to grow them in Portugal.

Kind regards
Joakim

[Anthony Darby]

Here is a link to a useful note on cultivating North American cypripediums: http://www.cypripedium.de/forum/messages/177.html

[Bjarne]

I use normal garden soil mixed with 60-70 % sand. They grow well. You can find picture of some of my Cyp. at my homepage.

[Anthony Darby]

I despair

[Joakim B]

Adarby
One growers solution to succes is the other ones road to disaster!
It all depends on so much more is the surronding garden a dry garden with sandy soil or a wet one with clay?
Winter protection wet winters.
There are so many factors that make it hard to get ONE perfect solution.
I do not have a perfect solution. In May I will know if it is good/ok/not so good/bad. I am waiting with some nervousness

There are so many different ways to grow them and the only common denominater I have seen is "well drained".
Hope I were not telling You the obvious things but it is frusurating to try to find "the right formula".
Kind regards
Joakim

[Bjarne]

Yes, well drained and shade is imported. Here in south west Norway a problem is that they begin to grow too early. It is no snow cover here to protect them, so when the sun warm the earth in early spring they begin to grow, and they can get damage of late frost. Because that I grow them in a shady places so the growth not star to early.