Preparing for next Pleione season

[Maggi Young]

I just thought I remembered a pleione with an "h" that made bulbils and got muddled   It's a long time since our 'pleione house' was a pleione house.....it's the Gothenburg annexe now.... not even one pleione in there!

Just out of curiosity: why the Gothenburg annexe?

It's a name Ian often  uses for this little glass house in the Bulb Logs....

because it houses lots of bulbs grown from seed from the Gothenburg Botanic Gardens  

[enrico]

Thank you very much for all the information, I liked a lot Slug killer's work on the bulbils
I think I will go on with my original idea on the medium with most of the bulbs but I will try also the preparation with seramis (I'll substitute with akadama since I cannot find seramis here) at least in an experimental pot.

I'll let you know

best regards

Enrico

[Slug Killer]

Good luck and don't forget to let us know how you get on.

All the best

David

[JPB]

I agree with David/Slugkiller that the multi-bulbilled one is P. chunii. Not surprisingly as I bought the plant from him . But, during flowering I did some research and I am convinced that it indeed is P. chunii... BTW, this species is one of my favourites! The bulbils on top are somewhat larger than those of P. humilis and I find them easy to propagate.

The succes of propagating top-bulbils of P. humilis depends on the clone you have. At least, that is my experience. I was succesful this year with 25 bulbils of a clone obtained through Eric Locke a few years ago. Other clones were difficult. Or they did produce two top-bulbils only (P. humilis Bigu Gompa from Koos Wubben).

I use a potting mix as despribed by Paul Cumbleton, but for the small bulbils, I cover it with a mix of very finely cut sphagnum mixed with perlite. The bulbils are not lost in the spaces from the coarse mix en are less subject to desiccation due to the fine mix surrounding them.

Hope this helps..