Pleione 2012

[karel_t]

  Happy New Growing Season 2012! 
K.

[LarsB]

Same to you Karel and all the lovely people here.

[Maren]

Hi all,

Happy New Year and may all your pleiones flower in abundance and gladden your hearts.

PS. Maggi, would it be an idea to rename this Pleione 2012 instead of PF so that we can find it again in future?

[Maggi Young]

Happy New Year to you all!

[Luc Gilgemyn]

In order to get the Pleione year started, here's my first one for this year... .... or is it the last one from last year... 

Pleione wharfedale "Pine Warbler"
(the lip is worth a close up I think  )

[Maren]

Hi Luc, what a lovely new year's greeting. The plant is nice, too.

[Webster008]

Hello Luc,

Nice pictures, nothing better to brighten up a dull day.

[Alex]

Pleione humilis is beginning to open its flowers here. Below are a few different forms, the first one being a splendid red-marked form from Butterfield. Those three flowering shoots are from one bulb; I tried giving this species extra heat last year and the improvement in growth, from a plant that barely used to survive year to year, has been remarkable.

Cheers,

Alex

[ThomasB]

Great plants, Alex! 

When did you provide extra heat - during the growing season or in winter? Usually cold temperatures are recommended for the winter storage of Pleione humilis.

[Alex]

Hi Thomas,

I had always given them cooler temperatures year round, with little success. The extra heat was in the growing season, when they stood on a heated propagator base with the maculata, praecox etc. They seemed to love it. I can't see any benefit to doing this during the Winter as unlike maculata etc. there are no roots.

Alex

[Torsten Junker]

Those look fabulous! I particularly like the first and third clones!

[SteveC2]

Very interesting!  I have always believed that humilis needed to be kept cold during the winter but a couple of years back I purchased some from Burnhams at an orchid fair, the price was too good to resist.  Their label said minimum winter temperature 7 degrees.  I asked around and was told to ignore it, but  now I am wondering.  Until the last few nights we have barely had a frost here, heating had gone on for one night only, and for the first time it looks like I will have humilis flowers in a few weeks time.  I do not believe that bulb size is any bigger this year than last.  I feel an experiment coming on next year.

[Maggi Young]

Very interesting!   I feel an experiment coming on next year.

I know that feeling  ... no pleiones now to speak of, but the Forum is always turning up other things that bear investigation..... no wonder the house is full of dust. 

[Graham Catlow]

Very nice Alex,
Mine are still in the fridge and not looking like moving yet, unlike last year. The longer they stay dormant the better for me.
Much like you I have never done too well with humils, but will try the extra heat this summer.

[Maren]

Very interesting. I'll try the heat treatment too, no harm in doing something different.