Cypripedium 2012

[Tony Willis]

Tony,

I find that repotting generally checks cyp growth and results in smaller growths for at least a year, sometimes two.
What is your view?

Regards,

David

David

I have not enough experience to form a view. Apart from C. formosanum which I have been growing in John Innes and grit for five years I have only recently started growing a selection of others. Ignorance was bliss with the formosanum which grew like a weed.I am just learning with the others and greatly appreciate hearing others ideas.

[angie]

Angie - I buy my super coarse perlite from a local old fashioned horticultural supply shop.
It comes in 100 litre bags and retails for about £18.
That is a pretty competitive price and fills an awful lot of pots,

Regards,

David

Well thats a good price the best I could find was £24.99. Still if it can do a lot of pots its works out really cheap. Just need to find a good source for pumice and then I will be happy.

Angie 

[Maren]

Angie,

I use a lot of super coarse perlite, too. It tends to be rather dusty and breathing in the dust is not good for you. The way around that is to pour a couple of gallons of water into the bag (make sure there are holes in the bottom), that will send the dust to the bottom and your perlite will be nicer to handle. NB it's best not to do this in your kitchen.

[angie]

Angie,

I use a lot of super coarse perlite, too. It tends to be rather dusty and breathing in the dust is not good for you. The way around that is to pour a couple of gallons of water into the bag (make sure there are holes in the bottom), that will send the dust to the bottom and your perlite will be nicer to handle. NB it's best not to do this in your kitchen.

See how lucky we bunch are. All these tips from the professionals  its great that we get all these tips to help us novices to grow our plants on.

Angie 

[monocotman]

Angie/Maren,

agreed - the one drawback with perlite is the dust - it is REALLY irritating to the lungs - don't use it in a confined space.
I do as Maren suggests and use it damp or failing that, repot outside where the dust can disappear in a large volume of air,

Regards,

David

[Neil]

I use a face mask when I unpack my perlite

[Slug Killer]

Angie as for cost I paid £13 for 100ltrs in January, I always find the best deals are at hydroponic stores where people stock up to grow plants that really do make you happy

You can also get it delivered buying off Ebay for £20 if there are no local suppliers. Just search perlite.

[Maren]

Angie,

make sure you get the super coarse. Ebay sometimes tells fibs about the grain size. It should be 5 - 10 mm.

Actually, fixing the dust with a couple of buckets of water is my quick method. When I pull myself together to do it properly it goes like this:

1 get an empty dustbin or other container large enough to accommodate a sack of perlite
2 put on the face mask - or check wind direction, making sure it blows away from you - better to use a mask.
3 cut the perlite sack with a kitchen knife and empty the perlite into the waste bin
4 fill the bin with water
5 stir well with a long stick (broom handle) and leave
6 put a lid on the waste bin to keep out dirt, falling leaves etc.
7 take off face mask. 

Now when I want to use the perlite, I use a large sieve and fish it out of the water. That definitely leaves all the dust behind.

If used unwashed, it can be pretty bad for your lungs. Ever heard of coal miners' lung disease which they got from breathing in coal dust? it's a bit like that, just a different colour.

[angie]

Maren,  I am extra careful when it comes to dusty stuff as my mum was housebound because she had chronic pulmonary disease.
Thats a good idea putting the perlite into a bin. Thanks for taking the time to explain your methods.

Angie 

[yijiawang]

My segawai in flower now, with light fragrant.

[Stephen Vella]

Very nice segawai.. Lovely green..thanks for showing

[Anthony Darby]

If excess water is a problem use perlite as it drains very freely. I used 80% with 10% loam and 10% orchid bark and rarely had to water pots in Dunblane. If too much water is not a problem then Seramis® can be used as it retains more water for longer. I initially used 40% Seramis® and 40% perlite, but found Seramis® increasingly difficult to obtain locally. I even used 80% perlite in the garden, firstly with pond baskets and later by just digging a huge hole and hoping the Dunblane clay would not invade the root ball too quickly. It seemed to work.

[Jan]

Cypripedium in my garden

[Maren]

Jan, what a wonderful display!!! and how nice to meet you. Last time I was in Samarkand (1979), it did not look like a place for growing cypripediums. It was hot and dry and the wind was blowing in from the desert.
How do you manage it? 

[Jan]

Maren
Yes, you're right. In Samarkand is very hot. There grow bulbs in Europe Cypripedium

Jan, what a wonderful display!!! and how nice to meet you. Last time I was in Samarkand (1979), it did not look like a place for growing cypripediums. It was hot and dry and the wind was blowing in from the desert.
How do you manage it?