Pleione 2013

[erf]

Hello Tamar
Nice collecting of xbarbarae, although they were bought as something else. I supposed all of us have experienced something like that. I specialy find your picture 4 Interesting. If you have a surplus of them, I will be interested.
Regards Erling

[gregork]

Very nice pictures Tamar and good growing!

I have two questions and i was hoping someone can help.

First one is about P. riah shan. Does it need to be kept cold during winter( in the fridge) or potted slightly moist and a bit warmer like P. praecox?

And i wonder about suitable orchid mix for P. Iris butterfield. Would the mix of bark and sphagnum be suitable for her or do you suggest pure sphagnum moss? Any suggestions about growing this one woud be very much appriciated

Best regards
G

[Slug Killer]

I pot up Riah Shan and put on a garage windowsill which is frost free. They do not need warmth like praecox and are more like Pleione Wharfedale but you do need to watch out for early flowering and new root growth. I have tried them over winter in the house but find the extra warmth causes the flowers to abort. Anywhere with some light which remains frost free will be fine until leaves are starting and flowers have gone. I then do bring them indoors as they will put on more growth very quickly giving an extended growing season and better bulbs. The garage is cold enough to allow a dormancy period if the plant wants it but will come to no harm if not (based on my garage).

[karel_t]

I grow my P. Iris Butterfield in the same compost, which I use for P. forrestii - the mix of medium bark and sphagnum. They grow very satisfactorily in that.

[gregork]

Thank you both for your explanations

So if i get this right P. Riah shan- poted in frost free garage where it flowers and starts to grow leaves and after that relocate in to the house for a good growth of bulbs. The watering probably starts when flowers are gone  and roots start to grow? Just like other spring flowering Pleione?

P. Iris Butterfield...  just an ordinary compost with some extra sphagnum.
Btw Karel i am still waiting for your online shop to open.  Or is your catalouge allready out? 

Regards
Gregor

[Sempervivum]

Two winter flowering ones now blooming with me: P. Tsingtau and P. Wharfedale 'Pine Warbler'.

[Tamar]

Hello,

Erling and G., thank you both for nice words. 
I enjoy to be surprised, I like my flowers, but it is a pity that their prices were inflated. Oh well, such is life...

Erling I am glad to hear you like one of my Pln x barbarae. I have no surplus at the moment. I grow Pln 3 and 4 in the same flowerpot what you could see in the attached picture. I have to signalize that they were supposed to be Pln grandiflora and were bought in the same time and seller. I will need to share them. If you were interested in the next year you would let me know on priv.

@gregork, I saw that tips were already given to you. I have never grown spices which you listed so far but both type of substratum are good for Iris Butterfield in my opinion.
I consider that Riah Shan do not need a cooling in fridge. I would be growing it like Pln praecox and Pln Wharfedale. I would keep it in garage where will be temperature from 5°C till 10°C degrees.
I wish you good luck. Please let us know if it will blooming next year. 

Regards,
Tamar

[Slug Killer]

Thank you both for your explanations

So if i get this right P. Riah shan- poted in frost free garage where it flowers and starts to grow leaves and after that relocate in to the house for a good growth of bulbs. The watering probably starts when flowers are gone  and roots start to grow? Just like other spring Pleione.

Regards
Gregor

Yes that is correct. New roots will of course start well before Spring Pleione. I have about ten Wharfedale in flower in the garage at the moment but no sign of Riah Shan doing anything yet.

@Tamar, my garage is far too cold for Praecox which are now indoors until next summer.  Both maculata and praecox spend nearly all year indoors with me.

[gregork]

Tnx Tamar, i sure will post some pictures when they bloom

Slug killer, thats very interesting. So you are saying you grow your praecox indoors all year long. Even in winter at room temperature ( let's say between 18-23°C) ?
It is interesting, i know some are growing it semi-cold. Between 5-10 in winter like me, Karel is growing it cool. Arround 4°c i think ,and some apparently grow it warm all year long.
It probably depends on where  perticular cultivar comes from originally ( higher or lower elevation ).
I dont have other explanation
I think it would be much easier to grow it indoors all year long on my windowsill. It is worth trying but i will stick with the first opton (semi-cold) since it is the first year i have it and i dont want to mess things up

Nice day to everyone
G.

[Slug Killer]

Mine are in a room that is only used for storage and does not have the radiator on so it will be colder than that. The clones I have originated from Thailand.

[SteveC2]

My experience of growing praecox in a warm room with maculata is that it totally throws their growth cycle and they do crazy things like flowering in July/August and are in full leaf now.  But, in the short term, (3-4) years it does not appear to have hurt them as I have increased my number and have some huge bulbs this year and so I am treating it just like any other non-seasonal tropical orchid and letting them do as they wish.  My praecox came from David (Slug Killer).
My only other alternative is a very cool greenhouse, minimum 2/3.  They liked that even less and now there isn't any room anyway!

[gregork]

Tnx David

And Steve... very interesting. I will definetely try this, once i build up my collection

Regards
G

[Tamar]

Hello,
 
Orchids amaze as ever   
 
Pleione praecox (pictured below) I have cultivated for 6 years. At the beginning I kept it only indoor on the north, unheated window in the kitchen. In the winter temperatures carried out approx. 14-18*C.  These conditions were not good. Pleione began vegetation too quickly and in the end of the season its pseudobulbs were smaller than previously and have no inflorescence. In the next year I left my praecox in the garage. There was mostly temperature 5*C in winter's time, and occasionally rises to max 12*C, when the sun shining. These conditions just have been proven to be good for my plant.

I have Pleione maculata recently. In the first year of cultivation I left it with praecox in the garage for the winter. It did not grow so well and bloomed only one flower. This season I have tried to have it warmer along with the Cattleya. It gets worse. Pleione maculata do not flowered and now still has leaves! A week ago I carried it to the garage. I return to cooler growing conditions, it is better to have one flower than ever ...
 
Cheers   

[gregork]

Very nice pot of Praecox Tamar and tnx for the tips of how you grow them

regards
G

[Tamar]

Gregor, thank you and regarding tips - you are welcome. 
Greetings from Poland.