"Spider" wrote

My Pleione formosana are growing in clay pots. I have stopped watering
them and brought them indoors. Should I leave them as they are, rooted in
compost, or lift them all from the compost and store them loosely within a
tray of fresh dry compost? Also, should I (gently) break away the old,
yellowed backbulbs, or leave them to their own devices? The old leaves are
already starting to fall away, so they are no problem.

Secondary question: will the several tiny new pseudobulbs survive to grow
on next year, or will they shrivel too much to be of any use?

Thanks for your time and brain power.


I've grown them for years including some of the hybrids and they stay out
all year (even during the last two winters).

My method for growing is to repot every two years, sometimes longer, during
the dormant period in late winter** the old back bulbs are left in place
until repotting, the pots are brought right up against the house under our
bench so they stay just frost free as if they were under snow as they would
be in the wild. In colder parts of the UK then a cold greenhouse might be
better but indoors would be too hot unless you are very hardy souls. The
very tiny new pseudobulbs that grow on top of the old bulbs (not the ones
that replace the old bulbs) take some years to reach flowering size but just
push them into the compost and let them do their thing. Or you can push them
into any deep moss covered pot or log (Bonsai pots in my case) and forget
about them and they will gradually get bigger and eventually flower.

** Some hybrids flower very early and no Pleione will stand growing roots
being disturbed at all so repot the early flowerers that bit earlier, a few
weeks after the leaves completely fall, say mid December.

How did yours do this year Rod?
--
Regards Bob Hobden
Posting to this Newsgroup from the W. of London UK