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Habenaria radiata
I have received six tubers of this terrestrial orchid native to Japan where
it is known as the Egret Orchid. It is also known taxonomically as pecteilis radiata. Do any of you have experience growing these? I've found only two references to culture on the web. One grower reported limited success growing in sphagnum. Another site said part to full sun in well-drained, acidic soil kept moist until after flowering is completed and the plants go dormant. Any other suggestions for success? Except for Bletilla striata, I grow all my orchids in pots and in the winter, indoors. |
#2
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Habenaria radiata
In article , Mark Prout
wrote: I have received six tubers of this terrestrial orchid native to Japan where it is known as the Egret Orchid. Or Crane Orchid. Because it really does look like the Japanese white crane, a symbol of health & long life & fortune, & of Japan Airlines. Also it lives in bogs where cranes nest. But in "captivity" it doesn't like to be as wet as in the wild, & its bogs dry out in seasonally, so duplicating it's wet then dry natural habitat can be a pain. Seeds almost never germinate for amateurs as they're triggered by a specific bog bacteria in their natural environment, but it should produce offsets (I think) as the old pseudobulb wears out, so will perepetuate itself. It is also known taxonomically as pecteilis radiata. Do any of you have experience growing these? I've found only two references to culture on the web. One grower reported limited success growing in sphagnum. Another site said part to full sun in well-drained, acidic soil kept moist until after flowering is completed and the plants go dormant. Any other suggestions for success? Except for Bletilla striata, I grow all my orchids in pots and in the winter, indoors. On the west coast these reputedly have naturalized in some peoples' yards, but won't spread beyond the initial plantings because seeds don't germinate. The only terrestrial orchid I grow so far is a comparatively easy pleione (in full bloom right now; your pecteilis will likely be a summer bloomer), so am reluctant to suggest much, as you would already know more than I know, since you do grow other kinds of orchids & didn't restrict yourself to such an easy one. But I think the reason you're getting contradictory information is because terrestrial orchids do in fact sometimes grow in moss rather than in the ground, so that that they're encountered in the wild growing in moss atop rocks or even up in trees just like epiphytes. Soil is best (with one-third orchid bark) but with the tops of the bulb sticking above the surface of the soil then finish "burying" it with a protectie layer ofliving moss, not with dead moss. I think the only thing special about your pecteilis's needs will be its boggy spring & summer, dry autumn & winter cycle -- when it wants water it'll die the instant it goes without, & when it doesn't want water it'll rot the instant it gets watered by accident, so it's a tough balance. It sounds bassackwards for Japanese weather patterns but the bogs are caused by snowmelting off mountains rather than by rainfall & they do dry out in winter rather than summer, when the mountain snows are no longer melting off. When leaves first appear on P. sagarikii they form a funnel to catch rainwater, but in "captivity" they don't actually like to have any stagnant water in those leaves, so maybe P. striata will be the same & when watering it you'll need to take care not to fill it with water. I presume you already tried googling for info. I just now gave google a try & found nothing better than this page: http://plantsdatabase.com/go/48722/ which is minimal but does give seasonal temperatures, & notes that living sphagnum is preferred over the pseudobulb's surface; so that might be enough to get you started right. Personally I would never try this orchid cuz I'm cowardly about houseplants & I want everything to fit in the yard so that Nature helps me out & plants aren't completely reliant on me alone. When I was researching terrestrial orchids, I reluctantly decided I would probably fail with any orchid except pleine & bletilla, because they are the ones best apt to naturalize outdoors & end up taking care of themselves (pecteilis might do so if one is willing to cover them with a waterproof tent in winter). If I may judge it correctly from its photograph, the one you've just gotten has got to be one of the most charming orchids of all, so intensely bird-like. Best of luck with it, & if you can report back with future success (or tragic failure) I'd love to have your notes on it, maybe I'll even get daring if you find it easier than I suspect. -paghat the ratgirl -- "Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher. "Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature. -from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers" See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/ |
#3
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Habenaria radiata
Mark,
A picture may be found at: http://www.orchidspecies.com/indexfghijkl.htm#sec8 Culture information also but it doesn't compare to that posted by paghat the ratgirl. Bob "Mark Prout" wrote in message ... I have received six tubers of this terrestrial orchid native to Japan where it is known as the Egret Orchid. It is also known taxonomically as pecteilis radiata. Do any of you have experience growing these? I've found only two references to culture on the web. One grower reported limited success growing in sphagnum. Another site said part to full sun in well-drained, acidic soil kept moist until after flowering is completed and the plants go dormant. Any other suggestions for success? Except for Bletilla striata, I grow all my orchids in pots and in the winter, indoors. |
#4
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Habenaria radiata
"paghat" wrote in message news Personally I would never try this orchid cuz I'm cowardly about houseplants & I want everything to fit in the yard so that Nature helps me out & plants aren't completely reliant on me alone. When I was researching terrestrial orchids, I reluctantly decided I would probably fail with any orchid except pleine & bletilla, because they are the ones best apt to naturalize outdoors & end up taking care of themselves (pecteilis might do so if one is willing to cover them with a waterproof tent in winter). If I There are a number of other genera that should do well for you. You might want to visit http://www.hardy-orchids.com, for some (DACTYLORHIZA, Orchis,CALANTHE,Cymbidium and a variety of Bletilla and Pleione), and http://www.thimblefarms.com/ for others, including especially cypripediums (also Aplectrum,Anacamptus,Calanthe,Calopogon, Calypso, Cephalanthera, Dactylorhiza, Eleorchis, Epipactis, Goodyera, Orchis, Platanthera, Ponerorchis, Spiranthes plus a number of intergenerics and a huge variety of Bletilla and Pleione). Fraser Thimble farms has a much wider selection than Red's Hardy Orchids, but there may be a tradeoff WRT shipping across the border and the exchange rate. Maybe visiting these web sites will encourage you to be adventurous and try some other terrestrials also. Some of these hardy orchids are said to be challenging, but others, like the cypripediums, are supposed to be quite easy. I know some folk who have rescued cypripedium bulbs from sites where they were destined to be destroyed by construction activity, and just transplanted clumps of bulbs, dirt and all, from the construction site to their back yard and left them to do their thing. They eventually formed rather large patches of plants, creating an impressive display when all are in bloom. (I believe, but am not certain, that both vendors I mentioned supply only nursery grown plants, so you need not worry about endangering wild populations with irresponsible collecting.) But whether or not they'll be easy will be a function of how well you can duplicate their native environment as well as if you can find a suitable specimen. With cypripediums, for example, the genus is quite adaptable, with species inhabiting a range of environments from bogs to forest understory: a wild collected plant from a bog or meadow is likely to die in an urban garden (the latter is due to the fact that the meadow grasses provide much needed dappled shade in the hottest part of the summer), while at the same time a nursery grown specimen will have already been through artificial selection for thriving in gardens simply by virtue of the fact that only from the initial specimens, only those suitable for a garden would survive the nursery's conditions. HTH Ted |
#6
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Habenaria radiata
Thanks, Ted. I've killed a couple of cyps already. Hoping to have better
luck with the habenarias. From: "Ted Byers" Organization: Bell Sympatico Newsgroups: rec.gardens.orchids,rec.gardens Date: Fri, 11 Apr 2003 07:44:43 -0400 Subject: Habenaria radiata "paghat" wrote in message news Personally I would never try this orchid cuz I'm cowardly about houseplants & I want everything to fit in the yard so that Nature helps me out & plants aren't completely reliant on me alone. When I was researching terrestrial orchids, I reluctantly decided I would probably fail with any orchid except pleine & bletilla, because they are the ones best apt to naturalize outdoors & end up taking care of themselves (pecteilis might do so if one is willing to cover them with a waterproof tent in winter). If I There are a number of other genera that should do well for you. You might want to visit http://www.hardy-orchids.com, for some (DACTYLORHIZA, Orchis,CALANTHE,Cymbidium and a variety of Bletilla and Pleione), and http://www.thimblefarms.com/ for others, including especially cypripediums (also Aplectrum,Anacamptus,Calanthe,Calopogon, Calypso, Cephalanthera, Dactylorhiza, Eleorchis, Epipactis, Goodyera, Orchis, Platanthera, Ponerorchis, Spiranthes plus a number of intergenerics and a huge variety of Bletilla and Pleione). Fraser Thimble farms has a much wider selection than Red's Hardy Orchids, but there may be a tradeoff WRT shipping across the border and the exchange rate. Maybe visiting these web sites will encourage you to be adventurous and try some other terrestrials also. Some of these hardy orchids are said to be challenging, but others, like the cypripediums, are supposed to be quite easy. I know some folk who have rescued cypripedium bulbs from sites where they were destined to be destroyed by construction activity, and just transplanted clumps of bulbs, dirt and all, from the construction site to their back yard and left them to do their thing. They eventually formed rather large patches of plants, creating an impressive display when all are in bloom. (I believe, but am not certain, that both vendors I mentioned supply only nursery grown plants, so you need not worry about endangering wild populations with irresponsible collecting.) But whether or not they'll be easy will be a function of how well you can duplicate their native environment as well as if you can find a suitable specimen. With cypripediums, for example, the genus is quite adaptable, with species inhabiting a range of environments from bogs to forest understory: a wild collected plant from a bog or meadow is likely to die in an urban garden (the latter is due to the fact that the meadow grasses provide much needed dappled shade in the hottest part of the summer), while at the same time a nursery grown specimen will have already been through artificial selection for thriving in gardens simply by virtue of the fact that only from the initial specimens, only those suitable for a garden would survive the nursery's conditions. HTH Ted |
#7
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Habenaria radiata
Thanks, Bob. Jay's is my customary first web reference for species. Great
resource, ain't it? Just don't use it with IE. It loads much faster with Netscape and Mac OS X's Safari. From: "Bob Walsh" Organization: AT&T Broadband Newsgroups: rec.gardens.orchids,rec.gardens Date: Fri, 11 Apr 2003 03:46:11 GMT Subject: Habenaria radiata Mark, A picture may be found at: http://www.orchidspecies.com/indexfghijkl.htm#sec8 Culture information also but it doesn't compare to that posted by paghat the ratgirl. Bob "Mark Prout" wrote in message ... I have received six tubers of this terrestrial orchid native to Japan where it is known as the Egret Orchid. It is also known taxonomically as pecteilis radiata. Do any of you have experience growing these? I've found only two references to culture on the web. One grower reported limited success growing in sphagnum. Another site said part to full sun in well-drained, acidic soil kept moist until after flowering is completed and the plants go dormant. Any other suggestions for success? Except for Bletilla striata, I grow all my orchids in pots and in the winter, indoors. |
#8
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Habenaria radiata
Mark Prout wrote in message ...
I have received six tubers of this terrestrial orchid native to Japan where it is known as the Egret Orchid. It is also known taxonomically as pecteilis radiata. Do any of you have experience growing these? Pecteilis radiata grows well for me in plastic pots with a mix of peat, perlite, and silica sand. I bury the tuberoids about an inch deep, top dress the pot with chopped pine needles, and keep it moist at all times during the growing season. In early spring, they go outside (North Carolina, USDA Zone 7) and remain outside until winter temperature drop below 30F. Then, I allow the pot to dry until it is barely moist and refrigerate the pots in ziplock bags for a couple of months. I think I may have kept them too wet this winter and lost quite a few. Some survived, though, and they multiply very fast I fertilize occasionally with dilute orchid fertilizer during the summer, and use water with low mineral content. During the summer, the pot sits in a saucer with a few millimeters of water. Thrips will destroy the buds, and squirrels will dig them up given half a chance. Part sun should be fine. Mine get morning sun and are shaded by a big sweet gum and some pines at noon. I harvested some seed a couple of years ago and a friend flasked the green capsule. Seed germinated well, and this spring I potted up the first seedlings. A couple had made almost pea-sized tuberoids in the flask. Nick |
#9
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Habenaria radiata
In article , "Ted Byers"
wrote: "paghat" wrote in message news Personally I would never try this orchid cuz I'm cowardly about houseplants & I want everything to fit in the yard so that Nature helps me out & plants aren't completely reliant on me alone. When I was researching terrestrial orchids, I reluctantly decided I would probably fail with any orchid except pleine & bletilla, because they are the ones best apt to naturalize outdoors & end up taking care of themselves (pecteilis might do so if one is willing to cover them with a waterproof tent in winter). If I There are a number of other genera that should do well for you. You might want to visit http://www.hardy-orchids.com, for some (DACTYLORHIZA, Orchis,CALANTHE,Cymbidium and a variety of Bletilla and Pleione), and http://www.thimblefarms.com/ for others, including especially cypripediums (also Aplectrum,Anacamptus,Calanthe,Calopogon, Calypso, Cephalanthera, Dactylorhiza, Eleorchis, Epipactis, Goodyera, Orchis, Platanthera, Ponerorchis, Spiranthes plus a number of intergenerics and a huge variety of Bletilla and Pleione). Fraser Thimble farms has a much wider selection than Red's Hardy Orchids, but there may be a tradeoff WRT shipping across the border and the exchange rate. Maybe visiting these web sites will encourage you to be adventurous and try some other terrestrials also. Some of these hardy orchids are said to be challenging, but others, like the cypripediums, are supposed to be quite easy. I know some folk who have rescued cypripedium bulbs from sites where they were destined to be destroyed by construction activity, and just transplanted clumps of bulbs, dirt and all, from the construction site to their back yard and left them to do their thing. They eventually formed rather large patches of plants, creating an impressive display when all are in bloom. (I believe, but am not certain, that both vendors I mentioned supply only nursery grown plants, so you need not worry about endangering wild populations with irresponsible collecting.) But whether or not they'll be easy will be a function of how well you can duplicate their native environment as well as if you can find a suitable specimen. With cypripediums, for example, the genus is quite adaptable, with species inhabiting a range of environments from bogs to forest understory: a wild collected plant from a bog or meadow is likely to die in an urban garden (the latter is due to the fact that the meadow grasses provide much needed dappled shade in the hottest part of the summer), while at the same time a nursery grown specimen will have already been through artificial selection for thriving in gardens simply by virtue of the fact that only from the initial specimens, only those suitable for a garden would survive the nursery's conditions. HTH Ted This is encouraging, thanks. I'd gone through our local library's books on orchids (surprisingly excellent horticultural book collection, thanks greatly t o Heronswood donations) attending mainly the chapters on terrestrials. The elaborate suggestions for care of even the Pleiones made it sound so daunting. If I hadn't seen pleiones naturalized in a Gig Harbor Rhododendron Society member's garden, I wouldn't've known from the typical care instructions they can take care of themselves. I had already ordered a yellow cyprideum which won't ship for a couple months yet so it's still a plant in my future. For the vast majority of lady slippers the way mild Puget Sound micro-climate is no good, as we can have as few as two weeks cold enough to chill them properly, which isn't long enough, & hardiness is not sufficient if there's hardly any winter for them. The yellow lady slipper is supposed to be the most likely to make it on its own in Northwest gardens, so I made the decision to give it a try. But I've never seen them actually established in any local gardens so it could turn out to be an expensive failure. Terrestrial orchids are very nearly the only thing I've wanted in my gardens that I've been reluctant to add, because zone 8 is just barely NOT cold enough for their seasonal chill without having them in pots that can be popped in a refrigerator. So all I've planned is to add additional colors of the pleione since it can do well with so little attention, & I'll hope for the best for the yellow lady slipper when it's in hand. Terrestrials fascinate me no end & every new magazine article I stumble upon I read lustfully but even the most effusive articles end up talking me out of them. A case of "read too much getting prepared" & it ended up scaring me off. -paghat -- "Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher. "Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature. -from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers" See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/ |
#10
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Habenaria radiata
Terrestrial orchids are very nearly the only thing I've wanted in my gardens that I've been reluctant to add, because zone 8 is just barely NOT cold enough for their seasonal chill without having them in pots that can be popped in a refrigerator. So all I've planned is to add additional Hmmm, And I thought zone 8 was almost tropical. ;-) But then, I am a Canadian for whom -10 degrees Celcius (that would be about 14 degrees Fahrenheit for 'merkins) and snowing is a mild spring day! ;-) But seriously, Red's Hardy Orchids is in Oregon and Frazer Thimble Farms is in BC. Unless my sense of the geography of your part of the world is terribly distorted, you should be close enough to both to make a day trip or a weekend trip to visit either, and pick their brains about what ought to do well for you (assuming both have facilities open to the public, or at a minimum can be visited by appointment). I have driven from Northern Saskatchewan down to Colorado in less than a day, and I'd bet that is a much longer distance than from Puget Sound to Oregon or from there to BC. And I saw quite a number of species on both web sites that are of no interest to me because they're "hardy" only to zones 7-9. But, really, does the word "hardy" really apply to such tropical climes? ;-) Cheers, Ted |
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