Jump to content
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT LOGGING IN ×
  • WELCOME GUEST

    It looks as if you are viewing PalmTalk as an unregistered Guest.

    Please consider registering so as to take better advantage of our vast knowledge base and friendly community.  By registering you will gain access to many features - among them are our powerful Search feature, the ability to Private Message other Users, and be able to post and/or answer questions from all over the world. It is completely free, no “catches,” and you will have complete control over how you wish to use this site.

    PalmTalk is sponsored by the International Palm Society. - an organization dedicated to learning everything about and enjoying palm trees (and their companion plants) while conserving endangered palm species and habitat worldwide. Please take the time to know us all better and register.

    guest Renda04.jpg

The next, Great Plant Challenge.. another long, 'n boring thread, lol


Silas_Sancona

Recommended Posts

Yesterday while watering provided ample time for reflection. Looking over my Plumeria, and specific Cacti got me thinking about the more challenging plants I have cultivated through the years. While I have.. or have grown plenty of things you could say are easy, other stuff  I have, or have grown sometimes requires more attention to detail. Whether the " details" revolve around germination, specific soil mixes for certain things, or when or when not to water, based solely on overnight temperatures both during the winter, or summer, finding the " sweet spot" for such a variety of things doesn't always have a simple answer. Sometimes, a simplified approach can end up costing much more. All of this got me thinking about what to challenge myself to next.

For me, the answer I keep coming up with always seems to come back to Orchids, a group of plants that can be one of the most rewarding ..and challenging to cultivate successfully, especially if the ultimate goal is growing them outdoors, and pushing  assumed boundaries.  While some, like many Cattleya, Cymbidiums, various Dendrobiums, or Reed stem - type Epidendrums could be considered easy enough that anyone interested in growing Orchids can grow these easily,  the next great challenge, for me at least, will be focusing on 3 specific groups in the overall family, all of which offer up greater rewards for the effort.. Not that the easier ones don't as well ( re-acquiring all those on that list as well ).. 

First group should be pretty straight forward in their growing requirements, Biggest challenge here likely be finding many of the less common species.  Of the 55 or so species of Stanhopea ( Stan. ) roughly 34-47 Are thought to tolerate cool to intermediate growing conditions and can be grown relatively easily outdoors in coastal, and near coastal central, and southern California. Of all those, only 7 or so species, and various cultivars are widely available. One species, S. maculosa, grows on Oaks and shaded rocky ledges in the mountains of southern Sonora, Mexico. Quite possible  isolated, undocumented populations grow even farther north, say in the mountains due east of Hermosillo as well. 

As a Genus, Stanhopea are easily one of the most bizzare in the Orchid family. In nature, these plants will produce their flowers along the sides of ever increasing, creeping clumps, topped with Hosta-like Foliage. Cultivated in wire or plastic mesh baskets, they will often push flower stalks through the sides of.. or bottom of their containers, hence why sometimes referred to as " Upside down Orchids" . Most, if not all,  produce fragrant flowers which can be smelled from several feet away, or fill an entire Greenhouse with various scents as Vanilla, Cinnamon, Lemon/ Gardenia, or Mint Chocolate. Even without a scent, flowers are quite exotic on their own. ( Stanhopea X " Glory of Mexico",  Stanhopea X " Grad Nite, Let's Party".. yes, that's the name given to that specific cultivar, Stanhopea wardii )

If the following rules are followed, Stanhopea seem pretty easy to cultivate. * Warm, but not too hot ( unless  growing a species/ cultivar that tolerates more warmth ) ..and moist while growing/ flowering..   Drier and cooler when resting, generally thru the winter.  * Bright, airy / breezy shade, no direct sun. Interestingly, many Stanhopea grow better / flower more consistently when grown outdoors, at least in S. Cal,/ San Diego. Most can apparently be grown well outdoors in Florida though, I'd imaging warm tolerant sp./ cltvs. would do better there. Would be interesting to try some on thick, horizontal limbs of an evergreen Oak, or old Avocado.. or flat, shaded rockface, mimicking how they grow in nature.  When happy, these Orchids increase in size pretty easily. According to the author of an informative blog entry discussing cultivation outdoors in San Diego, those they grew ( grown in hanging baskets, under evergreen canopy ) withstood both lows of 30-32F and just as brief of exposure to freak heat above 95F, w/ out damage. Seems pretty amazing for such an exotic group of plants. For anyone interested, the blog entry I just referred to is easily accessible. No formal title other than, " Stanhopea Culture" and was published on Jan. 26th, 2013. There is also a direct link to temperature requirements for Stanhopea in the blog entry. 

Despite being native to the US, the next group of Orchids on my list are quite specific soil conditions, likely one reason they aren't seen in many Orchid collections. This group, which includes the Fringed Orchids ( Genus Plantanthera ) and Grass Pinks, ( Genus Calopogon ) require acidic, and consistently moist / boggy  soil conditions, much like many Carniverous plants. They also require pure water ( Rain, Distilled, etc) if grown in tubs. Beyond that, all should be hardy enough to grow outdoors in California, if their needs are met..  Reason for growing these is for their rarity. Several are vulnerable and represent a facet of North American Flora few have the privilege observing up close. All are available from various nurseries that specialize in Bog, or Carniverous plants. 

Last group I'm up to be challenged by is likely where the real challenge lies.. This next group of Orchids, the Catasetum Alliance, can be one of the most challenging, and rewarding to cultivate successfully. This group includes such genera as Catasetum, ( Ctsm. ) Cycnoches, ( Cycn. ) Clowesia, ( Clo. ),  Mormodes ( Morm. ) and a 3 way cross labeled as Fredclarkera ( Frdk. ) Another genus of "Cigar Orchids" sometimes lumped in with the Catasetums, Cyrtopodium ( Cyrt. ) actually belong to their own, monotypic Genus, the Cyrtopodiinae. Yet they often require many of the same cultural conditions as Catasetum.  All Genera in this group can be notoriously difficult, often requiring very detailed attention to both their  growth, and rest ( dormancy ) cycles, making growing them an effort, but richly rewarding. 

Some of the challenges include:

* In Spring, when awakening from dormancy, do not water until new growth on the Pseudobulbs exceeds 2" in length, not when you notice new buds / root growth.

* Wet and warm while growing / flowering ( Generally in Summer, early Fall )

* Stop watering as soon as you see leaves starting to dry out / drop. Keep absolutely dry and mild/ warm ( no lower than 47-55f for any length of time) They are notorious for rotting if accidentally watered when dormant. 

* Have heard that they should be reported yearly/ every other year. Will be inquiring more about that aspect of cultivation.

To add to all, that, how much light they receive, can determine the sex of the flowers. Challenging, yet fascinating for sure.. 

The reward, you ask? The flowers, simple as that. Flowers in this group of Orchids puts forth some of the wildest color combinations in the family. Many are fragrant, some uniquely.  Examples:  Catsm.  X "Snow White",  Catsm. pileatum " Dinner Plate",   Morm Midnight Hooker X Morm. Mark Mills " Killer Color",  Cycn. Richard Brandon "SVO11" Some species and cultivars also produce some of the blackest flowers in the plant kingdom, ...and some cool cultivar names to go with those flowers. ( Catmds X. Dragon Glade " Wicked " ) also. 

As many times as I have seen them offered for sales, or displayed in a show I was attending, I desired to try my hand growing a few. While I'll likely start off with some of the easier to obtain hybrids, which, in theory, should be a tad easier to grow, also in pursuit of species, specifically a Catasetum  pendulum, and Mormodes luxata, the ranges of both extending as far north in N.W. Mexico as the Sonora / Sinaloa border, up in the mountains. Not out of the question that isolated, currently undocumented populations of one or both species exist in the mountains further north, into southern Sonora.. If so,  it's possible that clones or plants raised from seed of such a population might exhibit a touch better cold/ cool  tolerance. Regardless, would be neat to include both in a collection of Orchids which originate from this unique transitional region in North America. 

As with other stuff I grow that requires a little more detailed attention, if I am reasonably successfully growing these, or other Orchids in either group mentioned before, I'll be more than satisfyed

As for why I'm looking to new challenges, certainly isn't because I have grown bored with what I'm growing, quite the opposite actually..  A big part of being a die hard plant nerd, at personally, is exploring as many diverse groups of plants as possible. One big reason I furthered my interest in plants to begin with..  Additionally, like others I know and respect, and have learned a great deal from, if I'm going to focus my time and energy on growing something, can't always be what is common or easy..  While well aware of X factor, limiting this or that,  if I can cultivate such things as some of the rarer, large leaved Mexican Oaks, alongside such Caribbean natives as Guaiacum officinale or Cordia sebesteana.. both growing well outside their assumed comfort zone atm.. A disciplined list of less common palms, alongside various Orchids,  uncommon or unique CA. and other regional Natives, among numerous other interesting things, then I am following through on those earlier lessons which first inspired me, and hopefully inspiring others in the process to think boldly and challenge themselves not to settle for simplicity, which is often far less exciting.

When you think about it,  if it wasn't for those who thought boldly, forums like PalmTalk might not exist,  plant related Societies as well.. Botanical Gardens,,as we know them, wouldn't likely exist also.. Thanks to such thinking, any and everyone can be nicer from.. or drool over something growing in a place they'd never expect. More importantly, with many places around the globe facing tough predicaments in a changing world, it is even more important to protect what can be protected, and o what we can to assure there is something to see, or call upon to help restore later, as needed. Can't just allow things to disappear, no reason to either. 

After likely boring you ( Hope you're still awake, lol ) with this long and drawn out read, think to yourself for a minute or two about how you might challenge yourself, even if that is something you aspire to doing already ..Your next great plant challenge. I'll be out in my laboratory, ( The yard ) working on something.  Let's see what you come up with.

Remember,  Think boldly and kick it up a notch. Challenge yourself to grow something someone else isn't, or might think is too hard to try..  " A Monoculture of things, is bad culture.. a Diversity of things, is the best culture".   

-Nathan

  • Like 3
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...