New Bulb More Cold Sensitive than Grown Plant? And how to Plant

[HiOrcDen]

I've bought a Yellow Fringed Orchid (Platanthera Ciliaris), just a couple of small bulbs. I've read that they are frost tolerant, but I'm wondering how that translates to small bulbs, as they are big plants when grown. If the weather is 45f and up, are they safe outside, and possibly unsafe indoors? Or is their minimum temp higher, such that I should keep them indoors?

Almost forgot, one more question.. the bulbs look kind of like starfish with two legs extra thick... are these thicker limbs the roots, and the other thin limbs should stick up from the soil?

Thanks in advance!

[Ray]

I have not grown the plant, so cannot answer the bulb shape question, but concerning the temperature tolerance, why should it be any different than that of larger ones? The little ones grow off of the mature ones, under the same conditions, don’t they?

[Roberta]

These would definitely be frost tolerant... It comes from a wide range of the US, areas that have significant winter cold. It should be potted NOW (actually probably a month ago would have been better) for late summer/fall blooming. And start watering NOW It likely needs at least somewhat of a winter chill, but not a hard freeze. Definitely needs to be wet - be kept moist even when it goes dormant in late fall and into winter, it does not come from a seasonally dry climate. (After blooming it does die back, so don't panic when it disappears.) There are other members of the Board who grow these and similar plants who could advise better, and also advise you about medium... I haven't grown it. (I do Mediterranean terrestrials, which have a different pattern, going dry when they're dormant in hot dry summers, grow in cool damp winters, their habitat has a climate much like southern California, so meeting their needs is pretty easy.) You will have a challenge giving them something like an eastern US climate. which is 'way different than ours.

[Roberta]

The description of its habitat from IOSPE is "A large sized, cool growing terrestrial found in the eastern US growing in wet pine barrens, wet meadows and forests"
I would suspect that it needs a high-organic potting mix, perhaps with some peat, and perlite just to lighten it up. Wet! How familiar are you with terrestrial orchids, especially North American terrestrials? You should do some research in that area. Terrestrials in general grow from tubers such as yours, that "hide" underground through the winter, emerging in the spring. This particular one seems to have its bloom time in late summer or early fall After it blooms, the part above the ground dies back, and that tuber lives underground again through the cold months. According to Orchidwiz, it occurs throughout the Eastern seaboard - Connecticut to Florida, and well into the Midwest and South (like Michigan to Alabama and everyplace in between)

But if you are worried about cold, how cold does it get in Coneecticut or Michigan or Indiana? A whole lot colder than southern California!

Another note... when I grow terrestrials and am not sure which way to orient the tuber, I just plant it sidewise, let the plant figure out what's roots and what's stem.,

[HiOrcDen]

Originally Posted by Roberta

The description of its habitat from IOSPE is "A large sized, cool growing terrestrial found in the eastern US growing in wet pine barrens, wet meadows and forests"
I would suspect that it needs a high-organic potting mix, perhaps with some peat, and perlite just to lighten it up. Wet! How familiar are you with terrestrial orchids, especially North American terrestrials? You should do some research in that area. Terrestrials in general grow from tubers such as yours, that "hide" underground through the winter, emerging in the spring. This particular one seems to have its bloom time in late summer or early fall After it blooms, the part above the ground dies back, and that tuber lives underground again through the cold months. According to Orchidwiz, it occurs throughout the Eastern seaboard - Connecticut to Florida, and well into the Midwest and South (like Michigan to Alabama and everyplace in between)

But if you are worried about cold, how cold does it get in Coneecticut or Michigan or Indiana? A whole lot colder than southern California!

Another note... when I grow terrestrials and am not sure which way to orient the tuber, I just plant it sidewise, let the plant figure out what's roots and what's stem.,

Again, thank you so very much. I am putting this one outside. I will return to this message again, too! For now I'm curious...
So you would plant the whole tuber sideways for a terrestrial species? The care sheet this came with says bury it an inch down. So do I not need any part of the body nearer the surface, or above?
Oh, and are there special humidity requirements for a bulb like this, or in general with Orchid Bulbs? (while no different special requirements for temperatures for bulbs/small plants)

[Roberta]

I figure that if the tuber is sideways, new growth can easily go up and roots down... If I put it flat, and it's upside down, may be harder to sprout correctly. Each year, it pretty much sucks the tuber dry, and then makes another at the end of the growing season. Not precisely oriented. it "knows" which way to grow.

Follow the care sheet. Remember where it grows in nature - forest floor or meadow. In a climate that gets lots of rain during the growing season (spring/summer) Where it is native, it's a wildflower and grows accordingly. "Orchid bulbs" are tubers... think tulips and daffodils. Growing them is a completely different game from the epiphytes (majority of orchids, that grow on trees). There are few if any epiphytic orchids north of Florida... The North American and European orchids are all terrestrial - growing from tubers that can go dormant underground during harsh seasons (dry hot summers in the Mediterraean area, cold winters in North America)