ordering a chid being established in sphagnum

[whygreenberg]

hey all...i'm looking at placing an order for a few chids, and one of them the grower said he would send bare root because it is being established in sphagnum. i've never ordered bare root before, but my real question is what does it mean that it's "being established" in sphagnum? or i guess, what does that entail i do differently once i receive it? if it matters, it's a little rupicolous laelia. (what can i say...i'm just a sucker for those little guys.)

many thanks for any advice.

[unhappykat]

Sounds like the grower just imported them from another country and is trying to get them adjusted to their conditions. Be careful as they might be very fussy just being brought here from another polace with much better conditions than you can provide.

[cb977]

Yvan, I don't know that it matters what they're being "established" in if they're being sent bare-root This is the first time I've ever heard something like that

Once you get it, inspect it and get it planted in what you plan on using. It will take a bit of adjustment in any case.

Let us know when you get it
Love those little Laelias

[Dorothy]

Yvan - consider the fact that rupiculous laelias don't like to have their roots disturbed so expect it to sulk until it is established in the medium you wish to plant them in ..
Here is great article on potting up these laelia -
Rupicolous Laelia Potting Demonstration
and this one on it's basic needs -
How to Grow Rupicolous Laelias

Which laelia? .. if you don't mind me asking

[cb977]

Interesting articles, D...thanks

My L reginae took a turn for the worst and wasn't looking good at all in the aliflor
I figured if it's gonna die anyway, why not try something different? I moved it to sphag :shocked: and it's looking much better...and it's sitting right next to L sincorana which is in aliflor and flourishing!

Ya never know!

[whygreenberg]

So I should just get her into the pot and medium she'll eventually be in and let her establish from there?

Dorothy, those are great links! I'd actually stumbled across them once before but didn't bookmark them. Thanks for finding them!
(Actually, my Laelia fournieri which bloomed in July got pulled out of her pot by my cat in mid-June! So, the repotting article came in handy.)

The chid I'm looking at getting would be Laelia pabstii. From Miranda's...

[Dorothy]

Laelia pabstii ( aka Laelia mantiqueirae) - Orchids of Brazil. Price List

Nice Choice!

Awesome recovery and discovery! Sue .. I hope it picks up and blooms for you soon!

[whygreenberg]

Received my order from Miranda today! They are in fantastic shape.

Laelia pabstii
(Laelia milleri x L. cinnabarina) x Sophronitis cernua
Cattleya luteola
Maxillaria juergensii



All but the luteola are NBS. And they all have new active growth going on. I'm not sure about the whole "being established in sphagnum" thing. The pabstii and the hybrid are in a fine seedling type mix.

Here's a couple questions...if I were going to move the Laelia pabstii into a rock medium, would now be the time to do it? Or should I wait till it is a bit more mature? And what do you think about the hybrid going into a rock medium since it's background is 50% rupicolous?

[Ross]

Rupiculous laelias do not grow or want to be potted in sphagnum. Never. They grow in rock mulch in small crevices and get what moisture they can from dew, etc. Constant moisture is a death sentence for these guys. Full sun. Water, like twice or 3 times a week. Full drying. That's what we want with these guys.

[whygreenberg]

Yeah, Ross, I have a couple already. This is why I started the thread in the first place because it seemed so wrong for these guys. However, I didn't receive them in sphag so my questions have changed a bit.

What do you think about my moving them into rock right away? And would you do the same for the Laelia-Soph. hybrid?