Bletilla striata

[KHaze]

My mom bought me a Bletilla striata at our local garden center. It's a terrestrial orchid that I can grow right in my garden. I didn't know that there were terrestrial orchids that would grow around here other than Lady slippers.

Have any of you tried to grow these?

I attached some pics...hopefully I did it right...never posted pics before.

Aren't the flowers pretty? I think they look a bit like Cattleya flowers.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

There are actually quite a few terrestrial orchids around, but they're not as popular with the general public as stuff like hybridized Phals per se.

I'm sure a good number of people on the OB own this species. I myself have a few.

What do you want to know?

[KHaze]

I'm sure a good number of people on the OB own this species. I myself have a few.

What do you want to know?

Hi Philip! I'm just curious about people's experience with them. I planted it in good soil in dappled shade per instructions. It's been really dry here this month so I've been watering it.

I guess they are supposed to eventually grow into large clumps. How long does that take? I stopped by the garden center to see if I could get another one or two and they were all gone.

Do I need to feed it? What kind of fertilizer, how much and how often?

I'm just so thrilled to have an orchid in my garden! I've wanted to have Lady slippers but of course you can't just go out and dig them up.

Really, anything you can tell me would be great! What color is yours? I see they have some yellow ones.

Thanks again!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Mine are the more typically colored magenta (for the species).

There are white (alba) ones, and a few different shades of magenta and blue.

There is the more typical leaf form which is non-variegated and there is also the variegated leaf form.

Mine are not strongly variegated.

I'm not aware of a yellow form of Bletilla striata (I'm not saying there definitely isn't one, I just haven't seen one). However, there is a different species of Bletilla that is more typically yellow, and it is Bletilla ochracea.

Bletilla striata comes from China.

Here's a brief description of their habitat:

Bletilla striata in A Checklist for the South China Botanical Garden, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, P. R. China @ efloras.org

Loose and free draining woodland based potting soil mixed with a little bit of sand and perlite or pumice works fine. You can choose to add limestone or dolomite as well (China is a limestone rich country).

Cattleya type lighting is fine.

This species is temperature tolerant and may be able to handle light frosts.

Bletilla striata goes dormant during the middle to end of fall. During this time water very sparingly (once every two weeks).

When growing allow to dry out completely before watering.

Grow in a pot that is slightly larger than the tuber itself.

Fertilize as you would an epiphytical orchid, using non-urea based fertilizers (actually in this case if the fertilizer contains urea, it doesn't matter, the microbes in the soil will break it down to a more bioavailable form). The N-P-K ratio should be somewhere around 20-20-20. It doesn't have to be precisely 20-20-20, just somewhere in that ballpark.

It'll take a few years for your plant to clump. How fast depends on your culture and how vigorous the plant is. I'd say about 3 yrs to 5 yrs is more typical of a good sized clump.

They're not very difficult plants to grow, that's why they're popular amongst some of the more seasoned orchid enthusiasts. Sometimes, people don't even realize that it's an orchid because sometimes they're sold as spring bulbs. This species really blows the lid on the myth that all orchids are difficult to grow.

Aphids and mealies are a big problem with this plant for some reason. Rubbing alcohol will take care of the problem though.

Bletilla are related to Pleione, Calanthe, and Phaius. They're in the Arethuseae tribe.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

BTW, this species is one of the very few orchids that almost anyone can grow from seed with very little effort. You don't have to grow the seeds using in-vitro methods.

[Orchid126]

I live near Trenton, NJ and I've had mine for six years or so, and they have weathered our extremely cold and snowy winters very well. I have them planted in good sun near the foundation of my house for added protection from drying winds. I feed them once a year when I feed my roses, and that's it. I started out with two bulbs, one magenta and one white, and now I have a clump of them.

[KHaze]

Thanks for the info Philip!

I looked up the yellow one and found that it is actually called Bletillas Yellow. Maybe it's not quite the same thing as the Bletilla striata.? It looks very similar though. Here's a pic.

[KHaze]

I live near Trenton, NJ and I've had mine for six years or so, and they have weathered our extremely cold and snowy winters very well. I have them planted in good sun near the foundation of my house for added protection from drying winds. I feed them once a year when I feed my roses, and that's it. I started out with two bulbs, one magenta and one white, and now I have a clump of them.

If they do well in NJ, they should do well here.

I planted mine near some shrubs that should protect it from too much wind and severe weather.

Do you mulch them for winter to protect them from the cold?

I'm glad to know that they are pretty easy to grow.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by KHaze

Thanks for the info Philip!

I looked up the yellow one and found that it is actually called Bletillas Yellow. Maybe it's not quite the same thing as the Bletilla striata.? It looks very similar though. Here's a pic.

The ones in the pic are Bletilla ochracea not Bletilla striata.

The markings on the lip are not reminiscent of those of Bletilla striata.

Bletilla ochracea is another plant that comes from China.

I don't own this species, but I would imagine that culture is very similar.

Check on www.efloras.org.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

You can mulch using a light amount of leaf litter and some small grade wood chips, pretty simple.