Reviving Stanhopea tigrina

[estación seca]

About a year ago I got a piece of Stanhopea tigrina var. nigro-violacea 'Predator' FCC/AOS from our Society's auction table. The donor said she didn't have time to water it often enough, and it didn't grow well for her. Nobody bid on it. I offered the minimum bid, which I have since realized was far too low for this very valuable plant that has never been mericloned.

It had seven small pseudobulbs, a few with leaves. All the roots had been cut off right at the bases of the pseudobulbs.

I don't have a lot of experience with this alliance. There is a thread here by rbarata about his experiences growing Stanhopea wardii from bare-root pseudobulbs, and I learned a lot from him.

I knew it would only make new roots from new growth. I knew it would only grow during warm weather. I knew the tiny remaining root system would have trouble supporting the plant before then.

I set the plant into a low but wide glass candy dish on my kitchen windowsill, and set the base into a very shallow layer of water. I took it out almost daily to rinse off, and exchange the water, turning over and examining the plant carefully, top and bottom. I cleaned the dish regularly.

It sat there for months, dropping leaves one by one. As we went into winter it was leafless. I continued the care.

This spring I soaked the whole plant, monthly, for several hours, in KelpMax solution. In about April, when it was very warm, I turned it over, and saw the plant was beginning 7 tiny new sprouts. I didn't know how soon it would make roots, so I waited, keeping it wet in the candy dish.

After the first sprout began unfurling a leaf, but with no new root growth, I decided to pot it up. I lined a wire basket with decorative dry moss. I filled it with a mixture of extra large perlite and potting soil. I nestled the rootless pseudobulbs and backfilled with potting soil. I put it into bright shade in my humid sunroom, and kept the medium around the pseudobulbs always moist.

The first leaf matured. Then it began making a few roots.

Slowly over the summer 5 other growths have emerged. In the photo you can see the largest, oldest growth. There are three other growths with smaller leaves. One of them, in the lower left, has two leaves. And emerging below the oldest leaf are two other new growths.

I haven't seen the seventh growth yet, but I'm still hopeful.



Our society member also gave anybody who wanted a very small (and also rootless) division of another Stanhopea. I put my piece, with three pea-sized pseudobulbs, into a teak basket with long-fiber sphagnum moss. I kept it wet. In spring it began a new growth, but despite me keeping it wet, that growth died, and the pseudobulbs soon followed. I don't know why that happened.

[Dorchid]

Glad it’s coming around; Nice work! Rogue Orchids carries this one. Very cool flowers.

[rbarata]

Our society member also gave anybody who wanted a very small (and also rootless) division of another Stanhopea. I put my piece, with three pea-sized pseudobulbs, into a teak basket with long-fiber sphagnum moss. I kept it wet. In spring it began a new growth, but despite me keeping it wet, that growth died, and the pseudobulbs soon followed. I don't know why that happened.

ES, I believe the key at that stage (only pbulbs and young leaves) is to keep it moist and not wet, especially in sphagnum. Maybethat was the cause.

BTW, the plant in the thread you've mentioned is now becoming a "monster". During the first years, as it was growing bigger, it used to have two new growths. This year it has four and I'm starting to think how big it will be in a few years.
As it's already established, especially in low humidity no problem to keep it as wet as it can get.

Here's a photo:

[DeaC]

I'm a Stan Fan and becoming a KelpMax fan as well. But ES-I'm curious as to why you used potting soil. All the lit I've read never mentioned that. TY

[estación seca]

These plants need to stay very wet at the roots during growth. I got some seedling hybrids from Hausermann's recently, and the newest growth on one of them died when I let it get a little drier than wet. I can't look at my collection every day. I realize a lot of orchids in habitat grow with a huge mat of fallen leaves on them, so I'm using a very well-aerated mix underneath and something more water-retentive above to keep them always wet.

If I had a extremely humid growing area I might do things differently. But it's usually not above 60%.

[Roberta]

ES, well done, that plant looks GREAT. Stans are tough... when they don't get sufficient water, they drop their leaves. I suspect that's a survival mechanism to conserve water. Once it gets a good root mass, it's easier to keep moist, eventually the medium becomes irrelevant. It may be a couple of years from blooming, but it's doing great. Excellent rescue! You got a bargain, but you also had to invest significant "sweat equity".

---------- Post added at 04:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:15 PM ----------

Originally Posted by rbarata

During the first years, as it was growing bigger, it used to have two new growths. This year it has four and I'm starting to think how big it will be in a few years.

rbarata - You WERE planning on getting a bigger house, right?

[rbarata]

rbarata - You WERE planning on getting a bigger house, right?

Well, if everything goes according the plan, before of the end of the year I will move to a new home, in the same building but smaller.