They keep multiplying! These appeared within a foot of the plant I posted earlier in the thread. I believe that plant has gone dormant now.
Note they appeared in semi-shaded areas on the garden edges where the soil is most "disturbed" as we don't grow grass there. The region overall has large limestone, shale, and quartzite deposits, however this particular area is limestone heavy.
Humidity year round fluctuates between 78%-85% (yes, it "hits" you as soon as you get off the plane). And temperatures summer high/lows are 75º/55ºF, winter high lows are 55º/40ºF, so it's very much what you would call an oceanic climate, similar to the UK, Ireland, France, and New Zealand.
Precipitation is consistent year round. Lowest is 2 inches in August and highest is 5.5 inches in January. Average precipitation days fluctuates between 10 days in August and 18 days in April (there's a local idiom: "En abril aguas mil" - it rhymes in Spanish, translates as A thousand showers/waters in April). However, averaging the precipitation days it comes down to an average of 15 days monthly. So this area is never dry.
Hopefully these pointers help anyone trying to grow Serapias. I can say, for me in Los Angeles, they grew well outdoors in shaded conditions, if you struggle with any non-mediterranean European terrestrials maybe try bringing them indoors after they break dormancy outdoors and lower light to somewhere between Oncidium and Phalaenopsis. They probably will still bloom. I think air movement and mostly mineral soil made out of small bark and pumice would be best, probably with some quartz added.
Most importantly, the environment is giving many watering tips. If you struggle during dormancy, be mindful that these areas never truly dry out, so it might be wise to keep the tubers in a humid environment or give them some water during dormancy. Fred Clarke's Mormodes trick (placing the pot so it hangs over a pool of water without touching it) might also work.
In the winter months, it can rain several days in a row (not really showers, more like a constant soft pour), but it doesn't go 48 hours without some rain. However, in the summer, while these are dormant, rain is expected every 3 to 5 days and precipitation is lower, so the tubers might have a chance at drying out and depending on how deep they are they might be surrounded by a very gritty layer of soil, if the top acts like a sponge: it keeps the tuber cool, absorbs the excess water, and whatever water goes deeper doesn't get water logged. So keep that in mind too.
Also note that rain is heavy between January and June, included, it doesn't drop until July and it's very heavy in April and May. Serapias blooms between April and June so you might want to keep watering heavy even while in bloom.
Attaching some photos of the new Serapias that showed up in the garden, reminder that these were not planted, they just popped up! Plus some photos of my mom's hydrangeas as a little treat, they look so pretty!
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Last edited by MateoinLosAngeles; 07-02-2024 at 04:51 PM..
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