Quote:
Originally Posted by RosieC
Another nice Disa Ron.
At first glance it looked very like the Disa Kewensis you posted pics of, but that is more spotty inside the hood.
I've not seen pics of Disa before these two and they are really nice, shame they are difficult to grow.
|
I have to disagree that Disas are difficult to grow.
I find them to be rather rewarding!
I have Disa cardinalis and Disa tripetaloides.
I was warned ahead of time that Disa cardinalis would be difficult to grow. But I don't find them challenging at all. Sometimes I briefly forget they're in my collection.
While the two Disa cardinalis I have was sent to me in bad shape already (I was kind of given a heads up on this already, so I wasn't upset, and I was fully aware of how the grower grows his plants and ships his plants), one of the two seems to be holding on quite well. The new shoots don't look anything like the older shoot, and is quite free of blemishes. I'm still waiting to see whether the other one is strong enough to make a recovery.
Disa tripetaloides is much easier to grow than Disa cardinalis.
There are 3 major "secrets".
1. Water quality.
2. The kind of potting media you're using.
3. Keep the roots cool (not necessarily cold).
The first "secret" is the most well known. You've gotta water using water that's extremely low in dissolved minerals. RO/DI or distilled water are the only kinds of water to be used for Disas.
The third "secret" is the most misunderstood. The entire plant doesn't need to be kept cool all the time. This is a fallacy! Only the roots should be kept cool (again, not cold).
Let me explain the third "secret"...
Most Disas come from
semi-arid deserts. They
do not necessarily experience cold climates consistently throughout the year, all throughout the day. There are times when the day temperatures are well over 100 F (roughly 38 C) in the lower elevations of South Africa, but night temperatures can drop down to the 50's F or 60's F (around 10 C to 16 C). Sometimes, some species grow near the coast and are being cooled down by coastal breezes. Others grow in higher elevations (some of these experience snow, but really shouldn't be subjected to it in cultivation).
The only part of the plant that is consistently cool (and there is a range of temperatures for this, it doesn't have to be constant), are the roots, because it never sees the light of day and it's usually kept cool by the water and the kind of "soil" it grows in (soil is in quotations, because it really depends on which species of Disa you're talking about, and what the geology is like where they're found).
The second secret is truly a secret. Research the geology of South Africa and the growth habit and habitat of the species of Disa you want to grow, and you'll find the answer.
A hint...
The best growing media for many of the Disas will
not be SuperSphag and perlite...
Then there's providing strong indirect light. Cattleya light is enough.
Linear Mode
