Bletilla striata (var. variegata) in bloom

[WhiteRabbit]

aka Hardy Chinese ground orchid
Endemic to Japan, China, Korea

Hardy from USDA Zones 5 (with protection) to 9 (needs mulch protection in areas with hard freezes - or, if grown in a pot, can be stored somewhere the tubers won't freeze).

I also got this one last March. Easy-peasy orchid! Honestly, I have been known to have trouble with "easy" terrestrial orchids, but not with this one. Previous year's growth dies back in fall, and in February, new growth started to poke up.

So, this will need repotting (new growth all came up right at the pot edges) - can anyone tell me when is the best time to do so? When it's dormant? Also, recommendations for potting mix are welcome! I understand these are truly terrestrial, and should be ok in regular potting mix, but I have had trouble with a couple other terrestrials (Ludisia and Phaiocalanthe) in regular potting mix, so would like some input, please?

Thanks!

[wintergirl]

Really pretty, I'll give ya a bump.

[kentaki]

Maybe I am nitpicking, but if one species is found in Japan, Korea and China, I do not think its distribution is "endemic."

[WhiteRabbit]

Originally Posted by kentaki

Maybe I am nitpicking, but if one species is found in Japan, Korea and China, I do not think its distribution is "endemic."

Thank you for letting me know I have misused the word

[Leafmite]

Hopefully, someone else will help you. I grow many different tubers and bulbs and, now, Pleione but I don't grow Bletilla. I am guessing that they are like most bulbs/tubers that awaken after a cold season. Basic advice would be to keep them dormant until they are ready to be planted but to plant them before they have roots (like most other spring bulbs/tubers). If they aren't starting to leave dormancy when you take them from the cold place, you pot them in dry medium and put them in a sunny, warm spot to get them started.
The watering is something that will depend on when they begin growing roots. Some tubers and bulbs are prone to rot when not in a growing stage so this is pretty important. With Pleiones, they often don't start to grow roots until after the blooms are finished but many bulbs and tubers need to develop a good root system before blooming.
Good luck! Hopefully, you will get plenty of good advice now from those who actually grow them.

[pheli]

Pretty. It also grows well in our subtropical weather.

[No-Pro-mwa]

Very cool. I hope you get some good advice.

[WhiteRabbit]

Originally Posted by Leafmite

Hopefully, someone else will help you. I grow many different tubers and bulbs and, now, Pleione but I don't grow Bletilla. I am guessing that they are like most bulbs/tubers that awaken after a cold season. Basic advice would be to keep them dormant until they are ready to be planted but to plant them before they have roots (like most other spring bulbs/tubers). If they aren't starting to leave dormancy when you take them from the cold place, you pot them in dry medium and put them in a sunny, warm spot to get them started.
The watering is something that will depend on when they begin growing roots. Some tubers and bulbs are prone to rot when not in a growing stage so this is pretty important. With Pleiones, they often don't start to grow roots until after the blooms are finished but many bulbs and tubers need to develop a good root system before blooming.
Good luck! Hopefully, you will get plenty of good advice now from those who actually grow them.

Thanks

I got this last spring, and it's just stayed in the pot, and seems to be fine with that - the new growth this year has all come up right against the pot edge, so I need to either move to a bigger pot, or re-situate it, or something

---------- Post added at 04:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:54 PM ----------

Originally Posted by pheli

Pretty. It also grows well in our subtropical weather.

While I don't live in a subtropical area, we do have subtropical climate

I have read these are do-able in the tropics as well - they just don't go dormant, but that doesn't seem to inhibit blooming. So, theyre good for everyone!

---------- Post added at 04:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:57 PM ----------

Originally Posted by No-Pro-mwa

Very cool. I hope you get some good advice.

Thanks Shannon

[gnathaniel]

Beautiful, Sonya! I love this species and you've grown and photographed it very nicely. I grow striata and Yokohama (striata x formosana) in a mix of about 50% by volume of hydrated coco peat, 30-40% fine sand, and 10-20% stalite, orchiata, and/or quartz gravel. striata seems to love moisture--I've read that in situ it's often found in boggy wetland margins--so I use a mix that stays wet, drains well, and lasts for several years. Really not a fussy species, though, ordinary potting soil or whatever ought to work well as long as the drainage is okay.

Originally Posted by kentaki

Maybe I am nitpicking, but if one species is found in Japan, Korea and China, I do not think its distribution is "endemic."

If Bletilla striata's natural distribution is unique to parts of China, Korea, and Japan, what about that is not 'endemic'? Endemism is certainly often influenced by political and geographical boundaries, but it's not necessarily determined by them.

[AnonYMouse]

What does the current mix look like? My mother grew it in clay (the strip between the curb and sidewalk), my sister grows it in top soil the landscaper dumped when redoing her yard.

They both divided (if you can even call it that) by tying up a few growths' worth of leaves and ripping them out after the blooms faded. So I guess that would be the right time?