In spring of last year I acquired a new Leptotes bicolor, to replace my mounted one which died (my growing conditions are not suited for mounts, and no matter how hard I try I have trouble keeping up with daily watering).
I ordered a potted plant, with the intention of repotting it in a net pot with a somewhat course mix to have mount like conditions, with less frequent watering. The plant arrived potted in a plug of tightly packed sphagnum, and I had the intention of repotting it asap. Well that didn't happen, and I was quite surprised to see it put out quite a few new growths and roots after a couple weeks. Intrigued, I left it in the sphagnum plug.
I discovered 2 things: That Leptotes bicolor doesn't need a mount to thrive; and that tightly packed sphagnum is actually a fantastic substrate in small pots. It doesn't get soggy wet, stays evenly moist, and dries out faster than I thought.
First photo is the plant last year, about a month after purchase.
This is the plant today, 15 months later. (The smaller plant is Leptotes pohlitinocoi)
This is the root system. The roots are growing so vigorously that they are pushing the plant out of the pot.
My next challenge is to figure out what I want to repot it into since that sphag is getting a bit old. A question for you all, a few of the leaves have developed dry black leaf tips. Any idea as to the cause? This appeared in the past mnoth or so.
My accidental experiment with Leptotes bicolor in sphag
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