Ophrys growing in a tropical environment
I was always interested in Ophrys, so about April of this year I bought 3 bulbs of Ophrys mammosa. My initial concern was the drop in temperature needed to grow them. They are dormant in the summer and grow in the winter. Originally I tried to stimulate growth by sticking them in the fridge, they did not die, but they did not grow either. I think they may have been too cold in my fridge, the temp I keep my fridge at is around 40 degrees. Since then I have moved them to my patio where they experience a natural decrease in temps. Our temps are dropping down into the 70s now at night so Its about 10 degrees lowers than the summer time lows. I unpotted one of them today and I found them sprouting!!! Happy Day!!! I am so excited I hope they all make it. I wonder if I am the only person on the Island with an ophrys. Terrestrials are tough I think simply because of the fact that I am so impatient. My other terrestrial that is coming up is Pterostylis curta. I unpotted it and saw the sprout slowly making its way to the surface. I left the pot in a drizzling rain for 5 minutes to get some moisture, hopefully this will persuade the plant that it is the right time to grow.
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