orchis mascula care

[estación seca]

It's important to understand the Mediterranean climate. It's what you have in the Bay area - cool moist winters, warm dry summers. Roberta mentioned this is dormant and leafless in summer, and grows in winter. In this it is like a lot of southwest African winter-growing bulbs.

[Roberta]

Interesting... southwest Africa (especially the Cape region) also has a Mediterranean climate. There are a relatively few areas in the world with that pattern - the Mediterranean itself, of course. The Cape area of South Africa, coast of central Chile, the California coast, and coastal areas of southern and western Australia.

To successfully grow the orchids from these areas (all are terrestrial) the pattern is exactly opposite of pretty much all the rest of the orchids that have seasonal variation, where wet, cloudy summers and bright, dry winters are the norm.

[neophyte]

I would love to get my hands on some African and Australian terrestrials, but I think I should at least try growing some of the European terrestrials that are easier to find before branching out. If I find something readily available though it just might end up at my doorstep.

[Roberta]

Well, you have a start on African terrestrials... Stenoglottis longifolia (and other Stenoglottis species) meet that requirement... Eulophia petersii is not quite as easy to find but it's in enough collections that divisions show up now and then. (That one comes from a very large range of places in Africa, very cactus-like) The Australian terrestrials are a lot harder to get... I get mine through a friend who has an import license and gets them from a source in Germany. The process of handling the import paperwork is fairly daunting, fortunately my friend has mastered the process. (Advantage of getting Australian terrestrials from Germany... northern hemisphere in general, is that they already have their seasons adjusted)

[camille1585]

Orchis mascula grows in abundance where my mother lives in France, including in her backyard (west of Lyon, so not southern france). Winter temps are frequently below freezing, and the ground can be completely frozen. In the summer it can often be very hot (35-40C) and dry for several weeks at a time, but since they are dormant it's really an issue.

I have noticed that the local populations have declined in some areas in recent years, and it could be due to the more frequent droughts and abnormally high temperatures in the spring, just when the plants are growing and blooming. I would imagine that if kept well watered, they should be able to tolerate extra warmth when growing.

[Roberta]

If I have an extraordinarily hot day in spring (rare but they happen occasionally) I just water more. Pretty much, the hot weather is in the summer, when these terrestrials are completely dormant. Rows of "empty" pots.

[neophyte]

Well that's very reassuring; thank you both for the tips!!

Originally Posted by Roberta

Well, you have a start on African terrestrials... Stenoglottis longifolia (and other Stenoglottis species) meet that requirement... Eulophia petersii is not quite as easy to find but it's in enough collections that divisions show up now and then. (That one comes from a very large range of places in Africa, very cactus-like) The Australian terrestrials are a lot harder to get... I get mine through a friend who has an import license and gets them from a source in Germany. The process of handling the import paperwork is fairly daunting, fortunately my friend has mastered the process. (Advantage of getting Australian terrestrials from Germany... northern hemisphere in general, is that they already have their seasons adjusted)

Lol, I forgot that Stenoglottis was from South Africa for a sec. I was thinking about the Diseae – Disa, Satyrium, Disperis, etc.. Those are some funky ones!

[Mr.Fakename]

I don't grow terrestrials but there are lots of them here, and I think soil composition is also an important thing to consider.

Some of them will only be found growing in limestone-rich, very dry places; others bordering forests, in humid and nutritive humus.

[estación seca]

Something I forgot about... high air temperatures are of much less concern to orchids dormant in the soil. Just a few inches below the surface, it is a lot cooler. But, in a pot, even in deep shade, the whole soil mass will rise to the ambient air temperature. Many terrestrial summer-dormant plants that survive in the ground will not survive hot summers outside in pots. Growers often bring them into the house and put them in a closet for the summer. I do this with some African winter-growing bulbs.

[neophyte]

Thank you for the advice!