I don't know about a minimal length - but most of the pieces were 1-3" long. The roots were originally placed in & among the pieces of live LFS so they had a lot of wet contact area & also access to light. When I'm watering the other plants, I add a little water to this small tray when it's no longer 'shiny'. When the water evaporates enough so only the moss is still wet, I add more. The location is not shaded at all - it's about 12-13" under T-5 lamps. As shown by their willingness to grow in the bottom of the tank (shaded & 20" from lamps), light intensity doesn't appear to be importatnt.Interesting, so let me make sure I understood it: the trimmed pieces (any minimal length?) of the roots were just placed on top of thin layer of sopping wet sphagnum in a shaded location?
Yup - the NASC is always a good target to shoot for. For the potentially pickier plants, it's nice to divide them (or propagate them) now - so they have some time to get established before the auction. In addition to H. pulchella & heterodoxa - there may be a huberi & uncinata that find their way up for bids ...i take it quelchii will be making a plentiful debut next time around may?
Looking over the pot where U. geminiloba grows in pure LFS, tonight I found this:
This leaf was broken off from the plant when I received it. It was covered with a thin layer of Sphagnum for about a month and a half.
Are you thinking this is unusual?that was from a leaf? could have fooled me---looks like a tuber. congrats! you've successfully propagated an orchidioides utric from a leaf pulling!
This was my original 'safe' approach. However, sometimes the pot & root location required major effort to get into place. I also found that the approach didn't have 100% success (which was a real surprise!). I was pretty happy when I found how successful & easy just snipping off the roots & sticking them in wet live LFS ...Nice job! Very interesting method. I have left the "rolons" attached to the mother plant while "air layering" them in small cups of LFS in water trays. Once established, I "cut the chord".
LOL! When I disturbed the little tray recently to send some pieces out, I was wondering the same thing. (I sure wish we could get Pyro back into these discussions!!) If I get some time this w/e, I'll transfer some over into pots and try to find out. However, based on what I found when I was digging in that little tray, I might be inclined to go against my instincts (& prior experience) & keep them in very wet live LFS for a while longer. There was a lot of growth in that little tray that was invisible from the top. I found that quite soon, there would be one solid mat of mixed rolons & traps all tangled together.Ron,
How long should the bits be left in wet LFS like that - until a few full adult sized leaves develop? Not that long? What if there are just a couple young leaves per strand - should they be left in the wet conditions longer? Will they tend to put on size faster in these conditions than being in a net pot of just moist live moss?
gill_za: very cool pics - thanks for sharing.
I'm very curious about people's success with this species. I've read numerous accounts of folk's having problems growing it. So far, mine has been a super-robust grower without odd idiosyncrasies. I believe RSS has had similar experience.
It will be interesting to see your results. When I did a similar test, plants grew the same in both media for a while. After the initial period, the pure LFS pot just took off & it was no longer close. I found something similar with all of the original Orchidioides as well as U. nelumbifolia & humboldtii. U. reniformis & nephrophylla both did better in peat mixes for me.Yesterday I transferred the above leaf and few stolons in Aps/Live_sphag/cypress_mulch/peat (3/2/1/1) mix just as an experiment. So I have 3 colonies of the plant at the moment.
I found something similar with all of the original Orchidioides as well as U. nelumbifolia & humboldtii. U. reniformis & nephrophylla both did better in peat mixes for me.
Are you thinking this is unusual?
for orchidoides, it should be no different, but i think there are specific conditions that need to be met in order to successfully take.
Agree. Sometimes Orchidioides leaves sprout easily and sometimes not at all. I'm not completely clear on what differentiates the two ...for orchidoides, it should be no different, but i think there are specific conditions that need to be met in order to successfully take.
Excellent news! Do you actually have seed & has it sprouted? I've had some asplundii x asplundii pollinations produce tons of seed - and yet none sprouted!Some news to share with you guys concerning a couple orchidioides and pollination:
campbelliana DOES self pollinate!
I wouldn't draw an overall conclusion yet. I'm seeing odd stuff happen with these plants (like the asplundii pollination mentioned above). Also, in Bob's photofinder, there are pics of a U. nelumbifolia x U. nephrophylla cross. I've tried this cross several times & never got anything. Herr Fleischmann has suggested that the smaller pollen tubes in U. nephrophylla may simply be unable to do the job --- but then I see these pics! (The reverse cross has worked twice for me - but with minimal seed set both times -- minimal but viable). I've also had a few other crosses that didn't work that made me wonder what's going on.but, on a sad note, quelchii does not self.
Sure does - I hope it's real (Pyro has had ovary swelling with zero seeds inside).looks like ovary swelling