Cypripedium culture

[smartie2000]

Hi,
I need help finding information on the culture of Cypripediums. I haven't heard much about terestrial orchids here. I'm planning to bid on a Cypripedium parviflorum var. parviflorum and Cypripedium reginae. They are in vitro grown, blooming sized plants that are currently dormant.

I need help on deciding whether to grow them in pots or in the ground. Here in Edmonton, AB, Canada the weather can drop to -35oC in a colder winter.

If growing in pots is a better way to go, then I need a orchid media recipe. I'm also considering potting them in bonsai pots, but I'm not sure if this is a good idea. Are bonsai pots too shallow?

I'm excited to learn and attempt to grow a new genus of orchids... I want to hear about your experiences.

[Piper]

There are a couple of excellent Cyp threads here, going back a couple of years. Search on Cyps. If you can't find them, holler and I can dig. They link to good sources!

Julie

[Jorch]

-36 might be too cold to grow them in ground, even with heavy mulching. best bet would be grow them in pots. I've seem people grow them well in 1 or 2 gallon pots, with different mixes.

One suggestion, though.. , you might want to wait until spring and see if your local nurseries carry them. a Canadian nursery (I'm not sure if it's alright to say the name here.. has both Cyp parviflorum var. parviflorum and Cypripedium reginae. I have bought a parviflorum last spring with 3 shoots and a reginae this spring with 5 shoots for a mere 24 dollars CAD each. You can cherry-pick the plants before you decide to purchase.

[Gin]

Here is a link to Canadian Info. I don't know how the areas they list relate to where you are .
I have grown acaule outside in So. Mo. I dug out the area near a pine tree added sand and a peat moss based mix , mulched in the winter they did well for awhile then died off, I think the seeds produced lacked the mycorrhizal fungus needed to germinate . Gin
http://www.osrbg.ca/files/CYP_REG.HTM

[ATester]

Here is a book by John Tullock that I bought, you can find it in various book stores though you may have to order it from the Big Box book sellers. I thought it was a great book and covers other genera besides Cyps.

Growing Hardy Orchids [ILLUSTRATED] (Hardcover)
by John Tullock "ANYONE SETTING OUT TO WRITE A BOOK ABOUT GROWING terrestrial orchids, especially North American native orchids, must necessarily prepare to meet an onslaught of criticism..." (more)

That was a blurb from one website.

Hope you find this helpful

Aaron

[smartie2000]

Hey,
I won my Cypripedium parviflorum var. parviflorum and Cypripedium reginae on the internet auction. I paid 63USD in total. They will probably arrive tomorrow. They are bare root lab grown and mature plants, that I will have to keep in the refigerator for two months. Unfortunately he advises not to keep them in my garage yet because of the freeze thaw cycle. I will try to find a another place to store them because my mom is going to wonder what the hell i have in the fridge.

The cyp parviflorum can be found naturally out here so it should be winter hardy, but the Cypripedium reginae is not and mulching is required. Cyp reginae is mainly found in the eastern parts of Canada.

Unfortunately the public library doesnt have the book Growing Hardy Orchids, I will check with my local orchid society in January. The public library does have another book that I will check out soon.

I will have to plant the cyps in pots because I am still landscaping my garden, so I can't plant them. Based on the websites I've been on, an inorganic mix is preferred. I might even keep the plants in pots if they are growing well. I'll need a huge pot. The usual mixes contain perlite, sand, gravel and peat. Some have woodland soil and all sorts of other stuff that I can't obtain, they vary so much.

Do you guys think that coir will be a suitable material to use? Peat sours faster than coir.

[montanum]

Outside should be fine for both species. Both reginae and parviflorum are exceedingly hardy. Are you zone 2 or 3? Both plants are hardy in both.

Outside, reginae should be planted in a sandy mix with a handful of potting soil thrown in, but they also do well in most well drained mix. Coir and peat should not be used: too much water retention. If you don't like sand, you can use mixtures of orchid bark, perlite, seramis, turface, pumice, lava, etc.

Best,
Ross

[smartie2000]

I'm in zone 2. I need to create a new flower bed for them. Also all the earth underneath my lawn is clay, I will have to do something about that. I believe I would have to remove some clay and replace it with sand for drainage.