I recently purchased on Ebay some C acuale plants from Kentuky. I live in Connecticut where I have seen C. acuale growing locally. I would very much like to naturalize them into the landscape of my house and I am looking for tips from people who have had success ( or failure) with introducing C. acuale into a garden or lightly wooded area. I know pH is a critcal factor as is drainage and organic content. If you have any additional insight please share it with me:) Thank you!
Sincerely
Delta

Hello,

What I have read is this species likes the pH around 4.0, anything above 4.5 and it starts running into trouble. The person said he added 2 oz. of vinegar to a gallon of water when he watered it. to keep the pH around 4.

They do well in a bog garden which is a combination of peat moss, sand and pine needles. with a rubber liner to keep it moist.

I made a bog garden last year, but haven't tried any Cyp. acuale yet.

Hope this help a little.
Eric

I have seen cyp. acaule growing locally in tall pine forests where there is little undergrowth. It seems to be growing among the pine needles but I don't know anything about the soil or the PH. I plan to document the arrival of the local acaule's this spring complete with pictures that I will post.

I'm hoping to get a few for my yard too as I back up to woods in the back yard. My woods are hardwoods though and the soil has a lot of clay. I'm assuming I would have to prepare a raised bed with well-drained soil and the correct PH like you are planning. Let me know what you find out! I'll be monitoring this thread also.

"mine" which are on conservation land, are also growing in pine forest. That's all I really know about them though.

Here is a web site I found with some infomation on growing Cyp.

http://www.infonet.ca/cypr/CULTRINF.HTM

Hope this helps.


Eric

I grow C. acaule with great success out at my summer place, Cutchogue, Long Island. The soil there is very sandy and very dry, with a pH of 3.9 It is virtually devoid of nutrients, and I give them no fertilizer. They are very drought tolerant...while I have heard of them growing in bog conditions, most come from areas that are dry. I only water them in the summer if they have pods (I pollinate some whenever possible). I have seen the native acaules in my area go 3 months without rain during some dry summers and come back normally the next spring. The trick to acaule is to have exactly the right soil. If you have acaule growing in the same area, AND your own garden soil is EXACTLY the same, you have it made...just plop them in the ground, roots spread out shallowly, and protect them from being dug up from squirrels. If your soil is in any way different, in anyway approaching standard garden soil or in any way rich or of a pH above 5, DO NOT grow acaule! You will just waste the plant's life. However, if you have access to natural woodlands where you know acaule is growing (look for associated plants...oaks, pines, lowbush blueberry, ....) then dig up enough soil to fill a large pot, at least 3 gal, and sink the pot in theground after planting your acaule. I have successfully grown acaule here in NYC using that method. I have heard of successful mixes consisting of 50% sand and 50% milled sphagnum, but that is for lab grown seedlings. I don't know how this would work on collected plants. Whatever you do...use no fertilizer whatsoever. With the right conditions, acaule is the easiest cyp to grow and a reliable bloomer...anything less than its EXACT needs and it is as good as dead. Take care, Eric

Vermont Ladyslippers did a great job figuring out the culture requirements of acule. Soil pH was key.

I found a bunch in NC near big hemlocks and rhododendrons. The soil around the base of the plants was like finely shredded mulch rather than soil, about 6 or so inches deep, on chirt. They were in fairly exposed areas, well drained and away from water. I think they like it allot dryer than the Showy's

Virtually everything Eric says concures with what I remeber from the Vermont Ladyslipper program.

Take Care Rick