I received three Cypripedium pubescens seedlings from Roberts Flower Company yesterday. I potted them out yesterday afternoon and thought some of you might want to see the seedlings and potting. Maybe because it is something different or because it is something I have been thinking about for quite some time, I'm enjoying learning about the cyps. I'm thinking about trying some other cyps in the fall if I have luck with these. I'll add to this thread when and if they cooperate by growing and flowering.

Here goes....

Afer conversing with Ron, Mr. Roberts, and others about cypripedium potting media I decided to combine the various recipes for my seedlings. Here are the supplies pictured including perlite, charcoal, topsoil, sand and leaf mulch. I would have used potting soil instead of the topsoil but I couldn't find any at Home Depot or Lowes without fertilizer already added. I potted up the seedlings in 8" clay "azelea" pots. Azelea pots are the "squattier" pots sold. I believe the depth of the pots is 80% of the width.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v639/Slipperhead/Cypripedium/cyps001.jpg

I mixed the ingredients together. Two parts each of topsoil and leaf mulch and one part charcoal, sand, and perlite. I was using one of the 8" azelea pots for measuring.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v639/Slipperhead/Cypripedium/cyps003.jpg

Here is the final result. This media was fairly lightweight and drained quite quickly.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v639/Slipperhead/Cypripedium/cyps004.jpg

Here is how the seedlings were packed from Roberts Flower Supply.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v639/Slipperhead/Cypripedium/cyps007.jpg

To aid in drainage, I placed approximately 1" of PrimeAgra from First Rays over a small piece of plastic "netting" left over from my son's bonsai project.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v639/Slipperhead/Cypripedium/cyps008.jpg

Here are two of the seedlings as recieved from Mr. Roberts. These are adult seedlings and should bloom this season.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v639/Slipperhead/Cypripedium/cyps014.jpg

Here is the cyp growth peeking up from the media!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v639/Slipperhead/Cypripedium/cyps015.jpg

I then covered the seedling with approximately 1" of the media.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v639/Slipperhead/Cypripedium/cyps016.jpg

After the potting, the media is then covered with some leaf litter from the woods. I shoveled this from a nearby woodsy area. There was PLENTY of it!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v639/Slipperhead/Cypripedium/cyps017.jpg

Here is the finished product with one mature seedling per pot. I then took the pots, placed them inside identical pots and set them in a saucer of water. The water continually wets the clay pot through and through and has an evaporative cooling effect. In the shade this afternoon, the pots felt quite cool the touch during a 75 degree day. I'll add a photo of that tomorrow.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v639/Slipperhead/Cypripedium/cyps018.jpg

I have placed the three pots on the north side of the house. They currently get morning sun and afternoon shade.

We're having William Mathis from Baltimore coming to speak to the Virginia Orchid Society in November about naturalization of cyps in your yard. I'd be glad to host any listers interested!

Excellent, really enjoyed your pics! Thnx for posting! Do post more when they bloom!

Well done,
I too look forward to pics of the blooms. The root systems on them look great, so I wouldn't be surprised if next year you get two-three growths a piece...and they tend to double or triple every year after that.
Great how-to demonstration as well, I look foreward to your updates.
Jon

Thank you Garland for such an educational demonstration! :joy:
Cannot wait to see them blooming for you.

great informative and well thought post, keep this up...I am learning a lot here :clap:

Hi,

very sad cause i can't see the pics ???? onlye red crosses... An answer ??

Thank you Marc.

John Doherty (a judge in the Great Lakes center) has been growing cyps in pots for a long time now. He gave a talk a few months ago about it. Anyway, I think he grows grass in his cyp pots. I'm not sure what kind of grass, or even if he prefers a particular species. I'm not sure about his rationale, but it does seem to work. At the time when the sun is brightest and hottest, the grass is tall enough to provide substantial shade and cooling. And something about the grass roots is supposed to help too... I do know that he grows nice cyps.

Now, when I see Cyp. regina or Cyp. parviflorum in situ, they are usually growing in a grassy section, near a wooded section. Usually in seasonally damp (but not particularly swampy) areas, and although regina is supposed to prefer wetter conditions, I see them growing co-mingled. At least in SW Michigan. And the grass can be quite tall by the time that the plants are in full flower.

I have yet to try Cypripedium. I do like visiting them in the wild though. I've sunk into muck past my hips on occasion, so perhaps I'll try a few in pots next spring. Probably safer.

Marc,
I don't know what is up w/ these photos. I'm having the trouble now also. Garland uses Photobucket so I checked my account and all's well. So, not sure! Sorry I cannot help. :(

Ok, OK....apparently it's me.

I was cleaning up my photobucket account last night. I didn't realize that the photos need to remain in photobucket in order to be seen on this forum. Apparently, they do... :(

I'll repost them from my laptop and all should be well.

Ok, all is better now. I reloaded the photos through Photobucket and it looks like it is working fine now.

Please try it again, Celtic!

Sorry for the inconvenience. :oops:

Thanks for putting up the pics again! Very informative and educational.

Thank you,

yes al the pics are in front of me now thank you,

very clear explication !

Marc