Just curious, what and why and how?

Thanks!

Yes, i have 5 that I got from Ecuagenera. They are in a mix of flourite and river sand. Watered 3 - 4 times a week with R/O water. They're about 18-20 inches tall, each one with anywhere from 2-3 growths and I noticed today one has two new growths coming out.

Lien

I don't know much about Selens but I have seen pics of them and they were very big and tall. One photo showed them as tall as 15 ft!

The first (and only) time i've seen a Selenipedium in bloom was about 16 years ago when I went to visit this grower named Alba Conners in Southern California. She had one that was taller than her two story house and complained that the "dumb thing never blooms". It was however, in bloom, only you had to go up to the attic to see it.

Yes, I heard they can get to high as 20-30 ft tall. :shock: Since I grow indoors, I have no room for one.

Clark Riley also had some the last time I saw him. There were some species that were blooming at less than a single story house.


Clark also does GREAT programs for orchid societies.

I tried on two occasions to grow these plants imported from Ecuagenera. Expensive failures. I was never able to re-establish the one and two growth 18 to 24 inch reedy stems I received on both occasions. They lived through a season or two (several months) and even began new growths but ultimately they slowly died from the grassy top all the way down. Never could get them to do new roots. Don't know if it was me or what but my thinking has always been that I needed to start with larger clumps that has not been allowed to dry out (as in during the import process), they are just grass-like slips, after all. I think your idea of river sand is a good idea as a media. I don't know what the flourite is for? I am not even sure I know what it is. :-)

Actually, laterite, not flourite. Sorry. Laterite is a soil formed by decaying rocks, etc and is part of the natural habitat where Selenipediums are found.

When I got my plants from Ecuagenera, they hand carried them to Florida and shipped them from there. I think that's the best way to get them, as the roots don't dry out. Better chances of establishing them. I think.

The first few weeks, many of the leaves turned brown and died, but that stopped after a few weeks and now they seem to be growing. I have them in clear pots and can see some new root growth.

Actually, laterite, not flourite. Sorry. Laterite is a soil formed by decaying rocks, etc and is part of the natural habitat where Selenipediums are found.

When I got my plants from Ecuagenera, they hand carried them to Florida and shipped them from there. I think that's the best way to get them, as the roots don't dry out. Better chances of establishing them. I think.

The first few weeks, many of the leaves turned brown and died, but that stopped after a few weeks and now they seem to be growing. I have them in clear pots and can see some new root growth.

Since you live in NY, you must grow them indoors or a greenhouse. Do you have a solution when they mature and get very tall and too tall to grow indoors/greenhouse?

I don't think the species I have gets too large. Selenipedium aequinoctiale. Dr. Clark Riley has some and they bloomed at about 5'-6', or thereabouts. You can see them on his site:

http://www.cyps.us/selen/index.html

Thanks! 5-6' is still quite tall to grow indoors but manageable I guess. Some Phrag stems can get as tall as that.