Hello all, :)

I live in the west part of France and grow the following Cyps in pots for the moment but would like to put them in soil in some months or years:

C. calceolus
C. guttatum
C. formosanum
C. tibeticum
C. reginae
C. macranthos

My region can be very rainy during winter and minimum temperatures can be as low as -8°C (17.6°F). I would like to know which ones you recommend me to protect against winter rain and which ones doesn't need protection at all. For the ones who need protection, do I have to water sometimes or may I let ambiant atmospherical humidity make its job until spring? In advance, thank you very much for your help. :mrgreen:

Best regards,

Mafate

Of the ones you list, C. tibeticum doesn't do well with winter rain. Simply cover the growing area so it doesn't get direct rain. The ground does need to remain moist however, not actually dry.

I've heard that C. formosanum can be a little touchy about winter rain as well, so it wouldn't hurt to cover them too. I have had no problem with them here in Japan however, and we get frequent rains.

All the other species should be just fine as long as winter temperatures stay below 4C on average.

Hi Tom,

thank you very much for your answer. Unfortunately for the Cyps, we have here in France the hottest autumn sine 1950! Temperatures are regularly near 12/15°C (53.6/59°F) during the day. I don't know how to manage this problem and hope my Cyps will stay healthy. Maybe should I dig them up and put them in a hermetic plastic bag with wet sphagnum in my fridge. If you have an idea, it is welcome.

Regards,

Mafate

Hi Tom,

thank you very much for your answer. Unfortunately for the Cyps, we have here in France the hottest autumn sine 1950! Temperatures are regularly near 12/15°C (53.6/59°F) during the day. I don't know how to manage this problem and hope my Cyps will stay healthy. Maybe should I dig them up and put them in a hermetic plastic bag with wet sphagnum in my fridge. If you have an idea, it is welcome.

Regards,

Mafate

Whoa! Don't put them in wet sphagnum or you'll end up with rotted dead plants by spring. The best solution is to buy a dedicated refrigerator for them. Put the moist, not wet, pot in a sealed bag and store the whole thing in the refrigerator. Sound crazy? Well, it is the way to go.

If you do take them out of their pots, then carefully clean the roots, and put them in freezer bags with tight seals with some damp vermiculite or the like. Do not use sphagnum moss. This is not a good method though since Cyps really don't like being disturbed.

C. formosanum BTW doesn't need very cold temperatures to stay dormant. Below 10C on average is fine if the plants are shaded. Of course sunshine can heat up the pot and this species will grow early if they start getting too warm. So keep the pots out of the sun.

Good luck. This fall and winter has been pretty warm here as well so far.

Hi Tom,

thank you for your answer. Fortunately, I didn't try to apply my "solution"! I now what to do if the temperatures stay high. Best regards,

Mafate

Hi, Mafate,

Do not worry about your warm autumn. Once your plants become dormant they will stay dormant for some time. Here in the northeastern part of the United States the autumn temperatures fluctuate very much, with many days like those you are having. The Cyps sleep through this very well.

As Tom suggested, keep your Cyp tibeticum out of the winter rain; the others should be fine.

Good luck!

Ron Burch

Hi Ron,

thank you for your answer. Best regards,

Mafate