Congrats! I know you've been waiting for these.

I have 10 of them in a 7 inch, plastic pot if that helps. It's probably 4-5 inches deep, but I only plant them about an inch deep. 2 inches sounds kind of deep, but who am I to say.

I'm sure a good quality potting soil would be fine. I make my own out of peat and perlite, but that's what most potting soils are comprised of anyway.

Another little trick I discovered last summer if you're going to grow them outside (you should): After the little guys have sprouted and are growing well, cover the top of the pot with pieces of lava rock. It helps keep the pot from drying out and also helps to keep the soil from washing out during watering or a heavy rain.

Mine are already about a 1/2 inch tall and growing well.

K

Thanks, Kevin. Instead of lava rock, would sphag do? Or something else? I don't have any lava rock and am reluctant to get a great quantity for this. Whitecat8

I bet it would. Gravel would probably be good too or even pot shards smashed into smaller pieces.

I lied about how big mine are. I just took a look. They're about AN INCH TALL!!

That's great yours are that big. Dutchbulbs.com mailed to our area just this last week.

More questions, if you have the time:

1. When did you take yours out of the fridge?

2. When did/will yours go outside?

3. If they're not outside now, where are they? (Light, temps, etc.)

4. Full sun when outside?

5. When do you bring them inside?

6. When do they go in the fridge, if that's later than coming inside?

7. How do you store yours in the fridge? Paper sack, maybe? Naked?

Thanks again for the info. Two corms are going in a separate pot as a housewarming gift for my orchid buddy. She looooves these flowers but is too wrapped up in moving to think about new 'chids. I can't wait!

Many thanks, Whitecat8

So why isn't anyone else talking? I'm not the only one who grows these. FOLKS! WAKE UP! TIME TO PARTICIPATE!

1. When I saw sprouts. Around late Feb I think.
2. When the other plants go outside. The way it's going, probably late July. Maybe we'll see some warmth by then.
3. They're in a south window in my unheated, cold room. Temps are probably in the high 50's. I just don't have room in my regular grow area. You can keep them warmer.
4. Not full, full sun. Mainly morning and early afternoon sun.
5. Before it freezes. I start cutting back on water when the foliage starts to slightly yellow - Sept or so. I keep them out on the porch until they are bone dry and the foliage is all crispy - sometime in Oct.
6. After the foliage is all crispy, I take them out of the pot, pack them in dry peat and into the fridge they go.
7. They're in dry peat, small plastic, covered container. A month or so after that I probably mist the top of the peat and reseal. Check them every month or so just to make sure they aren't too dry, but you don't want them wet either.

Yeah, everybody - pipe up. From what some of you have said, you got your corms from Kevin - so many of you, that I had to order rather than trade w/ Kev. Humph! :)

So, folks, what do you do different or the same for success w/ your Habs?

Kevin, thanks so very much. The vendor wrapped the corms in a damp paper towel, wrapped that in cocoanut coir(?), then sealed it all in a plastic bag.

Thanks some more, Whitecat8

I was avoiding this thread but I've succumbed. I have to buy a few of these. WC, they are beautiful and seem easy to grow??? I have absolutely no room for any more indoor plants, but sticking these in the fridge over winter, did the trick.

Jane

I have been reading, but don't have any. It is always good to learn about something new.

I have been reading.

Kev,
Got an answer on another forum.

Thanks for commenting, even if you don't have these. So, Kevin, who got all your extras? Carolyn? I'll try e-mailing them privately or calling them out here. Heh heh

Jane, any time I can help put you over the edge for a new orchid... It's a good thing. WC8

WC - I originally got mine from Carolyn. She probably has more than I do.

There is one more small detail about these come harvest time, but that's a long ways away for you. Ask me about this next fall.

I can't imagine anyone being disappointed with these if they decide to grow them. You know how some flowers look better in photos than in person? This isn't one of them. They are just stunning and the resemblance to an Egret in flight kind of takes your breath away.

I will always be in debt to Carolyn for introducing me to this orchid.

How big are the flowers? Kevin, break the news about harvesting. I want all the details before I order any.

Jane

Jane

Flowers are around 1 1/2 inches across if I remember correctly.

OK, here's the harvesting blurb:
The old tuber usually dies, but these form 3-5 new, blooming sized ones the same year. One would think they would be clustered around the old one, but they aren't. You have to hunt for them. They form at the ends of long roots anywhere in the pot. Sooooooooooo... to make sure you find all of them, you dump out the pot, follow the roots to see what's at the end of them and then carefully examine all the potting material at least 3 times. They really can be hard to find because they kind of look like clumps of peat. I gently squeeze each clump I find. If it falls apart, it's peat. If not, it's probably a tuber.
It's kind of like an end of the season Easter Egg hunt, but better.

Jane - The literature says the flowers are the size of a dime, but Kevin knows for sure.

Check out my message about Habeneria medusae. Jay (IOPSE) says the knock-out flowers are 3.5" in diameter.

Kevin, all your suggestions are in a Word doc, so the fall harvest info will fit right in, if it's not too much trouble.

WC8

I was wrong. I checked the notes on my Hab pic from last year and the flowers were around 1 inch across.

WC - Anything you want to copy is fine with me.

Oops, I wasn't clear. I've saved your culture notes in a Word doc. If you give the fall harvesting instructions now, they can be added to the other notes. Also, I could forward them to Jane, if she decides to get the radiata.

Does that make sense?

Thanks for the permission to copy your notes to a more permanent, accessible record. Should I have asked you first? Have I missed a ground rule of forums? Hope not.

WC8

I grow these (as well as Habenaria ciliaris, Epipactus, Pogonias, Calopogons, and Spiranthes) as companion plants to Sarracenias (pitcher plants) in an artificial outdoor bog. In this zone I can leave them outside all winter, so I don't know about techniques for refrigeration, etc. It might be worth experimentation with mulching, etc., in colder zones. I know Dr. Bill Mathis (who runs the Wild Orchid Company and wrote a great book on growing hardy orchids) grows them outdoors in Eastern PA, too. I also belive that the generic name has been changed from Habenaria to Pectelis; just what we need- more confusion over plant nomenclature!

Adding my 2 cents, sorry I'm late to the party:

to WC8's questions:

1. When did you take yours out of the fridge?
Around St. Patrick's Day every year, middle of March.

2. When did/will yours go outside?
Around mid-April, as night temps are regularly 40F. Not so much from risk of cold damage, but these grow much slower in cold temps. You'll progress faster with the higher temps indoors.

3. If they're not outside now, where are they? (Light, temps, etc.)
Before going outside, I just stick them in front of a window to get as much sunshine as possible.

4. Full sun when outside?
Yes. Love high temps and humidity, but make sure they don't dry out. 12 of mine are planted in an 8" clay bulb pan that sits in a saucer of water a la phrags.

5. When do you bring them inside?
Not until the fall. Foliage starts to turn yellow in October here. I stop the frequent watering, but don't allow complete drying out. When foliage is dead and brown (end of Oct here) you can dig the tubers. There will be a shallow network of roots connecting the original, shrivelled tuber and the main plant to an average of 4 new tubers (as Kevin said). Unearth everything carefully, then snip the tubers free. Do not try to trim the root extremely close to the tuber, as next year's shoot is hiding within, and you might cut it

6. When do they go in the fridge, if that's later than coming inside?
As soon as the tubers are dug, cleaned, and packaged, they go into the fridge. Idea is to avoid drying out at one extreme and rotting at the other.

7. How do you store yours in the fridge? Paper sack, maybe? Naked?
I dampen a clean paper towel, then wring it as dry as possible. I roll the tubers loosely in the paper towel, not allowing them to touch each other. Towel goes into a ziplock freezer bag, sealed carefully, then into the fridge.

Fertilizing: I had read that they don't like fertilizer. Two years ago: no fertilizer = few flowers. Last year: regular, orchid-strength liquid fertilizer = lots of flowers.

Potting mix: 1:1 sand and peat moss. I fill the pot 75% to the top with mix then put in a single layer of damp sphagnum moss strand. I "nestle" the tubers into the moss, then dribble sand/peat mix to cover completely, but shallowly.

Flowers: about 1" wingspan, anywhere from 2-12 per flowering scape. Plants seems to flower when mature, which is a function of when you started them in the spring, and how warm the weather is. For me, about Aug 15, and the flowering period is about 2-3 weeks. Feature often not seen in photos is the flower's angraecoid-like spur, which is up to several inches long. There is also a very nice daytime fragrance. Some MA pollinator must like the flower too, since I found 2 seedpods on the plants last year when I was digging up the tubers.

Hope this is helpful. I think this is one of the most rewarding orchids ever for those who live in a temperate climate with warm summers.

This is great, Tee. Thanks so much for your notes. They're going into the culture folder for this way cool orchid.

A question - I potted mine 1" deep in a good quality potting soil, then let the pot fill w/ tepid water from the bottom until the top was wet, then let it drain well before putting in intermediate conditions.

Could that be too much moisture? Soil too heavy?

Kevin, I missed your notes on harvesting till now. Thanks for the quick response. Yeah, one more thing to look forward to - following the trail to new corms.

Thanks, guys, WC8

Straight potting soil shouldn't be a problem, since you're only going to use it for one season.

Your watering also sounds fine. There should be no need, though, to keep the soil saturated before the shoots emerge. Moist/damp is fine; swampy is probably going overboard.

Don't worry if progress seems slow. I've had tubers take anywhere from 10 days to almost 4 weeks to emerge above ground, and growth is at a crawl until the temps start to climb into the upper 70s and 80s.

Hi, Tee,

More thanks. Before reading this, I fluffed up the top half inch of soil and then poked around, making sure the little shoots weren't weighted down by the dirt, even though it was well-drained.

Sure enough, they've multiplied but haven't gotten much taller in the last couple of days. Nice and green at the tips.

Now it seems I have enough info to proceed with cautious confidence.

More thanks to all, WC8