Perhaps your orchids have flowers that look like this? Spathoglottis plicata. Photo by Petrichor.

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I hope you don't mind, Nelia, but I also have a question regarding ground orchids... perhaps we'll both get the desired information.

I planted a Bletilla bulb/corm/root early this past spring in a container. I kept it indoors, in a south facing window that had shade from trees outside... it grew beautiful leaves, but never flowered. I watered and fed as needed, as recommended by culture information I read.

Now, it's beginning to die back... is this normal? Is there any reason anyone can think of that my Bletilla didn't bloom?

jodik
I have that problem every year lol Bletilla REQUIRE a cool/cold period in order to recycle. Depending on the species it must hae X number of chill hours. Same as tulips daffodils and so on. There are members of the family that range into tropical climes but those are not the ones generally sold. In your case you may be able to plant them outdoors but do check on the tolerable lows.. In your area you may get too much of a good thing lol.
Nilia I have a similar problem with both Spathoglottis and Phaius. ground orchids. I regularly treat with fungicide but is not a good solution. I ,m sure they "cycle"like all plants so this may be normal???
They do best for me in pots in the SH rather than garden plants. gary

Thanks, Gary... the tag says it's hardy to zone 5, but I've also been told that they're not that hardy... I don't know what to believe! Given my zone and climate, what would you suggest? I'd really like to see this Bletilla bloom at some point!

It appears to be dying back, as bulbs do... should I allow it to die back, then possibly refrigerate it in its pot for a dormancy? I could swing that... but how long would it require, and at what minimum temperature? This one has me a little confused!

I appreciate any help you can give!

I live in central NJ. We have very cold winters that often drop to ten below. Outdoors, my bletilla striata have weathered them for five years now. I have the plants close to the foundation of the house for a bit more warmth, in the afternoon sun. In the fall I mulch them heavily. Here in NJ they do die back around this time. From what I understand they need a chill before they can bloom again. My bletilla start to grow and bloom in early spring.

Striata is the one I have, too... I don't have a spot near the house to plant this one.

If I could find some information on year round indoor culture, I could probably get this one to bloom... our winters get a little colder than -10 sometimes, and I'd hate to kill this poor thing by planting it out in the wrong spot.

A chill, I could manage... I'm just wondering how long, and at what temperature... would a short refrigeration be enough?

I've heard of people putting the rhyzomes in the refrigerator. I would guess three months or thereabouts would do the trick, imitating winter.

Hi
IME the "chill" must be timed exactly too short they go back into growth too long and they waste when growth resumes.3 months sounds about right. What is missing of course is a "chill down" the trigger to cause dormancy it seems to be a necessary step with a lot of temperates.
Since you have cold weather provided by ma nature might as well take advantage of it There must be some cold limits for this species somewhere on the internet??
I know they are used as garden plants into zone 6.
Any guidelines on the AOS site??
gary

I didn't find very much information on the container culture of Bletilla striata, but I did find this:

"It is one of the easiest terrestrial orchids to grow. The plants are hardy down to 20°F (-7°C) in the landscape and will withstand temperatures down to 10°F (-12°C) if mulched heavily.

Bletilla striata 'Alba' need light shade and a moist, rich, well-drained soil mix. In the greenhouse, we use a soil mix consisting of 2 parts peat moss to 1 part loam to 2 parts coarse sand. To this mix we add bone meal at a rate of 1 cup for each 0.01 cu yards of soil mix. During the growing season, the plants are well watered and allowed to dry slightly before watering again. We fertilize the plant in early spring with a 15-30-15 fertilizer on a weekly basis until after flowering. After flowering, the plants are fertilized with a balanced fertilizer monthly until late fall when water is restricted. The plants are moved to the cool rooms for the winter rest period, and the nighttime temperature is never allowed to fall below 48°F (9°C). During this period, the plants are watered very sparingly. Too much water during this period can cause the tuberous rhizomes to rot."

The particular piece above was found at Cal's Plant-Of-The-Week Archive... most of the information on pot culture is rather vague about the cool dormancy required for blooming.

I did find this piece of information at another site: "Apply a good organic mulch in the late autumn or lift the bulbs and store them dry in a frost free place. Plant out in spring and only just cover the bulb."

So, it appears that they can either be lifted and stored for winter in frigid climates, or given a chill that doesn't go any lower than 48 degrees... how long that chill should be is another question...

I'm thinking I might just un-pot and store over winter, along with my Canna rhizomes and Glad corms.

It also sounds like drying them off and a chill down is the prep for winter rest.

Jodi, just to echo orchid126 I planted some Bletilla last year, and it came back this year but without any flowers, albeit with bigger and stronger leaves compared to last year. We get temps down to -30C, so I think they'll tolerate zone 5. I do have them under heavy mulch though - just be sure to clear a bit of it away in the spring so the shoots can come through!

I came across this info:

Container Growing
They can be grown in a container but if so, ensure the soil is not allowed to freeze rock solid as this will likely kill the bulb.

Plunging the container for the winter is normal practice to keep it as frost free as possible.

I'll have to weigh the choices and decide... it's not that our winters are so cold... they are cold, but... it's the fact that we experience thaws and re-freezes in very early spring, and it tends to kill anything that's borderline tender to our zone. I hope I explained that well enough... anyway... I think the best way to handle this is to allow it to die back and get a bit of a chill, and then store it in a cool, dry place for the winter.

I only have one bulb/corm, and I'd hate to lose it to a cold winter. Thanks for your advice and comments!

Can I keep ground orchids in the ground over the winter in Austin, TX? They have done beautifully in this horrible heat this summer.

nilia

I would trust the tag.

You seem to have Ble ochracea the chinese butterfy orchid and it is hardy to zone 5 handling temperatures to minus 20 degrees. It is white with a yellow sploch across the lip with red speckling just above the yellow.

you can find a photo here http://orchidsamore.com/photo_gallery/New%20Gallery%20April%202009.htm

It grows on the mountainsides in China. It is produced in large quantities here in florida and shipped acroos the US as seedlings.

It may have trouble in pot culture from being keep too warm.

Here is a link that might be useful: photo gallery including Ble ochracea

Sorry i should have addressed the last post to jodik.

Nilia - your plant may have rust. You can cut off the leaves or treat the rust with one of many products at the garden centers.

Treat these much more like perrenials than other orchids.

A well rooted plant can have all its leaves removed and they will grow back in about 6-8 weeks. That is not something I would do with other orchids.

They grow in full sun although in Forida a little afternoon shade is beneficial to keep the leaves looking better. Lack of water will also brown the leaves.