Calanthe 2013

[fredg]

The Calanthe appear to have enjoyed the long cold spell this year.

1. Calanthe X ( from T&M)

2, 3 & 4. Calanthe discolor One of the many colour forms.

[fredg]

There wqas a little interest in the T&M X so here's another pic.

[reifuan]

lovely plants fred..
What makes you think they enjoyed the long winter though? My C. sieboldii emerged in march, only to have its inflorescence blackened by frosts, despite a plastic cover
fortunately, my other calanthes were much later to start growth and are in bud right now

[fredg]

They've multiplied well this year and sending up more inflorescences. The long cold spell certainly did no harm.

[Maren]

Fred,
that T&M calanthe is very pretty, probably assisted by your excellent photography.

[fredg]

Thank you Maren, I'm still using the sub £100 camera

[Tony Willis]

Some calanthe in flower now

Calanthe fimbriata
Calanthe arcuata
Calanthe nipponica
Calanthe delavayi

[SteveC2]

Calanthe reflexa flowering now.  It would be interesting to cross this with the spring flowering ones to produce different colours and flowering times.

[Neil]

Tony

That Calanthe arcuata  is lovely

Steve

What are you growing the Calanthe in, it looks like a fine mix.

To do the cross  you need to take some pollen sacs put them in a paper enevope , then put that into airtight container with some desiccant into the fridge, and leave for a week.  Then remove the desiccant and place the container in the freezer.  The pollen should then be good for a few years, hopefully!  Then in the spring you can remove the pollen and do the cross, and then find someone to sow and grow the seeds for you

[SteveC2]

I use a mix of equal parts peat, perlite and composted bark, then mulch with bark.  I seem to be doing o.k. with this.  I water every other day when in growth, and weekly during the winter, unless it is silly cold.  The reflexa was bought as a very small plant two years ago, flowered for the first time last year but got slugged before it had full opened, and has doubled this year.  So,so far so good.

Looks like I'm going to be pollinating some Calanthes next spring.  I think that I know someone who might be interested in growing the seed.

[Neil]

Thanks Steve, now I will have to find out what they need to germinate. 

[Margaret]

I'm not sure if this is the place to ask for very basic help with hardy orchids but there goes.  I grow mainly herbaceous plants and veg but want very much to have Calanthe in the back garden.  I bought the plant below bare root last winter.  I potted it in ericaceous compost and finely chopped dried fern which had been sterilised in the microwave. It has been watered with rain water and had the occasional feed with Miracle-gro acid food.
Please can anyone tell me why it looks so poorly and is flowering so late?

Many thanks,

Margaret


PS I recently gave it some Trichoderma

[Tony Willis]

I am not sure why it is flowering so late but at this time of year the leaves do look tatty. I grow mine in John Innes with a bit of extra grit and have no reason to believe they need an acid compost.

They need regular repotting as they are heavy feeders and I keep mine just frost free over winter.

Do you know which species it is?

[Peter Maguire]

The label seems to say Calanthe reflexa - if so it's flowering at the same time as my plant. Mine has four flower stalks, a considerable achievement for me, but the leaves don't look a lot better than Margaret's plant.
This year I've been following some advice from Jeff Hutchings (plenty of water) and my Calanthes have been receiving a light watering twice per day with a fortnightly feed. It seems to have paid off! 

[SteveC2]

I don't think it looks tatty at all.  If it's reflexa it is one of the smaller growing plants, and by pot luck you have picked an "autumn" flowerer.  Believe me, after the wind, the rain, and the slugs / snails have been at my plants all summer they look a whole lot tattier than yours!  In fact I cut quite a few off last week, but who cares, because already next year's big fat buds are starting to poke through with more just below the surface, (not the reflexa I must add, which will not show new buds until next year.)