# Help needed for Cypripedium culture



## Kavanaru (Oct 30, 2011)

Today, I received my Christmass present well in advance, and a few concerns as well 

Since long ago, I have been thinking of beginning with the culture of Cypripedium in the garden, but had not really started with that as I have been a bit afraid of the Genus and because my garden is not ready to start planting anything seriously. But... Today I received teh following Cyp Hybrids (ok, not yet the plants but they have been ordered and should arrive within the next few days):

Cyp. Emil
Cyp. Gisela
Cyp. Gisela Pastel
Cyp. Hank Small
Cyp. Ulla Silkens
Cyp. Ursel

I would love to plant themin the front garden (Nord side of the house), but I will have to wait until next autumn, as some work will be done in the garden now in November, and will propably extend until April (yes, we are in France, and everything takes longer than planned: they wanted to start in September, and will not do before mid November!). Therefore, I thought it would be a good idea to start them in pots (several reports here in ST as well as other websites), and keep them during Winter in the basement, in a room which has an opening to the garden, and therefore stays very cold but frost-free during winter. 

As mentionned, there are sveeral reports of pot culture in the web, and everything let me think I have the right conditions for growing Cyps. However, I am a bit confused regarding the substrate to be used. Generally, all reports suggest very well drainned substrate, but they have contradictory information regarding the use or not of calcareous material, garden soil, and how much sun or water is needed.

Does anyone here has experience growing the above mentionned hybrids and/or growing Cyps in pots, or any other tipps that could help me to succeed with them?


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## Dido (Oct 30, 2011)

Hy you can grow them inside and outside in your region only protect them from to much rain, if it will not get down under -10 this hybrids should do well. Have here some in pots outside and it goes down to -20. 
Frost is better than inside, because if it gets to warm you will have trouble with starting growth of them. 

Would recommend a mixture of 20% Seramis, 20% perlite, 20% Neudohum, 20% lava rock from the eifel for example and for this hybrids maxbe some gravel or normal stones like you use it for cement. Or more seramis. 
In pots you need a more lite soil than in ground. Expensive ones I gor in nearly pure seramis. with only a little bit of organic materila. 
And than put a litle bit of calcium in the soil or above, the most of the here mentioned ones like it. 
Where in france do you life.


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## Kavanaru (Oct 30, 2011)

Hi Dido, Thanks a lot for the feedback! Is this what you mean with Neudohum: http://www.schneckenprofi.de/neudohum-pflanzerde.html ?
I live in Riedisheim (Elsaß) near the border with Switzerland and Germany... What kind of calcium do you use in your mix, and how much?


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## Dido (Oct 30, 2011)

Hi 
yes this is it. I use it too for seedlings. 
If you take it for seedling you have to watch that it will not compact in the pot after the second year. 
I use Dolomite Kalk, this is a kind which goes slowly and it is a natural one. 
About a dust offer every pot. You need not too much with this mixture only if you want o grow candidum or calceolus, than you need more. 
i grow a lot of hybrids and never added calcium. Dont thnk to much. 
Only at acaule you have to watch more, or at other kinds this is why they are mostly rare. 
This mixture works for all kinds exacpt acaule and candidum. It will not work for arientum:evil:


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## Kavanaru (Oct 30, 2011)

Thanks, Dido!

And now, I just "registered" the use of lava rock... I am notsure how the one from the Eifel is, but I normally find here the reddish one... (in a discusson in a german Forum I have read it seems to be way to basic - at least for rupiculous Laelias. Wouldn't that be a problem for Cyps?)


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## Dido (Oct 30, 2011)

Small lava rock like they use it in the winter to throw on the ground. 
Size around 1-3 mm. 

Have seen that others told you the same as me with the keeping them outside in the winter. 
Do you have a old shade or a carpot which is freezing, would be better than the basement. Tryed it for years and it was a bad ting. Even californicum prever the cold and dry rest in a shade better than raound 3-10 in my basement. 
Only brind the bletilla in my basement which are not hardy.


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## monocotman (Oct 30, 2011)

*cyp pot culture*

Hi Ramon,
pot culture of cyps is pretty straight forward.
1. overpot into BIG pots - I start with 20cm pots- more buffering for the roots.
2. use very free draining mostly inorganic medium - whatever you can find locally. I use super coarse perlite (3-6mm) as it is cheap and easy to find and then add about 10% organics. However it isn't critical and have some plants potted in 100% perlite. They do fine. As you're growing hybrids then I wouldn't worry about lime - they do fine with just inorganic compost plus regular feeding with whatever you have to hand. They are not fussy.
3. The pots will take a bit of frost over winter - mine went down to -12 last winter.
4. when the buds start to show in March next year put them outside in the shade and protect from wind - the stems can snap when they're growing as they're not as strong as later in the year. I water about every 2-3 days, depending on the temps and feed about every two weeks. 
5. Protect from slugs, especially when the shoots just appear. I top every pot in hortag - it looks better than perlite and seems to discourage slugs.
6. watch out for high summer temps. They don't like over 30 degrees and stress. Spray the leaves, keep out of the sun etc to reduce this effect. We've had a cool summer this year in the UK and there has been no heat stress. Some of the hybrids have tripled in size because of this.
7. the hybrids take a year to establish in pots and don't increase much in their first year. If you plant them out after a season then expect just a modest increase in bud numbers.
Regards,
David


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