Cypripedium acaule info

[cnycharles]

especially if your deck or patio is on the 22nd flr, the temperature extremes could be pretty great. worst thing would be for the pot to thaw out, then get cold again, maybe a few times in a winter. deep underground the temperature wouldn't fluctuate that much. plus the pigeons might poop on the pot and then you'd have too much fertilizer in the media and the plant would die.

 

[Kevin]

Thanks for the clarification. A pot of any plant left on a deck in cold winters is not a good idea.

JB - any update on your acaule?

 

[NYEric]

I still haven't potted or planted my acaule yet. The vendor said they had been in a mix of natural mosses and pine mulch. So there I am carrying home my Walmart shopping from NJ [that's right kiddies, no Walmart in Manhattan] plus a bag of sphagnum/peat moss. I'll be in Long Island on thursday so I'll gather some sandy soil to add in the mix; then I have to go back to NJ on saturday for the 'small' 2 cubic foot bag of pine mulch!

 

[Eric Muehlbauer]

If you can get that good sandy soil from LI, that's all you need...no additives. Eric

 

[NYEric]

The person I'm meeting said there's no fields near the Babylon station. I told him I can just go to the nearest park and dig up some dirt. Hope I don't see myself on the Police Blotter tomorrow!

 

[Eric Muehlbauer]

A park may not have natural soil for the area....what you need is the natural soil from the woods in eastern LI. Out past exit 60 or so...I once saw plants of acaule just off the expressway around exit 62 ....don't ask me what I was trying to do in the bushes there...but it was even harder to do considering that I had a black racer snake in one hand and a box turtle in the other...............Eric

 

[NYEric]

Well since I was limited to the LIRR station area I starteds to dig some soil near the parking lot and of course the police rolled by so I only got a little. I'm going to Home Depot in NJ tomorrow and I'll lug the 2 CF bag home!

 

[Heather]

...don't ask me what I was trying to do in the bushes there...but it was even harder to do considering that I had a black racer snake in one hand and a box turtle in the other...............Eric

I think you're going to have to tell us about this little jaunt, Eric. Inquiring minds want to know!

 

[cnycharles]

Well since I was limited to the LIRR station area I starteds to dig some soil near the parking lot and of course the police rolled by so I only got a little. I'm going to Home Depot in NJ tomorrow and I'll lug the 2 CF bag home!

:rollhappy: oh my... if you're going to be in nj, there must be a sandy hill with some pines on it, probably has acaule growing there as well

 

[Eric Muehlbauer]

Alright.....I was going out to LI with my family...the car stalled by the thruway. So, I saw, being on the edge of the Pine barrens, there might be some stuff to see while we waited...so I went off into the scrub by the parkway.... Found some garbage, and an old camp fire.....and a 5' black racer coiled up. I grabbed the racer, and as I grabbed it I saw a box turtle right near my feet. Grabbed that....went off to show the family...but first I had to do something...you know its dry there, and the scrub can use any liquid that it can get...was happy to supply it...so went to the fence...and of course, as I balanced my reptiles, there were 2 nice acaule's on the other side of the fence. No, I did not give them any fertilizer....went up to show the critters to the wife and kids, and the cops who had arrived to see what happened...all were suitably impressed. (Both reptiles released, btw...) Aren't you glad you asked? Take care, Eric

 

[NYEric]

Nature boys trapped in the city! :rollhappy:

 

[NYEric]

OK, I got the cyp acaules planted, a couple each in the 'natural landscape' garden and one of the eclectic planted gardens [but at least in pine needles under a pine tree]. I planted them [along w/ some goodyera pubescense] in the mixture they came in w/ some pine mulch added. The squirrels went on a rampage and attacked them overnight so some custom wirecovered cages were added. I received some [4] cyp reginae seedlings from an eBay vendor. I also have the remaining survivors of the plantlets I got from Gardens at Post Hill earlier this year, plus I'm waiting for some blooming sized ones to arrive. The question is, "should I plant them outside or cool them off and plant next Spring?"