I live in zone 7 MD and successfully grow acaule,parviflorum,and and unidentified yellow(maybe kentuckiensis ?).They're planted out in the gardens on the east and west side of my house.East side gets a lot of shade from the trees after 11am,but the west side is practically full sun from 2-3pm on.The soil is top soil from the HD that I put in when I moved here,and remnants of the cedar or pine mulch from over the years.Watering only happens when it rains mostly.From time to time I get a little frisky after watering the vegetable garden and go around and feed everything in the flower beds.This only happens at most 3 times in a month during summer.I've lost my share of buds to the local wildlife over the years,either squirrels or rabbits.This year I was prepared for them with poison blocks and a pellet gun.LOL!
Cypripedium help
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greenthumbguru
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Hello JTR!
Thanks for the reply! I have the same issues with wildlife - mainly squirrels. They dig up EVERYTHING! I was going to use organic media at first, but decided to try Ron's method. This way, I won't have to ammend the soil every year because the media doesn't deteriorate and he's had enormous success using it with a broad range of Cyps. Once I get good results and begin dividing my plants, I'll try different growing medias - cedar and pine chips, cotton burr, leaf mulch, etc.. The only difference is that I'll have to fertalize more often because the inorganic media doesn't have any nutrients to offer the plants as the organic media naturally does. However, the inorganic media won't have or offer conditions for fungus or mold to form and harm the roots or the plant which minimizes plant loss due to those factors. It's a way to control conditions for optimal results I guess.
Thanks for the reply! I have the same issues with wildlife - mainly squirrels. They dig up EVERYTHING! I was going to use organic media at first, but decided to try Ron's method. This way, I won't have to ammend the soil every year because the media doesn't deteriorate and he's had enormous success using it with a broad range of Cyps. Once I get good results and begin dividing my plants, I'll try different growing medias - cedar and pine chips, cotton burr, leaf mulch, etc.. The only difference is that I'll have to fertalize more often because the inorganic media doesn't have any nutrients to offer the plants as the organic media naturally does. However, the inorganic media won't have or offer conditions for fungus or mold to form and harm the roots or the plant which minimizes plant loss due to those factors. It's a way to control conditions for optimal results I guess.
