Disas
- Thread starter John M
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Tom499
Well-Known Member
If I had to pick just one orchid for life it would D. uniflora. The more you have the more beautiful it looks.
I'm with you John.
Don
Don
Jaljala
Well-Known Member
Beautiful!
Spaph
Well-Known Member
Great photography and what colorful little jewels!
Nice! Look better when the sun isn't shining
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Aaahhh Disa Master, these two are so vivid and unique. I'm so tempted to try a couple, but suspect my greenhouse
is far too warm. What do you think?
is far too warm. What do you think?
John M
Orchid Addict
Thank you everyone.
Angela, if you can keep the roots cool, they'll be happy. You can do this by potting them in clay pots and standing them in a shallow puddle of water and directing a small fan at the pot 24/7. The evaporation from the clay pot keeps the roots inside cool. It's the roots that dislike the heat, not the foliage or flowers.
Also, they MUST NEVER get even close to dry. I'm finding that some of my plants, including the uniflora pictured in this thread, will easily wilt when the mix is anything but wet. I use a fluffy mix because they need lots of air too.....(1 part each of peat, perlite and CHC, plus I also add 2 parts ground up white florist vase filler foam (not the green "Oasis" florist foam)) and I water daily. Plus, plants in spike are now being stood in 1/2" of water 24/7 to prevent wilting in the warm/brightest part of the day. A lot of moisture seems to be lost through the very large (compared to the plant size), flowers.
The bench area where my Disas are growing gets lots of air blowing right at them. Air movement is vital to carry away heat and increase evaporation from the foliage and the outside surface of the clay pots.....and of course, this creates a cooling effect.
Angela, if you can keep the roots cool, they'll be happy. You can do this by potting them in clay pots and standing them in a shallow puddle of water and directing a small fan at the pot 24/7. The evaporation from the clay pot keeps the roots inside cool. It's the roots that dislike the heat, not the foliage or flowers.
Also, they MUST NEVER get even close to dry. I'm finding that some of my plants, including the uniflora pictured in this thread, will easily wilt when the mix is anything but wet. I use a fluffy mix because they need lots of air too.....(1 part each of peat, perlite and CHC, plus I also add 2 parts ground up white florist vase filler foam (not the green "Oasis" florist foam)) and I water daily. Plus, plants in spike are now being stood in 1/2" of water 24/7 to prevent wilting in the warm/brightest part of the day. A lot of moisture seems to be lost through the very large (compared to the plant size), flowers.
The bench area where my Disas are growing gets lots of air blowing right at them. Air movement is vital to carry away heat and increase evaporation from the foliage and the outside surface of the clay pots.....and of course, this creates a cooling effect.
And winter sun is also important?
John M
Orchid Addict
Yes! Winter sun is the next vital thing. Dull days in winter will kill a Disa in record time. They want short days; but, very bright, strong light. If you grow them in natural light and the winters are dull, you must supplement with artificial light. I have a greenhouse; but, I put a lot of my Disas under lights in the basement in the winter. The basement is quite cool and the plants NEVER have a cloudy day. Although, I run the lights for only 8 hours a day, they grow well and continue to "bulk up" in preparation for the next year's blooming.
phrag guy
Well-Known Member
very nice John
SlipperFan
Addicted
Lovely. What is more colorful than a nice Disa!
Nice growing points; cool and very bright in winter is very helpful, ty!
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Dandrobium
Well-Known Member
Those look amazing John! And yes, thanks for the culture tips! I will be putting these to use!
Incredible.....
what is the best Disa to begin with? D. uniflora? A hybrid?
what is the best Disa to begin with? D. uniflora? A hybrid?
John M
Orchid Addict
Thanks everybody.
The best Disa to begin with is either uniflora, or a uniflora hybrid. Also very importantly, always start with healthy, strong plants, or seedlings. Once a Disa begins to go down hill, they seldom recover. Only buy strong healthy plants and care for them properly to keep them that way. Disas are not difficult to grow; but, they are not very forgiving if you mistreat them (it takes months of mistreatment to kill a tough plant like a Cattleya, Vanda or Oncidium....but, it takes only a few days of mistreatment to kill a Disa). A lot of people get them and do well for awhile, especially while they're in bloom. Then, when they are out of bloom they are less exciting and it's easy to become a bit absent-minded about caring for them. This is when plants are lost. For example; if you know your Disas need watering today, don't convince yourself that you're too busy and you'll get to doing that job tomorrow. By tomorrow, they'll be dead. A dry wilted Disa does NOT recover. To have a Disa thrive and bloom year after year, they need the proper care and conditions every day, all year long.
The best Disa to begin with is either uniflora, or a uniflora hybrid. Also very importantly, always start with healthy, strong plants, or seedlings. Once a Disa begins to go down hill, they seldom recover. Only buy strong healthy plants and care for them properly to keep them that way. Disas are not difficult to grow; but, they are not very forgiving if you mistreat them (it takes months of mistreatment to kill a tough plant like a Cattleya, Vanda or Oncidium....but, it takes only a few days of mistreatment to kill a Disa). A lot of people get them and do well for awhile, especially while they're in bloom. Then, when they are out of bloom they are less exciting and it's easy to become a bit absent-minded about caring for them. This is when plants are lost. For example; if you know your Disas need watering today, don't convince yourself that you're too busy and you'll get to doing that job tomorrow. By tomorrow, they'll be dead. A dry wilted Disa does NOT recover. To have a Disa thrive and bloom year after year, they need the proper care and conditions every day, all year long.
