druryi

[MoreWater]

I picked one up a couple of months ago, and it's doing nothing It has a few new growths at the base but they haven't budged an inch! And the other day I noticed that the leaves are not just leathery - they are looking a little dessicated. So something is not right.

I already grow dry, so I'm more concerned with watering it well when it grows - if it grows. It's getting a good amount of light (more than most of what I grow), which I could increase but I don't want to do that until it's heading in the right direction.

It's currently in a medium bark mix that seems to stay wet forever, so I'm thinking a medium change may happen. (Also bark mix has not worked for me for anything.) In any event, I plan to unpot it to see what's going on down there.

Having read where it grows, I'm tempted to put it in my big sinningia mix (which is milled peat with lots of perlite/spongerock, and amended with calcium and/or lime). I could also go for any mix of CHC, diatomite, clay with or without S/H. If anyone has recommendations, I'd appreciate it.

I may be back with photos tomorrow. It's at the office in a tank in the window.

 

[Rick]

This species comes from pretty sunny/open grassland with some scrubby limestone outcrops in SW India. Its still in a monsoon receiving area so it can get pretty high rainfall at this time of year. Mine is flowering and growing pretty good right now. Air humidity in the GH is about 70-80 percent, temps in the sunny area (where it is) is getting into the 90's. But if its hot breezy and bright (3000+ fc) then don't be afraid to water it.

Its in a very open CHC mix with oyster shell added. Its been a while since its been repotted, but I think there is a layer of coarse drive gravel (limestone) in the bottom of the pot.

 

[NYEric]

I've read they're pretty hard to grow so Good Luck!

 

[MoreWater]

Thanks Ric - nice to hear that CHC has worked for someone.

Eric - I've heard difficult to bloom, but haven't really heard that they are difficult to grow. ... ... ...

Haven't made it to the office yet - how can a 3-day weekend go by so fast?

 

[Rick]

I googled around for climate for that part of the world. From what I can tell the location is somewhere in the Ghat foothills in Southern India. There are a couple of national parks down there that include the mountainous areas in the state of Kerala. I have found some accounts of temps in the 90's and even into low 100's for peak highs. Average summer is about 80 and average rainfall over 100 inches of rain. LOTS of rain during monsoon season. It can also get pretty chilly in the winter too.

Right now (7 pm local time) in Coimbatore or Madurai (the closest cities with weather stations) the temps are 80F.

 

[Rick]

http://www.weatherreports.com/India/Coimbatore

Noon GMT in Coimbatore it is now 95 and with the humidity it feels like 103:evil:

I doubt if it gets this warm in the office.

 

[Candace]

I just got one over the weekend. It should like the desert of Elk Grove then! It didn't have the best roots, or should I say much...but I threw it into s/h anyway.

 

[MoreWater]

Rick! Thanks so much.

I got in to the office on Monday evening to find it dry and hot - no air conditioning during the long weekend. I have no doubt that druryi was 95F or more, but not with humidity.

It seems to have grown tho! The timing in relation to my post is too funny, but it may be that the temps are finally getting warm enough. I will probably take it home for the season where temps and humidity are both higher - come winter, it'll be back in the office for coolness.

Still think I will repot it, as I guess this is the time to do it.

As usual, the camera is always in the wrong place, so no pic.

 

[Mrs. Paph]

I got one of these not too long ago too. It sulked for about a week or so from shipping temps until I started getting really nervous, but I had repotted it right away into CHC's and some oyster shells and by 2 weeks it had started a nice new leaf As Candace said though, mine didn't have a ton of roots...just a few, but they seemed fairly healthy. Mine is just single growth, and I've been wondering too when I should be moving it up closer to the lights now that it's actively growing again. It sounds like they appreciate pretty hight light, and as far as temps, a suggestion that they don't mind it hot was part of why I got one...I couldn't afford the electric bill to grow cool species in my non-efficient apartment! Glad to hear yours seems to be growing again!

 

[Wendy]

I find druryi both easy to grow and flower. Mine is in CHC and perlite. It gets a lot of water but I let it dry to barely moist before watering again. It has a bit of limestone in the mix as well. It's at the back of the bench so it gets a bit more than phal light and the temp is intermediate/warm. In the fall I back off on the watering for a couple months to initiate the spring blooming. The new growths don't get roots for some time so resist the urge to divide....the second year growth on my plant is just now getting roots. I repotted it last week and the old growths had tons and tons of roots. Most of the time it has to have several growths to bloom. Good luck...you should do just fine.

 

[Rick]

We have a couple of Indians in our office, and one is from the State of Tamil Nadu, which shares the border with Karela. The division between the states looks to be the Western Ghat Mts. He has visited one of the national parks that should be in the range of druryi in the Western Ghats. I'm going to pump him for more climate info, but hot and muggy is a good description, and the monsoon should be ongoing in Karela now.

 

[MoreWater]

Thanks for chiming in, Wendy! Seems every photo I came across was either s/h or bark mix, so this is very good news for me. I found my bag of washed and dried chc too