This article first appeared in OrchidGuide Digest V1 #137 and is reprinted here with permission of the author. |
Stanhopeas like to be moist and never dry out completely for an
extended period. If they are allowed to go dry for much longer than a
week, the pseudobulbs begin to shrivel, more so the longer that the plant goes without
water. Shriveled bulbs on a Stanhopea will never recover and re-plump. However, if proper moisture is given, the
subsequent growths will mature into normal, plump pseudobulbs during the next growth cycle.
Sandy, your plant sounds like it may have lost its roots perhaps due to old sour medium that no longer drains well. The lack of aeration and a
possible salt build-up in the medium would have an adverse affect upon the health of
the roots. If, however, the roots are still good and the mix is
still in reasonable condition (it should not have an earthy smell, especially in the
middle), I would just make sure that that plant stays slightly damp until new growth begins in spring.
If you must repot it and there are no live roots on it I would suggest you line a wire basket with about 2 to 3 layers of newsprint (don't use glossy
pages with color photos if you can help it), then fill the basket loosely about 1/3 of the way with moistened New Zealand sphagnum. Place your
Stanhopea, cleaned gently of the old medium to preserve as many live roots as it might still have, on the surface of the sphagnum and fill the basket
loosely the rest of the way up to about an inch below the rim. The base of
the plant will now be partly buried; this is what you want. (Don't worry. In nature
Stanhopeas often grow their roots straight up to catch leaves, twigs, etc., building a trashheap on top of themselves for both food and to help hold some moisture around themselves.)
With the basket full, (the newspaper should extend up beyond the sphagnum that last inch trimmed even with the basket rim) now press the sphagnum down
just enough to hold the plant in place then hang the basket in a shaded area away from strong drafts (to keep from drying out too fast) and keep damp.
Mist the plant several time a day if possible and try not to chill it, now that winter is upon us.
Incidentally, the newspaper will eventually turn black, but that's okay. That shouldn't hurt anything. The paper lets you put the sphagnum in loosely
(without having to pack it tightly so it won't fall from between the wires of the basket), plus keeps the sphagnum from drying too quickly.
I have had very good luck growing and establishing Stanhopeas this way.
The important thing is to give them fresh loosely packed sphagnum, plenty of
moisture, a buoyant, humid atmosphere, and a shady situation until their roots can take hold.
Once your Stanhopea is repotted, take a screwdriver and gently poke 2 or 3 small holes through the paper at the bottom of the basket just enough to
allow the water to drain from it and not pool in the bottom. The newspaper
will help keep the sphagnum from rapidly drying out. BTW, if you know
anyone in south Florida who could send you some, there is one thing better than newspaper, and that is punk tree (Melaleucca) bark. It is papery,
waterproof to a large degree, lasts well, and like the newspaper, allows the flowerspikes to pierce it and emerge without restraint.
Just peel
carefully into thin layers and line the wire basket the same way you would with newspaper.
After flowering, It doesn't hurt to cut back on the water a little to give a slight rest, but don't dry off completely, just keep lightly moist for two to
three weeks.
While the flowers of Stanhopeas are short lived, there are a number of species that will rebloom, with sometimes three to four flushes of spikes
during their bloom season.
This is not uncommon for healthy plants of S. wardii or oculata, as well as s. saccata, grandiflora and
nigroviolacea
, to name several. And the
fragrances, for the olfactorily endowed, are wondrous and amazing. And
with half a dozen different species of Stanhopea, you are likely to have one or another of them in bloom -or about to bloom- all through summertime when few
other orchids are flowering.
Good luck and good growing.
Paul
Wm. Paul Mitchell
University of South Florida
Bayboro Campus
St. Petersburg
Florida