In Hawaii, these ground orchids grow wild. When I was a child, my brother found a white one and potted it up and gave it to our grandmother. I like that the 'periwinkle' cultivar. Thank you for sharing this video.
What a fantastic video. I moved into an old house years ago in Lake Oswego Oregon and there were many varieties throughout the rock gardens. I moved to Arizona 13 years ago and didn't take any, I moved back this year to find the entire property was bulldozed and condos built, I am so sad they were lost.
Absolutely superb, informative video! Bletillas are becoming more popular here in Italy, but the variants you show are only substance for dreams at the moment in the trade. Thanks again!
Thanks for making such an informative video! I live in climate zone 9 and have had the bright purple Chinese ground orchid for many years. They have never had aphids and grow the best in morning sun.
Hey Botanyboy, I enjoyed a lot your video. The Orchid is very beautiful. I didn't know about its preference or maybe unique way of growing. I mean, in the ground. Also enjoyed your understandable pronounce. I'm from Brazil and have a bad listening, but understand hou very well. lololol. I subscribed.
Yes, I agree. If grown in the outdoors in full to partial sun, this is one of the easiest terrestrial orchids to grow. People seem to have trouble with it only as an indoor plant, or if grown in too shady a spot.
Hi Tammy. This species is really very easy to grow, especially outside. I recommend growing them in the ground if your climate isn't too cold in winter. They are reliably cold hardy to USDA cold hardiness zone 7 without any protection, and that can be pushed to zone 6 with heavy mulch in winter. Grow them in sun, and while in growth keep them well watered and fertilized. If you grow in pots, almost any size or type can be used. Plant them in a good free draining medium, but not typical "potting soil" - use more grit in the mix - perlite or the like. You can grow them inside as well, but they won't thrive IMO. Think sun, free draining soil, lots of warmth, and even moisture. You can read more about them on my blog post: botanyboy.org/the-only-easy-to-grow-terrestrial-orchid-bletilla-striata/ I will also mention how to grow them in a new video some time this year. Good luck and thanks for watching!
Hi, amazing orchid for its easy reproduction, and thanks for your fuukiran varieties video, very instructive and complete. Is Bletilla striata fragrant? ありがと in advance. :)
Hello, I have subscribed to the channel. I live in Galicia. I think for the weather, Bletilla can grow very well. I want to ask: Where can I buy these plants? How to grow seeds of Bletilla? I read his blog, but when I translated into Spanish I could not understand his explanation. Thank you very much!
I don't know specific sources in Europe, but I know that Albiflora in Belgium grows a bunch of them including B. ochracea. Growing seeds of Bletilla is easy and will be a topic in one of my upcoming videos. Just sow the seed onto old garden compost (in a pot), cover it with cellophane wrap and keep moist and warm. You should get seedings that way. I will give more complete directions in the video. Thanks for watching and subscribing! Tom
7 років тому
botanyboy1: Thank you very much for replying and I look forward to that video.
Good question. I suppose it depends on how persistent your deer are. In general most orchids make for a good meal. If you grow them among other plants in a sunny situation, say a perennial bed, they should do fine. When happy this species very vigorous and can take a lot of abuse. Good luck!
@@botanyboy1 southern Japan's climate is tropical? Subtropical? We live in Washington state on the Pacific coast. My favorite nursery had it in a shallow dish of water, semi shady.
@@lindalu8565 Hmm, hard to say. If you follow some classification schemes, New York City is subtropical! I've spoken with forestry profs over at the local university and they say my area's climate is warm temperate. The true subtropics begin along the southernmost coast of Kyushu and the islands south of there. In your climate put them in full on sun and they will grow their best. Mine are in blazing sun here and do great. Caveat - keep them moist, but not wet.
How deep should the bulbs be planted when grown in pots? I have read a great deal of conflicting advice online, with potting depths ranging from barely covering the bulbs to burying them 10 cm below soil level.
In the garden they grow just below the surface of the soil. Just cover them so they aren't exposed and keep them moist, and they should be fine. These prefer full sun, lot's of moisture and as much heat as you can give.
Hi, great video, I live in the Caribbean and don't have my Bletilla in direct sunlight, my issue is that since I bought them 3yrs ago, they have not flowered. Any advice?
You can try giving them more sunlight (morning is best), but that far south be careful, you can burn them. It may be too warm to flower them well in your area. I grew and flowered them in north Florida, but that is a lot cooler in winter than the Caribbean! Good luck!
Sorry for the late reply. Try growing it in full sun outside. If you grow in a pot then keep it well watered in summer, and not frozen in winter. This species likes a cold winter rest, but not frozen soils. If you grow inside, they are much more tricky. Outside they make easy garden plants.
You said in a video that these grow on rocky slopes. Is this limestone or do they prefer more acidic conditions since they could just be gripping onto neutral rock and running roots under a layer of moss or forest duff? Also-They seem like they might be a bit semi-lithophytic to me, as their roots are quite different from something like Goodyera pubescens or Paphs which are true terrestrials because their corms and roots are both capable of photosynthesis (I witnessed mine turning green when they were growing before I got them potted). The "aerial" roots looked just like epiphytic roots, but much greener. Anyway, I know they are supposed to be tolerant of varying conditions, but I think my 50/50 peat and vermiculite mix might be too fine, and something like pumice and leaf compost might be a better mix. They are in a 7'' bulb pan with about an inch of space between. Indoors under warm lights. What are yours potted in and at what stage of growth do you start watering? I have rotted one simply by washing it off when I got it. The roots were .5'' long and the top growth was about an inch tal. However, one was just 2'' tall and had 2'' roots while another is about 4'' tall and is just barely starting to root. Do we wait, for example. until the leaves start to unfurl a bit, and hold off on watering while the growth is still pointed at the tip? Thanks so much for your help.
I don't think I mentioned this species, but rather the Chinese plant, B. ochracea growing over rock faces in a thin mat of humus, moss, roots of other plants, etc. If memory serves the rock faces were limestone. This species grows in grassy areas in Japan, supposedly near rivers and wetlands. I personally have only seen it growing naturally on a limestone plateau in a mix of sedge peat, loamy soil and crystalline limestone gravel. I think this environment however is fairly rare given that such plateaus are uncommon. Remarkably, this species is very rare in the wilds of Japan these days, probably due to the fact that the habitats they prefer are the same ones humans converted into agricultural fields years ago. I put very little effort into growing this plant. Every few years I will replant them into whatever mix is around as long as it is well draining and not too organic. They seem to prefer well drained, but water retentive loam the best. If you are planting them from rootless sections of rhizome I suggest you keep them just moist until they have put out a good root system. Once they have settled in, then you can water normally and fertilize. I have found this plant to do best if outside, in full blazing sun, and given ample water and fertilizer during growth (April-October here). They seem to languish indoors. If you can't plant them outside, I recommend growing them in large containers such as flower boxes, and in areas where the ground freezes fully in winter, protecting them from this. An unheated garage or the like will do fine. I hope that helps!
@@botanyboy1 Oh thank you so much. Normally I would put these outside, but our summers are 95 degrees by 10 am sometimes, and always with 25% rh. It is a high desert here. Also zone 5, so I think I might bury them near a heat pipe at the university which keeps cannas alive for the winter. I know the package says they are hardy to zone 5, if well mulched, but I haven't had luck with doing that. My other option is the refrigerator for winter. Anyway, I have potted all those with similar root systems together so I can give the ones with roots a bit more water and I am also bottom watering a bit with some just to keep the mix humid but not wet up where the tubers are. They are in clay as well, and most seem to be doing alright so far, but I think the ones that are totally rootless will be replanted on a little bed of pumice so that the bottoms of them stay perfectly aerated and then they can stick their roots down into the mix when they get long enough. That way if I overwater a bit, the area around the bulbs will be free of water, but the pot will still be moist if that makes sense. Then when the roots get long enough to reach the moisture, they can have it. Pumice is amazing. I have also just been watering around the outside edge etc etc carefully, but..it is hard to know what the roots are doing without being in a clear plastic pot. Thank you soooo much for all the info. I think I will see if I can't print that up and stick it in my record book. I think it sucks that you cant really find these in the wild in Japan. Do you think it has to do with poaching for medicinal purposes? If I am not mistaken, I think I read somewhere that it was used in China, Mongolia, and Japan to "induce euphoria" and it also has been studied for actual medicinal benefits and seems to have some uses. The tubers of the genus also contain a mucilaginous substance (probably glucomannan) that was used as a binder in inks and for various other pigments and textiles... I wrote a paper on the ethnobotanic uses of orchids for ethnobotany and this was one I was particularly interested in. I would really like to eventually have my entire collection consist of ethnobotanically important orchids someday.
Hi l been watching your videos for a few months and I love them . Do an online store that sell some of the Chinese ground orchid you showed in this video ?
+Ellofez Sorry, due to international laws and other red tape, I don't send out of Japan. Bletilla thankfully are available through many sources in the EU and US. Some companies will ship overseas if you live in other regions. Thanks for watching! If you check my blog you can read more about terrestrial orchids and I do list some sources, especially for Cypripediums.
Botany boy 1 .... what is the best potting mix media for pots for outside to grow. Canada could be some winter extremely cold near minus 40 with wind .
In that climate you should definitely bring them inside for the winter. Any location that stays below 5 C (50 F) is good for their rest period (November-March is typical here). You can grow them in almost anything, but I recommend a fairly rich medium that is well draining. Good quality potting soil with added perlite for drainage should work fine. Grow them in full sun and keep them moist at all times. They are heavy feeders, so keep them fertilized throughout the summer. Good luck!
Thank you for the reply 😍 but I need to keep them in pots because when I move I rent a trailer just for my plants lol 😂 my next house will be my permanent one then I’ll plant in the ground , why-do the tips of the leaves turn brown ?? Any advice would be appreciated thank you sooo very much ♥️
Tammy, got it! Don't worry, these do very well in pots too, in fact most of mine are in pots. Generally speaking if you see brown leaf tips it has to do with water - not enough, too much or it contains too many mineral salts. If you have well water the last can be a serious problem for many plants. Also, over fertilizing can cause brown leaf tips. Luckily, this species is very tolerant of less than perfect conditions and will still grow and flower. Once you get them in the ground they should be fine with natural rainfall for the most part - you can water them as needed in dry periods.
Is it ok if these are grown in bark, coconut, charcoal and perlite? I bought one from a local speciality orchid place; which was surprising since they usually stick to growing`selling Tropical orchids, not temperate ones.
Hello, I have some like these. We call them spathoglottis, not sure if the same or not. Anyway, I would like to understand more about its care. Mine are struggling to survive but not really sure the reason. They are land planted, fertilized periodically and semi-sun (under palm trees). Any help will be highly appreciated. Thanks
Spathoglottis are a bit different than Bletilla, but are easily confused since they look similar. I'm guessing you have S. plicata, the most commonly grown one. In nature they like wetter soils, but in cultivation I would recommend free draining, evenly moist soils. They should get some sun, but I would avoid direct midday sun. If they dry out too much that could be a problem. Other than that, you may try changing the compost they're in - perhaps adding more organic material like leaf compost. Good luck with your plants!
+raltoni raltoni In the US you can get the normal pink ones at big box stores. The rarer varieties from Japan you'll have to go to specialist nursery like Plant Delights in North Carolina. In Canada Fraser's Thimble Farms in BC has a large selection as well. Not sure about Europe or elsewhere. I hope that helps! Tom
Hay muchas maravillosas orquídeas de tierra de la Patagonia, muy deseadas por los productores americanos y europeos. Mira esta belleza, Chloraea magellanica: www.alamy.com/stock-photo/patagonian-orchid-(chloraea-magellanica).html o C. cristata: species.wikimedia.org/wiki/ Chloraea_cristata ¡Flores impresionantes!
Well, I kept mine all dry and only lost one that was grown wrong from a tropical greenhouse (they grew it like a cattleya in pure dry fir bark). So far they've regrown but not flowered yet.
The mix sounds fine, though I'd skip the vermiculite since it breaks down so quickly. Even more important is to grow them warm and in plenty of sun. Good luck with your new plants.
It depends where you live. They are commonly sold in the US and Europe, and probably are found many other places too. Large bulb companies in the US and Europe sell them, so that is a place to start.
This species is a very common garden plant in Japan, but oddly buying them is a bit more difficult. If you want the common purple or even white flowered ones, see if you can find some growing in your neighborhood and ask the owner for a piece. I'm sure most people would be happy to oblige. You can buy the rarer varieties on Yahoo Auctions or you can get them mail order from Shikoku Gardens in Matsuyama City. Search for ”シラ”.
Hello, I love Bletilla striata and would like to grow the 'Fukurin' cultivar in my garden in France. Do you know where I could buy one? Thank you for answering me Regards.
Within the EU I'd recommend Albiflora (www.albiflora.be/index.php) as a primary source for most hardy orchids, though they don't list this form. I've only seen it in Japan and suspect it isn't grown outside the country or is very rare.
It probably will grow in a shadier location, but not thrive. I grew them in Gainesville years ago, but even there the winter was too short and they would often bolt during a warm spell in January only to be killed by frost in February. A better choice for southern Florida are Spathoglottis. There are a number of species and hybrids available, and S. plicata is perhaps even easier than Bletilla to grow and flower.
Hi! I don't know where you live, but these can be bought at many nurseries around the world. The fancier ones are more expensive. In Europe you can try Albiflora (www.albiflora.be/index.php), in Canada Thimble Farms (www.thimblefarms.com) and in America, Plant Delights (www.plantdelights.com). Good luck!
They went dormant for me in north Florida in Gainesville, an area that averages above 50 F during the brief winter. I can't say if it will do so in warmer regions. Figure USDA cold hardiness zone 9 or lower in the eastern USA.
Thanks for your reply. I'm in zone 10 in southern California. Some sources say these "require" a winter rest, but then again people say that Den. moniliforme "require" a winter rest when in my experience they don't. I may try this orchid since it's so cheap.
Yup, definitely worth a try. I've heard of people successfully growing the warm tolerant Cypripedium species C. formosanum and C. kentuckiense in the LA area. If that's true, you have a shot with this species. Also, see if you can get a hold of Bletilla formosana since it is more subtropical in distribution and no doubt is more tolerant of warm winters.
You certainly can grow Ophrys, but they are more touchy, like most terrestrial orchids. I grow only O. tenthredinifera, a relatively easy species. Virtually all need lime rich, free draining media, and are best grown in containers, not in the open ground. Of course if you live in or near their native lands, they will be easier to grow. I will talk about my experiences with O. tenthredinifera in an up coming video this spring - a far ranging, cold hardy species that is less touchy about soil conditions.
If you live in the US you can buy them as a dried bulb at any big box store or nursery (in the fall or spring). If you want the fancier types you'll have to get them through a specialist nursery like Plant Delights in North Carolina, but they won't be cheap. In Canada Frasier's Thimble Farms has a very nice selection of Bletilla, including hybrids.
For whom they don't know about these plants, I have grown these in tropical part of India , don't require winter rest . However there are different varieties. Please google
I'm not surprised really. I grew them in Florida where winters are very mild. I only grew the typical B. striata, not any of the fancier blue types though. I would imagine that B. formosana and B. ochracea also could endure areas with warm winters.
Carmelita Jones If you live in the US or Canada, most dealers that handle spring flowering Dutch grown bulbs and perennials list Bletilla in their spring catalogs. In years past, catalogs listed both the wild magenta purple form (you generally received 2 different pattern morphs of these), and the pink tinted white form shown in this video (generally listed erroneously as 'Bletilla alba'). These were seed grown 2 1/2 year old plants that had initiated inflorescences in their dormant shoots (usually 2) for the coming spring's growth. They generally arrived carefully packed in peat moss or sawdust. By the mid 1990s, many of these were showing very nice fukuren variegation. Apparently something went wrong for the main Dutch grower(s), because most US retailers dropped Bletilla from their listings between about 2010 and 2015. Retailers are now offering tissue cultured collections of three varieties; a dark magenta wild type, the 'blue' variety shown here, and the pink tinted white form. I ran into 2 problems with purchased Bletilla in the years before they were dropped from retailers' lists. One, they were usually sent packed loose in plastic bags with vent holes, instead of being packed in peat moss or sawdust as in years past. As a result, their new shoots were often broken off (they sprouted new shoots from dormant eyes, but many of these replacement shoots failed to bloom). Many were badly dehydrated because they were not stored/shipped in sawdust/peat. These produced permanently deformed incurved leaf tips, and worse, the tips of the flower petals and sepals (tepals) were stuck together as the buds tried to open; they could be manually separated, but the blooms were deformed as a result. Secondly, too many were infected with viruses on arrival, and as they leafed out and bloomed, the leaves and flowers showed the chlorosis and necrosis often symptomatic of many viral infections. This happened even when they were grown and flowered indoors. I suspect that they were infected when they were handled and packed by employees who had been handling virus infected bulbs and perennials, and/or stored in containers that held virused plant materials in the past. If you have Northern Raccoons visiting your garden, be forewarned that some love the scent of crushed and broken Bletilla plants! They don't eat them, they pull them out of their pots or the ground, then pat the soil/potting mix off their roots before crushing the rhizomes, oseodobulbs, and above ground parts of the plant, which is usually killed or badly damaged (and sometimes, infected with viruses) by this abuse!
These don't do well unless planting in sun. I think a lot of folks fail with them because they plant in shade or try to grow them indoors. Give them tons of water, sun, nutrients, and warmth in summer and they should rock. Not fussy at all, even when being attacked by rots they usually persist regardless. Cyps will die in a heartbeat once rot sets in unless you act immediately. The only drawback of Bletilla are their cold hardiness - not great and poor for B. ochracea and B. formosana. B. striata is good to USDA cold hardiness zone 7, then needs winter protection in colder areas.
Maybe I put them in too dry a spot; where I had them was over 6 hours of full sun. Also, do you know if they are actually hardy down to -20c? That's what the coldest temperature without windchill is where I live and they were selling them locally, so I assume they didn't go away from the winter.
Hmm, -20 C is pretty darn cold. I'd say at that temperature you should give them a very thick mulch - a couple feet deep at least. Even then they may not survive such a deep frost. In nature their roots never are in truly frozen ground. Their roots certainly do no like dry conditions, but the plant itself can take almost any amount of sunlight. I'd say they grow and flower best in full sun, but the plants will look rather battered by late summer.
botanyboy1 Thanks for the help, I should be able to find some more in the spring, they aren't too common or too rare around here to buy. The local big box nurseries have them but only for a few weeks of the year.
Ricardo, no puedo hablar ni escribir en español. Usted puede mirar este artículo que escribí sobre esta planta en mi blog en: botanyboy.org/the-only-easy-to-grow-terrestrial-orchid-bletilla-striata/ Estoy usando Google Translate para " Escribir "esto, así que puedes usarlo para traducirlo al español. ¡Espero que eso ayude un poco! Tom
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In Hawaii, these ground orchids grow wild. When I was a child, my brother found a white one and potted it up and gave it to our grandmother.
I like that the 'periwinkle' cultivar.
Thank you for sharing this video.
What a fantastic video. I moved into an old house years ago in Lake Oswego Oregon and there were many varieties throughout the rock gardens. I moved to Arizona 13 years ago and didn't take any, I moved back this year to find the entire property was bulldozed and condos built, I am so sad they were lost.
Absolutely superb, informative video! Bletillas are becoming more popular here in Italy, but the variants you show are only substance for dreams at the moment in the trade.
Thanks again!
Thanks for making such an informative video! I live in climate zone 9 and have had the bright purple Chinese ground orchid for many years. They have never had aphids and grow the best in morning sun.
Most informative.🌸 Thanks for showing so many different varieties. Lovely!
Hey Botanyboy, I enjoyed a lot your video. The Orchid is very beautiful. I didn't know about its preference or maybe unique way of growing. I mean, in the ground. Also enjoyed your understandable pronounce. I'm from Brazil and have a bad listening, but understand hou very well. lololol. I subscribed.
Thanks for watching and subscribing Jose. I hope you enjoy some of the other videos I've got. Tom
I have grown this variety in India . there are some light shades available white, lavender Pink e.g. They are easy to grow
Yes, I agree. If grown in the outdoors in full to partial sun, this is one of the easiest terrestrial orchids to grow. People seem to have trouble with it only as an indoor plant, or if grown in too shady a spot.
Mine has buds but won't open. Can you please share sunlight conditions and watering for this? I too live in India.
Will u sale
Hi there I was wondering if you have a video on how to pot them and care ???? I see there in short pots , please Help thank you 🙏
Hi Tammy. This species is really very easy to grow, especially outside. I recommend growing them in the ground if your climate isn't too cold in winter. They are reliably cold hardy to USDA cold hardiness zone 7 without any protection, and that can be pushed to zone 6 with heavy mulch in winter. Grow them in sun, and while in growth keep them well watered and fertilized. If you grow in pots, almost any size or type can be used. Plant them in a good free draining medium, but not typical "potting soil" - use more grit in the mix - perlite or the like. You can grow them inside as well, but they won't thrive IMO. Think sun, free draining soil, lots of warmth, and even moisture. You can read more about them on my blog post: botanyboy.org/the-only-easy-to-grow-terrestrial-orchid-bletilla-striata/ I will also mention how to grow them in a new video some time this year. Good luck and thanks for watching!
This video is Amazing. i have discovered your channel through this and instantly sub'd.
Great! Please enjoy. I have quite a bit about orchids in Japan and even some from China.
It resembles Spathoglottis a relative of this shiran but comes in many colours
These are lovely! Can these be grown indoor with bright indirect sunlight? Thanks for sharing!
Very beautiful flowers like
Hi, amazing orchid for its easy reproduction, and thanks for your fuukiran varieties video, very instructive and complete. Is Bletilla striata fragrant?
ありがと in advance. :)
+حبيب المصطفى Glad you enjoyed both videos. Bletilla have a mellow "floral" scent.
beautiful orchids!
Hello, I have subscribed to the channel. I live in Galicia. I think for the weather, Bletilla can grow very well.
I want to ask: Where can I buy these plants? How to grow seeds of Bletilla? I read his blog, but when I translated into Spanish I could not understand his explanation. Thank you very much!
I don't know specific sources in Europe, but I know that Albiflora in Belgium grows a bunch of them including B. ochracea. Growing seeds of Bletilla is easy and will be a topic in one of my upcoming videos. Just sow the seed onto old garden compost (in a pot), cover it with cellophane wrap and keep moist and warm. You should get seedings that way. I will give more complete directions in the video. Thanks for watching and subscribing! Tom
botanyboy1: Thank you very much for replying and I look forward to that video.
Wonderful! Do you know if they are “deer resistant” ? I’ve read some info which says they are and others says the opposite 🤔🐿🦌
Good question. I suppose it depends on how persistent your deer are. In general most orchids make for a good meal. If you grow them among other plants in a sunny situation, say a perennial bed, they should do fine. When happy this species very vigorous and can take a lot of abuse. Good luck!
Grateful for your video. What's a good soil and sun position? Thsnks!
Almost any soil is appropriate as long as it stays moist enough - not wet, just moist. Here in southern Japan it grows naturally in full sun.
@@botanyboy1 thank you!
@@botanyboy1 southern Japan's climate is tropical? Subtropical? We live in Washington state on the Pacific coast. My favorite nursery had it in a shallow dish of water, semi shady.
@@lindalu8565 Hmm, hard to say. If you follow some classification schemes, New York City is subtropical! I've spoken with forestry profs over at the local university and they say my area's climate is warm temperate. The true subtropics begin along the southernmost coast of Kyushu and the islands south of there. In your climate put them in full on sun and they will grow their best. Mine are in blazing sun here and do great. Caveat - keep them moist, but not wet.
My best friend, Wonderful video dear. I enjoyed watching. Hope to see you soon...
How deep should the bulbs be planted when grown in pots? I have read a great deal of conflicting advice online, with potting depths ranging from barely covering the bulbs to burying them 10 cm below soil level.
In the garden they grow just below the surface of the soil. Just cover them so they aren't exposed and keep them moist, and they should be fine. These prefer full sun, lot's of moisture and as much heat as you can give.
@@botanyboy1 Many thanks!
Hi, great video, I live in the Caribbean and don't have my Bletilla in direct sunlight, my issue is that since I bought them 3yrs ago, they have not flowered. Any advice?
You can try giving them more sunlight (morning is best), but that far south be careful, you can burn them. It may be too warm to flower them well in your area. I grew and flowered them in north Florida, but that is a lot cooler in winter than the Caribbean! Good luck!
@@botanyboy1 thank you very much, will try
Hi, my flowers won't open. My leaves have brown tips ....I'm not sure if it's the sunlight or watering? It does get 2 hrs morning sun.
Sorry for the late reply. Try growing it in full sun outside. If you grow in a pot then keep it well watered in summer, and not frozen in winter. This species likes a cold winter rest, but not frozen soils. If you grow inside, they are much more tricky. Outside they make easy garden plants.
@@botanyboy1 Thanks for your reply! I'll try for sure!
You said in a video that these grow on rocky slopes. Is this limestone or do they prefer more acidic conditions since they could just be gripping onto neutral rock and running roots under a layer of moss or forest duff?
Also-They seem like they might be a bit semi-lithophytic to me, as their roots are quite different from something like Goodyera pubescens or Paphs which are true terrestrials because their corms and roots are both capable of photosynthesis (I witnessed mine turning green when they were growing before I got them potted). The "aerial" roots looked just like epiphytic roots, but much greener. Anyway, I know they are supposed to be tolerant of varying conditions, but I think my 50/50 peat and vermiculite mix might be too fine, and something like pumice and leaf compost might be a better mix. They are in a 7'' bulb pan with about an inch of space between. Indoors under warm lights. What are yours potted in and at what stage of growth do you start watering? I have rotted one simply by washing it off when I got it. The roots were .5'' long and the top growth was about an inch tal. However, one was just 2'' tall and had 2'' roots while another is about 4'' tall and is just barely starting to root. Do we wait, for example. until the leaves start to unfurl a bit, and hold off on watering while the growth is still pointed at the tip? Thanks so much for your help.
I don't think I mentioned this species, but rather the Chinese plant, B. ochracea growing over rock faces in a thin mat of humus, moss, roots of other plants, etc. If memory serves the rock faces were limestone.
This species grows in grassy areas in Japan, supposedly near rivers and wetlands. I personally have only seen it growing naturally on a limestone plateau in a mix of sedge peat, loamy soil and crystalline limestone gravel. I think this environment however is fairly rare given that such plateaus are uncommon. Remarkably, this species is very rare in the wilds of Japan these days, probably due to the fact that the habitats they prefer are the same ones humans converted into agricultural fields years ago.
I put very little effort into growing this plant. Every few years I will replant them into whatever mix is around as long as it is well draining and not too organic. They seem to prefer well drained, but water retentive loam the best. If you are planting them from rootless sections of rhizome I suggest you keep them just moist until they have put out a good root system. Once they have settled in, then you can water normally and fertilize. I have found this plant to do best if outside, in full blazing sun, and given ample water and fertilizer during growth (April-October here). They seem to languish indoors. If you can't plant them outside, I recommend growing them in large containers such as flower boxes, and in areas where the ground freezes fully in winter, protecting them from this. An unheated garage or the like will do fine. I hope that helps!
@@botanyboy1 Oh thank you so much. Normally I would put these outside, but our summers are 95 degrees by 10 am sometimes, and always with 25% rh. It is a high desert here. Also zone 5, so I think I might bury them near a heat pipe at the university which keeps cannas alive for the winter. I know the package says they are hardy to zone 5, if well mulched, but I haven't had luck with doing that. My other option is the refrigerator for winter. Anyway, I have potted all those with similar root systems together so I can give the ones with roots a bit more water and I am also bottom watering a bit with some just to keep the mix humid but not wet up where the tubers are. They are in clay as well, and most seem to be doing alright so far, but I think the ones that are totally rootless will be replanted on a little bed of pumice so that the bottoms of them stay perfectly aerated and then they can stick their roots down into the mix when they get long enough. That way if I overwater a bit, the area around the bulbs will be free of water, but the pot will still be moist if that makes sense. Then when the roots get long enough to reach the moisture, they can have it. Pumice is amazing. I have also just been watering around the outside edge etc etc carefully, but..it is hard to know what the roots are doing without being in a clear plastic pot. Thank you soooo much for all the info. I think I will see if I can't print that up and stick it in my record book. I think it sucks that you cant really find these in the wild in Japan. Do you think it has to do with poaching for medicinal purposes? If I am not mistaken, I think I read somewhere that it was used in China, Mongolia, and Japan to "induce euphoria" and it also has been studied for actual medicinal benefits and seems to have some uses. The tubers of the genus also contain a mucilaginous substance (probably glucomannan) that was used as a binder in inks and for various other pigments and textiles... I wrote a paper on the ethnobotanic uses of orchids for ethnobotany and this was one I was particularly interested in. I would really like to eventually have my entire collection consist of ethnobotanically important orchids someday.
Hi l been watching your videos for a few months and I love them . Do an online store that sell some of the Chinese ground orchid you showed in this video ?
+Ellofez Sorry, due to international laws and other red tape, I don't send out of Japan. Bletilla thankfully are available through many sources in the EU and US. Some companies will ship overseas if you live in other regions.
Thanks for watching! If you check my blog you can read more about terrestrial orchids and I do list some sources, especially for Cypripediums.
Botany boy 1 ....
what is the best potting mix media for pots for outside to grow. Canada could be some winter extremely cold near minus 40 with wind .
In that climate you should definitely bring them inside for the winter. Any location that stays below 5 C (50 F) is good for their rest period (November-March is typical here). You can grow them in almost anything, but I recommend a fairly rich medium that is well draining. Good quality potting soil with added perlite for drainage should work fine. Grow them in full sun and keep them moist at all times. They are heavy feeders, so keep them fertilized throughout the summer. Good luck!
Thank you for the reply 😍 but I need to keep them in pots because when I move I rent a trailer just for my plants lol 😂 my next house will be my permanent one then I’ll plant in the ground , why-do the tips of the leaves turn brown ?? Any advice would be appreciated thank you sooo very much ♥️
Tammy, got it! Don't worry, these do very well in pots too, in fact most of mine are in pots. Generally speaking if you see brown leaf tips it has to do with water - not enough, too much or it contains too many mineral salts. If you have well water the last can be a serious problem for many plants. Also, over fertilizing can cause brown leaf tips. Luckily, this species is very tolerant of less than perfect conditions and will still grow and flower. Once you get them in the ground they should be fine with natural rainfall for the most part - you can water them as needed in dry periods.
Is it ok if these are grown in bark, coconut, charcoal and perlite? I bought one from a local speciality orchid place; which was surprising since they usually stick to growing`selling Tropical orchids, not temperate ones.
Sounds fine. In the case of most plants be wary of bark breaking down over time, however Bletilla striata can take almost any substrate.
Will it grow in a condominium.
Hello, I have some like these. We call them spathoglottis, not sure if the same or not. Anyway, I would like to understand more about its care. Mine are struggling to survive but not really sure the reason. They are land planted, fertilized periodically and semi-sun (under palm trees). Any help will be highly appreciated. Thanks
Spathoglottis are a bit different than Bletilla, but are easily confused since they look similar. I'm guessing you have S. plicata, the most commonly grown one. In nature they like wetter soils, but in cultivation I would recommend free draining, evenly moist soils. They should get some sun, but I would avoid direct midday sun. If they dry out too much that could be a problem. Other than that, you may try changing the compost they're in - perhaps adding more organic material like leaf compost. Good luck with your plants!
?Beautiful! Where can I get Bletilla
+raltoni raltoni In the US you can get the normal pink ones at big box stores. The rarer varieties from Japan you'll have to go to specialist nursery like Plant Delights in North Carolina. In Canada Fraser's Thimble Farms in BC has a large selection as well. Not sure about Europe or elsewhere. I hope that helps! Tom
ya que tengo esa orquidea hace varios años en la Rep. Argentina y me gustaria cuidarla unos mas a la hardy orchid.
Hay muchas maravillosas orquídeas de tierra de la Patagonia, muy deseadas por los productores americanos y europeos. Mira esta belleza, Chloraea magellanica: www.alamy.com/stock-photo/patagonian-orchid-(chloraea-magellanica).html o C. cristata: species.wikimedia.org/wiki/ Chloraea_cristata ¡Flores impresionantes!
For your potted Bletilla, do you let them dry out in winter or keep moist? Mine survived the summer this year and it's becoming winter.
***** Sorry for the VERY late reply. I keep them moist, except B. orchracea which needs protection from winter rains.
Well, I kept mine all dry and only lost one that was grown wrong from a tropical greenhouse (they grew it like a cattleya in pure dry fir bark). So far they've regrown but not flowered yet.
Ok, so I bought some of these bulbs from the store again; is a mix of peat, vermiculite, bark, perlite, and heated clay pebbles sufficient?
The mix sounds fine, though I'd skip the vermiculite since it breaks down so quickly. Even more important is to grow them warm and in plenty of sun. Good luck with your new plants.
Well, the starts I got are sprouting, would 4 T5 fluroescents do until its warmer outside?
That should be OK for now, but be careful when you acclimate them out since they can burn if you put them into direct sun.
Will do.
Can i use the fresh cut stalks as ornamental flowers?
That should work OK, but I'm guessing individual flowers won't last long.
How can I buy this kind of ground orchids?
It depends where you live. They are commonly sold in the US and Europe, and probably are found many other places too. Large bulb companies in the US and Europe sell them, so that is a place to start.
unbelivable site -- easy to grow orchids are a thrill in a temperate climate - do you know where i can get them in japan - i live in kyoto
This species is a very common garden plant in Japan, but oddly buying them is a bit more difficult. If you want the common purple or even white flowered ones, see if you can find some growing in your neighborhood and ask the owner for a piece. I'm sure most people would be happy to oblige. You can buy the rarer varieties on Yahoo Auctions or you can get them mail order from Shikoku Gardens in Matsuyama City. Search for ”シラ”.
Hello, I love Bletilla striata and would like to grow the 'Fukurin' cultivar in my garden in France. Do you know where I could buy one? Thank you for answering me Regards.
Within the EU I'd recommend Albiflora (www.albiflora.be/index.php) as a primary source for most hardy orchids, though they don't list this form. I've only seen it in Japan and suspect it isn't grown outside the country or is very rare.
Ok, thank you very much!
Question? Will these spread out on their own
Yes, if grown well they will multiply over time. You can also split up clumps to form new plants.
how well would these grow in south FL?
It probably will grow in a shadier location, but not thrive. I grew them in Gainesville years ago, but even there the winter was too short and they would often bolt during a warm spell in January only to be killed by frost in February. A better choice for southern Florida are Spathoglottis. There are a number of species and hybrids available, and S. plicata is perhaps even easier than Bletilla to grow and flower.
so beautiful, where can i buy them?
Hi! I don't know where you live, but these can be bought at many nurseries around the world. The fancier ones are more expensive. In Europe you can try Albiflora (www.albiflora.be/index.php), in Canada Thimble Farms (www.thimblefarms.com) and in America, Plant Delights (www.plantdelights.com). Good luck!
Will this species still die back in warm areas?
They went dormant for me in north Florida in Gainesville, an area that averages above 50 F during the brief winter. I can't say if it will do so in warmer regions. Figure USDA cold hardiness zone 9 or lower in the eastern USA.
Thanks for your reply. I'm in zone 10 in southern California. Some sources say these "require" a winter rest, but then again people say that Den. moniliforme "require" a winter rest when in my experience they don't. I may try this orchid since it's so cheap.
Yup, definitely worth a try. I've heard of people successfully growing the warm tolerant Cypripedium species C. formosanum and C. kentuckiense in the LA area. If that's true, you have a shot with this species. Also, see if you can get a hold of Bletilla formosana since it is more subtropical in distribution and no doubt is more tolerant of warm winters.
Thanks for sharing.
hav you grown opyrys, is it possible?
You certainly can grow Ophrys, but they are more touchy, like most terrestrial orchids. I grow only O. tenthredinifera, a relatively easy species. Virtually all need lime rich, free draining media, and are best grown in containers, not in the open ground. Of course if you live in or near their native lands, they will be easier to grow. I will talk about my experiences with O. tenthredinifera in an up coming video this spring - a far ranging, cold hardy species that is less touchy about soil conditions.
I am interested
Que linda! Nunca vi nos orquidarios.
I am interested Bletilla
In India is this plant available? If anybody has , kindly let me know. Thanks.
where do I get this plant
If you live in the US you can buy them as a dried bulb at any big box store or nursery (in the fall or spring). If you want the fancier types you'll have to get them through a specialist nursery like Plant Delights in North Carolina, but they won't be cheap. In Canada Frasier's Thimble Farms has a very nice selection of Bletilla, including hybrids.
For whom they don't know about these plants, I have grown these in tropical part of India , don't require winter rest . However there are different varieties. Please google
I'm not surprised really. I grew them in Florida where winters are very mild. I only grew the typical B. striata, not any of the fancier blue types though. I would imagine that B. formosana and B. ochracea also could endure areas with warm winters.
Beautiful, I wander where can i buy this plant?
Carmelita Jones If you live in the US or Canada, most dealers that handle spring flowering Dutch grown bulbs and perennials list Bletilla in their spring catalogs. In years past, catalogs listed both the wild magenta purple form (you generally received 2 different pattern morphs of these), and the pink tinted white form shown in this video (generally listed erroneously as 'Bletilla alba'). These were seed grown 2 1/2 year old plants that had initiated inflorescences in their dormant shoots (usually 2) for the coming spring's growth. They generally arrived carefully packed in peat moss or sawdust. By the mid 1990s, many of these were showing very nice fukuren variegation. Apparently something went wrong for the main Dutch grower(s), because most US retailers dropped Bletilla from their listings between about 2010 and 2015. Retailers are now offering tissue cultured collections of three varieties; a dark magenta wild type, the 'blue' variety shown here, and the pink tinted white form.
I ran into 2 problems with purchased Bletilla in the years before they were dropped from retailers' lists. One, they were usually sent packed loose in plastic bags with vent holes, instead of being packed in peat moss or sawdust as in years past. As a result, their new shoots were often broken off (they sprouted new shoots from dormant eyes, but many of these replacement shoots failed to bloom). Many were badly dehydrated because they were not stored/shipped in sawdust/peat. These produced permanently deformed incurved leaf tips, and worse, the tips of the flower petals and sepals (tepals) were stuck together as the buds tried to open; they could be manually separated, but the blooms were deformed as a result. Secondly, too many were infected with viruses on arrival, and as they leafed out and bloomed, the leaves and flowers showed the chlorosis and necrosis often symptomatic of many viral infections. This happened even when they were grown and flowered indoors. I suspect that they were infected when they were handled and packed by employees who had been handling virus infected bulbs and perennials, and/or stored in containers that held virused plant materials in the past.
If you have Northern Raccoons visiting your garden, be forewarned that some love the scent of crushed and broken Bletilla plants! They don't eat them, they pull them out of their pots or the ground, then pat the soil/potting mix off their roots before crushing the rhizomes, oseodobulbs, and above ground parts of the plant, which is usually killed or badly damaged (and sometimes, infected with viruses) by this abuse!
R u sale in india?
Sorry, I don't sell plants out of Japan.
👍
Linda parabéns Deus abençoe 😍😍😍😍😍😍😘😘😘😘😘👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Orquídea Grapete
lol I had more trouble with this then with Cypripedium.
These don't do well unless planting in sun. I think a lot of folks fail with them because they plant in shade or try to grow them indoors. Give them tons of water, sun, nutrients, and warmth in summer and they should rock. Not fussy at all, even when being attacked by rots they usually persist regardless. Cyps will die in a heartbeat once rot sets in unless you act immediately. The only drawback of Bletilla are their cold hardiness - not great and poor for B. ochracea and B. formosana. B. striata is good to USDA cold hardiness zone 7, then needs winter protection in colder areas.
Maybe I put them in too dry a spot; where I had them was over 6 hours of full sun. Also, do you know if they are actually hardy down to -20c? That's what the coldest temperature without windchill is where I live and they were selling them locally, so I assume they didn't go away from the winter.
Hmm, -20 C is pretty darn cold. I'd say at that temperature you should give them a very thick mulch - a couple feet deep at least. Even then they may not survive such a deep frost. In nature their roots never are in truly frozen ground. Their roots certainly do no like dry conditions, but the plant itself can take almost any amount of sunlight. I'd say they grow and flower best in full sun, but the plants will look rather battered by late summer.
botanyboy1
Thanks for the help, I should be able to find some more in the spring, they aren't too common or too rare around here to buy. The local big box nurseries have them but only for a few weeks of the year.
me gustaria estubiera traducido al castellano o español
Ricardo, no puedo hablar ni escribir en español. Usted puede mirar este artículo que escribí sobre esta planta en mi blog en: botanyboy.org/the-only-easy-to-grow-terrestrial-orchid-bletilla-striata/ Estoy usando Google Translate para " Escribir "esto, así que puedes usarlo para traducirlo al español. ¡Espero que eso ayude un poco! Tom