Date: Sat, 3 Jun 2000 22:15:36 BST From: loyd.wix@talk21.com To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg1700$foo@default> Subject: More on U.humbolbtii
Dear Christer,
I am fortunate to have both my colonies of U.humboldtii in flower
currently, this is the second year in a row that I have seen flowers.
One plant is growing in a large 30cm square water lily basket lines with
sphagnum, and filled with more moss plus some peat and perlite. Leaves
stick out of the slots in the side of the basket as well as out of the
top and the number of leaves currently stands at 45. The second younger
colony is in a tray about 24 by16cms and growing in straight peat and
perlite with by comparison only 15 leaves. Both of these plantings
permanently stand in water.
Once these colonies start to flower they seem to do so regularly. I
remember waiting several years to see the flowers of U.reniformis, and
this only started to happen once I stopped repotting the plant every
year and left it alone. I think these plants need a reasonable amount
of space to occupy, minimal disturbance and a cool winter to induce
dormancy. (I keep my plants at a winter minimum of 10 degrees C). This
species flowers for me just as U.reniformis is about to finish, and
after U.humboldtii finishes, U.alpina and longifolia take over. Thus I
am able to enjoy the flowers on these large Utrics over a number of
months. I have yet to see the flowers of U.nelumbifolia, but I am sure
it is only a matter of time.
It is quite easy to propagate U.humboldtii without resorting to
splitting up and hence disturbing your plant, and that is from the
runners that occasionally emerge from the pot and easily distinguished
from the leaves by the arching growth habit. These runners may be
caught in pots of sphagnum and allowed to form new plants before the
ruuner is severed from the parent plant. U.nelumbifolia may be
propagated in the same way.
Regarding variants, a photograph of a white flowered plant taken by Ms
Shibata appeared in the excellent Japanese CP picture book that was
published a couple of years ago.
Regards
Loyd
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