Date: Wed, 6 Dec 2000 12:23:43 EST From: JDPDX@aol.com To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg3505$foo@default> Subject: Re: Ping. moranensis
Hi Jeff
You don't give any details of how you grow the plants so I'll have to
amke assumptions and be general. However...
>I'm in need of some outside wisdom. I've noticed on all of my P.
>moranensis plants that flower stalks are produced often, but many
>seem to start growing, then shrivel. The plants themselves look
>fine, but only about 25% of the time to the flower stalks mature.
Two points. All, plants (not just CP's) do spontaneously abort
flowering for no apparent reason so don't expect 100% success.
Second, if too many abort, then presumably the conditions you have are
unsuitable (though don't take this as a criticism). In the wild, most
Pings grow in good but indirect light. A few grow in shad but very few
grow in direct blazing sunlight. In addition, almost none seem to like
soaking wet soil. Indeed, the mexican species (which includes most of
the plants that have a P. moranensis label) love very free draining soil
that is wetted only when dry. So ideally, you'll water your plants, the
soil will contain plenty of Perlite so it can drain freely, and when the
soil feels dry you'll water again. In winter, the watering can be
delayed so that plants remain dry for up to a week before watering
again, and then only a small amount, not enough for plants to remain
standing in water all day. Lighting should be 10 or more hours in
summer and under 8 hours (6-7 hours) in winter when no longer producing
sticky leaves (though some old ones may persist). Keep temperatures at
10C or above though ideally, plants can be much hotter every day time
and about 10C at night. Below 8C, your plants are at risk!!!
If you match these conditions, plants should be as happy as they can be
wityhout taking special care for specifically named plants that have
different names (complicated because there are no true different
varieties, forms etc for P. moranenisis but plants that bear diffeent
names may require slightly different conditions!). And I've not
accounted for some significant differences such as plants that require
almost drought conditions in winter (P. gypsicola needs winter watering
in tiny quantities at most and probably only once a month, others that
create undergound over-wintering "bulbs" probably also want to be dry or
slightly wetted as for P. gypsicola) and others that don't believe in
winter (so need heat, light and water all the time - e.g. P. filifolia).
Hope this helps. I'm away for a few days, back at weekend. Ask direct
questions if I've left anything out.
Feel free to post this answer on the CP Listserv as I can't. That way
others might also see it (and if anyone disagrees, they can add their
corrections). All my emails to the conference get erased (a fault
created by Netscape 6) so I can't post to the listserv myself.
Cheers
Paul
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