Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1998 09:22:39 +0200 From: juerg.steiger@iae.unibe.ch (Juerg Steiger) To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg2667$foo@default> Subject: Re: Temperate Pings
Dear Jens
>I have several temperate Pings (vulgaris, grandiflora, mundi,
>vallisnerifolia) that I keep outside in the garden. Now some of them have
>begun to produce something that resembles winter buds.
>We are having a heat wave at the moment, could that be the cause ?
>What should I do ? Are the plants in danger ?
The main problem with cultivating temperate Pings is that they are kept to
warm which stimulates them to form their winter buds to early. As
october-november may be quite mild in central Europe these winter buds may
begin to form new rosettes already in december, but those plants usually do
not survive, even if day length is extended by artificial light. The best
way to save the plants is to keep them now as cool as possible. The later
they form the winter buds the better they survive winter. P.
vallisneriifolia (written with two i - derived from vallisneria) and P.
mundi are less fussy, but P. vulgaris and grandiflora really need cool and
humid air (at least 80 percent rel.hum.). In Europe 1 Celsius degree higher
or lower corresponds to an altitude difference of 300m. In gardens around
cities it is usually 2-3C warmer, less humid and less windy than in the
original habitats of P. vulgaris or grandiflora at the same altitude and
northern latitude. This temperature/wind/humidity difference means that you
grow them in a climate of at least 1000m below the altitude of your home -
for plants this is an enormous difference. Give them frequently fine water
sprays in order to create temperature decrease by evaporation and in order
to simulate night dew. (I use a professional cooling system but this costs
several thousand DM).
Kind regards Juerg
Juerg Steiger M.D., Institute for Medical Education IAWF,
University of Bern, Faculty od Medicine, Inselspital 37a, CH-3010 Bern,
Switzerland. Phone: +41 (0)31 632 9887, Fax: +41 (0)31 632 9871
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