Post by dhaas on Apr 29, 2016 2:22:07 GMT -5
After having success with Pogonias, Calopogons, Spiranthes, and Platanthera ciliaris in my Missouri bog garden, I am considering trying a Cypripedium californicum. I am considering putting one in an empty corner of my bog that gets morning sun but is a bit more shaded than the rest of the bog throughout the rest of the day (direct sunlight for several hours and then dappled shade/ partial sun for the rest of the day). I can grow Sarracenia in this corner, but they don't tend to color up quite as nicely as those in the rest of my bog do. My bog is around 17 inches deep and has a 4 inch layer of pure silica sand at the bottom that acts as a reservoir during dry-spells (although I also water it with water from my rain barrel); however, it isn't especially swampy but is moist instead (the orchid's roots wouldn't be soggy). I would dig down and replace the current mix of peat moss, silica sand, and long-fibered sphagnum moss with another medium for it. I also mulch the bog with several inches of pine needles every winter. Does this sound okay? Does anybody have any experience growing them? I've been scared to try any Cypripediums in my yard in the past, but a man who raised and grew hundreds of temperate orchids while he lived in STL said that a C. californicum might be worth a shot in my bog. I've read that they do well in completely inorganic substrates made up of perlite and Turface, but I don't know how Turface would affect the pH in the rest of the bog. Does anybody have a suggestion for a medium to plant them in? I was thinking about making a mix of silica sand, pine bark mulch, perlite, and long-fibered sphagnum, but I can buy some Turface if necessary. I've also heard that they like fertilizing although I don't currently fertilize anything else in my bog. How should I best fertilize it? I've heard of other's using fish emulsion for their Sarracenia, but would a Cypripedium be okay with this?