Disa

[Erythrone]

Hi folks,

One of my friends and I bought Disas a few days ago (Disa uniflora). Since that species is supposed to be tricky, we would like to ask a few things about its cultivation.

-The plant must be grown on the wet side, so we can set them in a tray of water. Can you tell how deep could be the water? 1/2 inche, 1 inch, 2 inches? Maybe a large plant in a large pot will be OK in 2 inches of water but not a smaller one on a 4 to 5 inches pot tall?

-My friend was thinking about watering with RO or rain water every day, discarding the water from the tray every day. Maybe there will be too much nutrient loss ? Of course... you will ask about the fertilization.... Don't know but I suppose it will be at a very low rate

 

[Linus_Cello]

Read some of the threads in the photo section on disas. E.g., http://www.slippertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46359

 

[Dandrobium]

Hey Lise, what type of media mix & pot type & size are you using? I've received some in great condition growing in a coir & perlite mix, in 4.5" plastic pot, and short saucer that I wait until saucer is dry until I water again. This is not the mix I typically use, but the uniflora seems to do quite well in it. I would be wary of continually sitting the pot in a saucer of water, as root rot could quickly develop. I like to water until the saucer (1/2" or so) is close to full, then wait until the saucer is dry before I water again (2 days usually in summer). Also, I have LECA in the bottom of my pots so only the LECA is submerged when the saucer is full.

They seem to like being continually moist, but not water logged or saturated. I may have lost a hybrid (Unidiorosa) from being too wet.

 

[TyroneGenade]

Hello,

See https://afrodisa.weebly.com/mature-plants.html and https://web.archive.org/web/20070203210006/http://www.disas.com:80/culture.htm .

I have observed the plants in the wild where they are growing in sand banks in streams. The sand is saturated with clear, clean water.

Using a mix of moss and perlite or find silica sand you can grow the plants in pots standing in about 1 inch of water. You need to change the water daily. They can be growing hydroponically in rock wool or silica sand. Louis Vogelpoel used to grow them in guttering placed a small incline. He would recirculate water from a sump to the top of the gutter and they did well like this.

They need bright light: morning sun.

Individual plants are not long-lived so sow seed regularly. I tracked one wild plant over several years and after about 3 years the plant, even though it was still sending up new plantlets, was in decline. I guess the plant had been growing where it was for 3 or 4 years previously.

Good luck!

 

[NYEric]

They need very low feed rate and rot easily in cultivation. Good luck.

 

[Erythrone]

Read some of the threads in the photo section on disas. E.g., http://www.slippertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46359

Yes, thanks. I already read them

 

[Erythrone]

Hey Lise, what type of media mix & pot type & size are you using? I've received some in great condition growing in a coir & perlite mix, in 4.5" plastic pot, and short saucer that I wait until saucer is dry until I water again. This is not the mix I typically use, but the uniflora seems to do quite well in it. I would be wary of continually sitting the pot in a saucer of water, as root rot could quickly develop. I like to water until the saucer (1/2" or so) is close to full, then wait until the saucer is dry before I water again (2 days usually in summer). Also, I have LECA in the bottom of my pots so only the LECA is submerged when the saucer is full.

They seem to like being continually moist, but not water logged or saturated. I may have lost a hybrid (Unidiorosa) from being too wet.

Actually they are on the initial mix from the grower. Looks like coir and perlite.... I bought them from the same source as yours. Thanks for your insights!

 

[Erythrone]

Hello,

See https://afrodisa.weebly.com/mature-plants.html and https://web.archive.org/web/20070203210006/http://www.disas.com:80/culture.htm .

I have observed the plants in the wild where they are growing in sand banks in streams. The sand is saturated with clear, clean water.

Using a mix of moss and perlite or find silica sand you can grow the plants in pots standing in about 1 inch of water. You need to change the water daily. They can be growing hydroponically in rock wool or silica sand. Louis Vogelpoel used to grow them in guttering placed a small incline. He would recirculate water from a sump to the top of the gutter and they did well like this.

They need bright light: morning sun.

Individual plants are not long-lived so sow seed regularly. I tracked one wild plant over several years and after about 3 years the plant, even though it was still sending up new plantlets, was in decline. I guess the plant had been growing where it was for 3 or 4 years previously.

Good luck!

Thanks a lot!!! Very useful!