Noooooooooo!!!

[gore42]

I just checked on my red Disa motherflasks.

They're all contaminated! Beyond salvage, I'm afraid. *Sigh* With these ones, I made the mistake of letting the capsule split open, rather than sowing green. It is my intention to always sow green pod, but this one developed so quickly, it took me by surprise. I must not have done a thorough enough job of sterilizing the seed... the larger clumps of seed seemed to be the center of the growth. So, I just washed thousands of Disa seeds down the sink.

I think I've had enough of Disas. Maybe I'll replace my Disa page with Cyps

Or maybe I'll feel better tomorrow...

- Matt Gore

 

[kentuckiense]

Yikes!

I'm sorry to hear that. It's just some more experience, though. It's something to learn from.

Can't you do Cyps and Disas?

 

[Marco]

Sorry to hear about the disas Matt.

 

[SlipperFan]

My sympathy. Disa's are hard enough to grow when they are established. But I hope you feel better tomorrow -- there are not very many sources for Disa growers, I'm thinking. No -- I'm not one. I tried and failed.

 

[bwester]

Sorry Matt. I'd buy you a beer if I could

 

[Heather]

I think we could all use a round, Blake...

Sorry to hear about the babies, Matt.

 

[Equestris]

Now don't take this bad run of luck out on the Disas Matt. This could happen with any kind of pod, right? So sympathetic about this bad outcome, but I know you'll be back; you're so close to getting the right Disa combination!

 

[gore42]

Thanks everyone I'm feeling better about the Disas already. I'm going to have to contact a friend of mine about getting some seed, though. I'm actually in the process of building a cool growing space for my orchids, since I think the kovachii will do better that way, and the Disas will certainly like it.

- Matthew

 

[Mycorrhizae]

Oh bummer. I sure wish I had known all this two days ago. Yesterday, I clipped off and threw away at least a dozen seed capsules from various color forms of D. uniflora. All the time I kept thinking, "I sure wish I knew someone who wanted these and could have some fun with 'em." I probably should have hopped in the car and taken them over to Troy, but I couldn't verify whether they were selfings or outcrosses. They seem to self-pollinate so easily - either that or it's the darned butterflies that keep getting sucked into the greenhouse through the intake vents. Two years ago I got disgusted at their minimal growth and decided to stop babying the Disas with distilled water. It was after I started hosing them down with the same well water all the other orchids get that they really took off and grew into very strong plants.

 

[gore42]

Oh bummer. I sure wish I had known all this two days ago. Yesterday, I clipped off and threw away at least a dozen seed capsules from various color forms of D. uniflora. All the time I kept thinking, "I sure wish I knew someone who wanted these and could have some fun with 'em."

You and me both! If you run across a capsule that you missed, let me know I didn't know that you grew Disas! They seem to be pretty popular up in the Pacific Northwest

I actually use RO water still, but I fertilize with every watering, at about 50 PPM... which is about what the TDS of our tap water is.

- Matthew

 

[DavidM]

So sorry to here that, I really love the Disa, I saw some insitu 2 years ago in Cape Town, and when I returned last year, many had been removed...it is really sad.

I am hoping to get some flasks from a Cape Town breeder in September at the Orchid Conference

 

[Gideon]

That is a pity, I really love these plants...but it could happen to any orchid flask

 

[Marco]

Glad to hear you're on the ups now Matt. =)