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peacock orchid

lorr 1500lorr 1500 Posts: 69
in Problem solving

image

 Hi,

last year I planted 100 peacock orchids (Acidanthera) they all grew to around 2ft tall but only 1 flowered so I thought I would dig up the bulbs.  The above pictures show what I have found.

Is this some sort of disease - could that be why I had only the one flower?

Did I not plant them deep enough? or too deep?

Any help/ideas would be appreciated

Many Thanks

 

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Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 86,097

    They're little offsets of the bulb, making more bulbs - eventually those little ones will be big enough to flower.

    As to why the big ones didn't flower last year, I've no idea - but I'd plant them again and hope for the best. image


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • lorr 1500lorr 1500 Posts: 69

    Thanks - I was so sure that it most be a something wrong with them  (possible some sort of a bug feeding off them)

    Will replant them at the back of the boarder as they grew really tall last year - so where basically in the wrong place

    I assume these little ones will take a couple of years to mature

  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,260

    None of mine flowered last year either. I just got leaves.image

  • Judith 5Judith 5 Posts: 108

    Mine didn't flower either. I dug them up, dried them out and have planted again for this year. The bulbs hadn't made babies tho. Anyway fingers crossed for this year. 

  • BiljeBilje Posts: 754
    Same for me, nice to hear other folk are in the same position. The original bulbs seemed larger than the ones I bought last year so fingers crossed
  • Judith 5Judith 5 Posts: 108

    Mine were bigger too Bilje. I'm not sure if they're hardy.

  • lorr 1500lorr 1500 Posts: 69
    Sorry to hear that others have had the same problem with them not flowering

    I didn't dig mine out last year just left them in the ground so maybe that's why I have now got the little bulbs

    Be interesting to see if anyone gets any flowers this year
  • BiljeBilje Posts: 754
    Judith....no they aren't hardy, mine were left abandoned in pots over winter in the open as I'd given up on them. It was only when I emptied the pots I discovered the bulbs and offsets.



    lorr 1500 ...we'll all try and remember this thread and post our results.
  • lorr 1500lorr 1500 Posts: 69
    Yes that would be a good idea - be interesting to see if anyone gets any flowers this year

    Will make a note in my calendar
  • gregory.smith4gregory.smith4 Posts: 1
    Lorr 1500, 
                   you may not have palnted them in a sunny enough positition. I had a wonderful display of flowers and perfume for weeks this summer from mine. They were palnted 2019. Some that were at the shadier end of the border tried to lean towards the sunnier part and didn't flower so well.
     Regarding hardiness; I planted some in containers last autum and they overwintered fine in Lincolnshire. When I lived in Scotland, they flowered fine in the sunny spot, but didn't survive the winter, but it was very much colder than it is here, snow from November to March, so no wonder really. They are from Africa originally I believe. The crocosmia they were palnted with did suvive.
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