| Pecteilis sagarikii (formerly known as Habenaria sagarikii) is a deciduous
terrestrial that hails from southeast Asia (Korea, Thailand, etc.). Being
a terrestrial deciduous orchid, it's a little tricky to grow. Plants put
up a single new growth from an underground tuber in late spring...this
growth expands rather rapidly into two or more wide, round leaves with
the central spike emerging in the middle of the eaves to bloom some time
in late summer/early autumn. During growth, the plants should be kept warm,
humid, and fairly wet (not totally soggy, but much more wetness than you'd
usually feel comfortable giving a Phal or Paph). I fertilize my plant very
lightly (a few pellets of nutricote on the top of the soil). It is potted
in a mix of peaty houseplant soil mixed in with probably 30% orchid bark
mix (bark, charcoal, and spongerock), hence a fairly well-draining soil
mix. Light should be medium-bright.
After blooming, continue to keep the plant evenly moist, but start keeping it a little drier. About a month or so (a little longer if it's trying to grow seed pods), the plant will start its die-back process...if this has not happened by late December on its own, you might try witholding water a bit more to force this. The plant will eventually lose all vegetation above-ground (which can be freaky to watch as it wilts and dries up), but will have formed a fresh, new tuber under the soil for next year. This tuber can be anywhere from 1.5 to 3 inches long and covered in a fuzzy coating. It is during this time that you may want to repot the tuber to keep the soil fresh. During winter, it can be kept somewhat cooler (although I left mine in my int-warm Wardian Case all winter), probably down to 55 degrees or so, but still very slightly damp...I drip a few drops of water on the soil surface every day or two. The plant will remain as nothing but an underground tuber until sometime in April or May, when it starts to re-emerge, at this point, start giving it more water, being careful not to let water stand in the inverted cone formed by the emerging leaves. A rule of thumb used for tropical habenariids is to start watering more heavily right around tax time, April 15 (add six months to this day if you live on the bottom side of the globe), even if you don't see new growth. |
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