Showing posts with label Dracula chimaera. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dracula chimaera. Show all posts

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Dracula chimaera update

It turns out that all the new growth problems(pleated leaves) with my draculas came from low humidity. Here is my attempt to increase humidity around Dracula chimaera:



I know saran wrap at the top looks weird, but it is temporary until I fashion something more elegant.
Now I need to find suitable glass container for Dracula simia which is twice taller.

Also knowledgeable folks from Orchidboard suggested to pot draculas into net pots since they send spikes down and to the sides, so I also moved my dracs from clay to net pots.
I hope all these manipulations are for good.

Monday, September 3, 2012

Draculas disappointment

I got two new dracs last spring to try out - chimaera and simia. Just to see if I can grow them. They live in the basemnet where it is cooler than the rest of the house.

Well, they didn't die and do try to grow but here is what happens with new growth:



It is Dracula chimaera.
New growth starts, grows, grows and then becomes all ruffled. Then it just breaks off the plant. This is third new growth that came out with ruffles. Why??!!
Dracula simia does almost the same, well, her leaves are narrower, but same idea. The only dracula that grows normally - lotax.

I do let moss to go bone dry between waterings, maybe that is the problem?

I am going to keep it wet at all times now and see how the newest little nubbing turns out. If it will ruffle too - no more draculas for me!

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Dracula chimaera

Dracula chimaera is the second dracula species that I bought to try out:



I already have Dracula lotax(considered as warmth tolerant) since last October and it is doing fine. I mean it didn't bloom or anything, but it is still alive and growing some new shots. I got Dracula chimaera in March from Ecuagenera too, but this one is marked as a cool grower, so I expected it to die, so I would know to stay away from all the cool growers.
Well, it didn't. As a matter of fact it started to grow a new shot too:



Probably the fact that basement where it lives doesn't go above 18C creates environment cool enough for Dracula chimaera. We'll see if it ever blooms.