DISAS

Disas have a very bad reputation as being difficult to grow and particularly quick to perish. Not so! I have been fooling around with these plants for 10 years now, and am happy to share my mistakes with you. Do yourself a favour and learn from my mistakes – follow these recos and then make your own changes once you have had some success. The absolutely essential key is water: high quality water, all the time. We use RO water and a flood table. Plants are flooded every day for about an hour. I grow in sphagnum moss. The flood table is in our Phal house and gets the same light as all our other plants. SIMPLE! Like with many orchids, you should try a few before you gage your success.

Our Disa setup with reservoir underneath.

Typical Disa seedling one month out of flask.

Disa uniflora plant ready to spike, 17 months after seed sowing!!

Happy healthy Disa roots!

Please note: you may be aware of the challenge in successfully capturing the red spectrum in digital photography. The pics below have not been modified in any way, and unfortunately do not capture 100% of the intensity nor sparkling quality of the flowers. They are quite accurately rendered, but still do not do the flowers justice as compared to seeing them in person!

May 1, 2007 - Please note, catalog listings for available plants will be posted as soon as available. In the mean time, enjoy our pics!

We receive a lot of questions on Disas, so hopefully we can address some concerns with the pics/info below:

DISA ROT– because of the soggy nature of Disa culture, we find them especially prone to rotting off. They seem to get this bacteria or fungus that overtakes the plant VERY quickly, such that all that is left is a rotted mass of leaves, or a tipped over stem looking like a felled tree. Inside the pot you will often find live root tips growing underneath this rotten mess up top.
SOLUTION: we find frequent water changes in the reservoir to help, potentially eliminating the build up of spores/bacteria. Good air circulation will also help, along with regular sprays of fungicide. We have used Senator WP without any adverse effects on the plants.

BUGS– thus far, the single greatest pest we have encountered is mealy bug. Those insidious pests of most orchids seem to love the soft succulent leaves of Disas.

MINERAL DEFICIENCY? Not really sure what is wrong with this plant. One would imagine a mineral deficiency would affect all plants on the table, not just a single one. We continue to experiment with different fertilizers, focusing on magnesium levels, and to a lesser extent calcium. Remember, a good blend of micros should be a small but important part of any fertilizer blend you add to your tank!

SOLUTION: we spray as need with Safer’s Soap and Enstar II, however we have also used Orthene WP without any adverse effects on the plants. Be careful on dosing of Safer's - too much will desiccate the leaves!

THRIPS – we have been growing orchids for over 20 years, and have never encountered significant thrip problems until Disas. They will gnaw, pierce, drain and damage petals and leaves, making them deformed and unsightly. We have sprayed with Enstar II and Safer’s soap without problems, however care should be taken to avoid damage to developing buds and open flowers.
	Close up on the right		Close up on the right

TEMPERATURE – most Disas will thrive as long as temps do not exceed 80 F for an extended period. If they do, they need plenty of moisture, with roots as cool as possible. We live in Windsor, Canada, due south of Detroit Michigan. Our summers get very hot, with the greenhouse regularly in the 90s from May – September. The Disas are in the same house as the Phals and multifloral Paphs, however take refuge underneath the Quiet cool evaporative cooler we have in one end. The cool moist air blowing overhead seems to keep things cool enough for them, however care should be taken for the air current not to be TOO strong on the plants.