How to grow Polycycnis
How to grow Polycycnis
The Polycycnis are a genus of plants (Polycycnis Rchb. F.) Of the Orchidaceae family.
The name of this genus comes from the Greek polys (many) and kyknos (swan), due to the shape of its labellum which reminds precisely of the neck and head of a swan although in some respects these plants with their hanging and bizarre flowers resemble to insects.
These include the Polycycnis barbata which is a species that lives in the natural state in Costa Rica, Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru as a medium-sized epiphyte and which grows at altitudes between 160 and 1500 meters above sea level.
This plant blooms on a pendant, basal, 30 cm long, pubescent, with flowery, fragrant and short-lived inflorescences that occur in the spring period.
This genus includes the following species:
– Polycycnis acutiloba Schltr .;
– Polycycnis annectans Dressler;
– Polycycnis aurita Dressler;
– Polycycnis barbata (Lindl.) Rchb.f .;
– Polycycnis blancoi G.Gerlach;
– Polycycnis escobariana G.Gerlach;
– Polycycnis gratiosa Endres & Rchb.f .;
– Polycycnis grayi Dodson;
– Polycycnis lehmannii Rolfe;
– Polycycnis lepida Linden & Rchb.f .;
– Polycycnis muscifera (Lindl. & Paxton) Rchb.f .;
– Polycycnis pfisteri Senghas, Tagges & G.Gerlach;
– Polycycnis surinamensis C.Schweinf .;
– Polycycnis tortuosa Dressler;
– Polycycnis trullifera D.E.Benn. & Christenson;
– Polycycnis villegasiana G.Gerlach.
In this card we will see how to grow Polycycnis taking into account their agronomic, pedological and climatic needs.
The most suitable substrate for the cultivation of these species is that consisting of osmunda and sphagnum in equal parts that will be placed in hanging baskets.
The best conditions of temperature and humidity will occur in a hot and humid greenhouse where these two values can be kept constant.
Above all, it will be necessary to keep the humidity high, especially in the vegetative period, while as far as the temperature is concerned, during the winter period, in the greenhouse it must never fall below 13 ° C.
As for watering, these should be reduced in winter and gradually increased as the summer period approaches when they must be abundant and regular. A practical way to irrigate the Polycycnis is to immerse the containers of the plants directly in water and, after a few minutes, remove the whole, drain the plant and reposition it in its position.
A particular note on the quality of the waters since, a little as for all the orchids, this must have a low salinity value and if you are not in the presence of water with these characteristics you can avoid mixing water from the network with deionized water, increasing the latter the higher the salinity value of the mains water is.
For the fertilization it is necessary to provide every 15-20 days in the vegetative period using specific liquid fertilizers for orchids and diluting them directly in the irrigation water.
Finally the propagation system of these plants. The safest one is through the technique of multiplication by division of the tufts to be carried out in the spring period.