Date: Mon, 27 Jan 1997 12:24:00
From: Clark Riley, clark_riley@qmail.bs.jhu.edu
Subject: [12379] Pogonia ophioglossoides cul

               Pogonia ophioglossoides culture

I grew Pogonia for several years and found it relatively straight forward
to grow IF you are willing to yield a few key requirements. Before it
perished from abuse in our move here from Chicago, I grew it in a bog
garden which spent the Winter in our refrigerator and Summers on a
Chicago balcony.

Rule #1:
Be able to grow live Sphagnum. You need rain/distilled/reverse osmosis...
ie good clean water. You can sprout Sphagnum by adding enough of the
aforementioned water to dried, long-fibered Sphagnum in a zip-lock bag.
and keeping it in moderate light - not direct sun.  Pogonia grows by
sending out a spaghetti-like network of roots/rhizomes. The leaves sprout
from time to time along this tangle. The Sphagnum can fill the pot - I
use aircone pots for what it's worth - or can be lain atop wet
sand/perlite. Acidic, or at least low-mineral conditions are necessary. I
never took the pH, but neither did I ever use any additives to alter the
natural pH.

Rule #2:
NEVER LET IT DRY OUT. It will die.

Rule #3:
Lots of light! This is a bog plant, evolved to enjoy dawn to dusk
sunlight.

Hope this helps.

clark riley, baltimore