Repotting the Hydnophytiinae

[Aurélien]

Dear all,

 

As I said this spring, I plained to repot all Hydnophytiinae with coarse medium, in plastic pots with Trichoderma harzianum.

 

http://myrmecodia.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/406-pythium-in-hydnophytinae/

 

I effectively repot all these plants the second week of july, with my counterpart of Lyon BG, in work placement in our greenhouses.

 

Many plants in our greenhouses doesn't really appreciate this warm and sunny summer, but the ant-plants reacted fairly well to the strong sun and high temperatures! That was the best time for repot them.

 

So, I use coarse and fibrous peat, long-fiber Sphagnum (Sphagnum palustre), very coarse poplar-bark, sieved pumice and a little bit charcoal. I had also a good proportion of osmocote and pellets from Trichoderma harzianum.

 

As you can see, the plants really enjoy this new substrate!

 

Some views of the collection:

 

 

 

Myrmecodia beccarii:

 

The new healthly roots of a young Hydnophytum:

 

 

Another technic: a big clump of sphagnum in an horizontal bark.

 

Hydnophytum moseleyanum:

 

Myrmecodia platytyrea:

 

These big Hydnophytum moseleyanum, saved from a big attack of oomycete show now good sins of health;

 

 

 

Epiphytic myrmecophytes on epiphytic myrmecophytes! Tillandsia butzii self-seedlings on Hydnophytum moseleyanum. The other seedlings are T. schiedeana, which is not ant-Tillandsia.

 

 

Another test: as I see in Sulawesi that many Hydnophytum grow in strong sun, strong wind with a few roots and no substrate at all, I try these H. moseleyanum in a small trunk of oak-tree. The plant on the bottom begin to make pretty roots, but the upper one seems to decay.

 

[Philman]

Thanks Aurelien for sharing this nice collection with us!

Very interesting to see the different cultivation techniques.

 

Can you tell us something about your experience with Trichoderma harzianum?

Do you use it just preventive or can you see an instant effect?

 

All the best

Philipp

[Aurélien]

Hello Philipp,

 

Used as preventive, Trichoderma harzianum just take the place that could used by oomycetes. It could stop these pests only by its presence! And it could also eat the fungi when the attack is at the begining.

Of course, as this useful fungi act also as a mycorhizal commensal, it helps a lot the growth of the plant by its mycelium.

 

I use it in pellet in the substrate, but also by watering, every 3 weeks. It's constraining but really efficient!

 

The best,

 

Aurélien