Disa Growing Tips

Disa Growing Tips

The following tips are based on our growing experience....

Potting Medium

Temperature

Ambient temperature should be between 35° and 85° F
Temperature of the roots should be between 35° and 70° F
In summer, keep the roots cool (below 70° F); if so, the Disas can tolerate up to 100° F for a short period
In winter, keep the night temperature below 45F to promote underground growth; as long as the roots are not
frozen, Disas can survive below freezing level, but with some possible frostbite on the leaves

Light

50% shade is typical
If the ambient temperature is below 70° F, full sun is beneficial for intense flower color
If the ambient temperature is above 80° F, increase the shade
Light (as well as temperature) affects the Disa flower color; more light gives more intense color

Watering

Treat Disas (evergreen species) like a bog plant; never let the potting medium dry out
We advise that the total dissolved salts (TDS) level of water, including feeding water, should always be less than
200 ppm.
Growing in shallow water

Water level should be about 1" at the bottom of the pot
Circulate water and provide oxygen into the water; for small water tub growing, an aquarium air pump can
be used
If water is not circulated, change water every 1 - 2 weeks
To flush out accumulated salts, water from above every week

Here, on the central Oregon coast, we water every 1 - 3 days in the summer, every 4 - 6 days in the spring and
fall, and every 7 - 10 days in the winter; for warmer and/or dryer conditions, more frequent watering is necessary.

Feeding

Rinse off the fertilizer solution from the leaves 40 - 60 minutes after feeding (before it dries); otherwise, the
leaves get burned as they dry

For growing in shallow water, add fertilizer when water is changed (every 1 - 2 weeks)
For growing on a bench, immerse the pot halfway into fertilizer solution for 40 - 60 minutes

Fertilizer

From fall (mid-September) to early spring (February): Dyna-Gro 10-5-5 or 9-3-6, 1.5 ml per 1 gallon of water.
This results in a TDS of about 175 ppm if water is pure
From early spring (March) to blooming (mid-June): Dyna-Gro 7-9-5, 2 ml per 1 gallon of water. This results in a
TDS of about 175 ppm if water is pure
Superthrive can be added at the rate of 0.5 ml per 1 gallon of water, if you wish
During blooming (mid-June to mid-September), plants are not fed

Fungicide

We use Dithane M45 (wettable powder), Banrot (wettable powder) Subdue (liquid), and Physan20 (liquid).
Wettable powders are applied from above
Subdue is applied from the bottom (if sprayed from above, flush the leaves with water 30 minutes after spraying).
We alternate Dithane M45 and Banrot
Dithane M45 solution: 1 tbs Dithane M45 + 0.5 ml Physan20 per 1 gallon of water
Banrot solution: 1/2 tbs Banrot + 0.5 ml Physan20 per 1 gallon of water
Subdue solution: 0.75 ml Subdue + 0.5 ml Physan20 per 1 gallon of water
From September (after blooming) to May, wettable powders are applied every two weeks, and Subdue once per
month
From June to August (during blooming), wettable powder and Subdue are applied once per month.
In warmer and drier climates, less fungicide is necessary
Warning--Too much Physan20 can critically damage your plants

Insecticide

Orthene 75S (wettable powder, not granules) solution: 1 tbs Orthene 75S + 0.5 ml Physan20 per 1 gallon of
water. This is used from April thru June, every two weeks
Slug-fest (liquid snail and slug killer) solution: 30 ml Slug-fest per 1 gallon of water. Use as necessary. Apply in
early evening

Air movement