Confessions of a Former Disa Killer

by Raymond Kwong

Many of my new friends have orchid fever, but I became a DISAbled orchidist. My DISAbility started after I read an article in the July 1994 issue of AOS Bulletin about Mr. Pui Y. Chin who grew this fabulous family of orchids called Disa.

Disa Foam 'San Francisco' FCC/AOS

Talk about love at first sight. I fell in love (Please don't tell my wife about this) with this fascinating red colored Disa Foam called'San Francisco'. I called Mr. Hamilton who wrote the article, for Mr. PuiChin's telephone number. As all orchid enthusiants would, he gladly gave me Mr. Pui Chin's number. I was anxiously waiting for the right time to call Mr. Chin in San Francisco. Finally, I called Mr. Pui Chin at his greenhouse,and found him to be a gentle, very friendly, easy to talk to man who readily gave out information. He informed me that Disas have been given a bad rap. All that is required is a little extra attention and the final reward is well worth the effort. He was very apologetic in informing me that he didn't have any plants to sell me at that time, and to call him back later in the fall, after he repotted the plants. Meanwhile, he told me about some of the things to keep in mind for upkeep of the Disas. He informed me that good light, good water and air movement are very important in order to keep the plant happy.

My aquarist friend told me of this fabulous new de-ionizer filter that could process some good water for use on the orchids. I hurried out to the store and purchased one. I used it to produce a few gallons of water, and was over joyed to find out that it produced water with a zero reading on the PPM meter (Mr. Peter Hirsch tested the water for me with his meter).

With good water in hand, I was ready to procure some plants. As luck would have it, there were two Disa Sealords at the society's September auction list (Donated by the Paroubeks) . Mr. Roger Daniels and I bid for them. We each acquired one. Later that fall, additional Disas were sent to me by Mr. Pui Chin. Among these plants was a Disa Foam 'SanFrancisco'. I was anxiously trying to provide a suitable home for my Disa. A few months had past, and the plant looked green and healthy. Un-be-known to me, the plants were dying. Talking about "you can't judge the book by its cover". My beloved Disa was dying from its root system. All but one of the plants died. Disa Diores flowered and was displayed in the 1995 NJOS show.That plant too, eventually died. I found out too late that the filter's capacity had reach its maximum. Some of the salt had back flushed into the water. Mr. Peter Hirsch tested the water again for me. To my horror, the meter read 480 part per million. My incoming tap water only registered at 280 (I found this out later). I was horrified and saddened that I had become a Disa killer.

I was Penny wise but Pound foolish. I had lost hundreds of dollars worth of plants because I was too cheap to spend sixty dollars on a conductivity meter. I was bound and determined to correct my position as a Disa killer. I said to myself that if a killer can be reformed, why can't I be one of them? I called Mr. Pui Chin and ordered additional plants and a few flasks from him (this was in April 1995). One of the plants in this new arrival was a Disa Foam 'Pui', which I flowered and saved in July 1995. From this single plant, now I have 11 new plants. Also, at the Santa Barbara Show that year, Mr. Mike Myrose was graciously helpful in bringing back additional flasks for me from Mr. Pui Chin. I was on the road again to conquer the Table Mountain of the Disa world. This time, I am armed with a conductivity meter.

I began to read the work done by Prof. Warren Stoutamire from the Biology Department of University of Arkon, Ohio; Prof. Sid Cywes and Dr. L.Vogelpoel both from South Africa. I have concluded that for me, growing Disa hydroponically and under light in the basement is the best solution. I feel that I can control the environment easier this way.

Early in 1996, additional varieties of Disa were acquired from Mr. Pui Chin. Currently, my Disa collection is grown under high pressure sodium light for 12 hours daily. Water (rain water combined with fertilizer to produce a reading of 50 on the conductivity meter) is cycled for two hours during the mid day and for four hours after the light goes out at night. The potting material used is New Zealand sphagnum. The Disa which I have flowered in 1996 are as follows:Disa Foam 'San francisco' FCC/AOS Disa Foam 'Pui' AM/AOS/RHS Disa Diores, Disa uniflora, Disa Kewensis (select yellow), Disa Kewensis, Disa uniflora - pink, Disa Premier, Disa Riette White Christmas 'Snow Cap' x Disa uniflora 'Gold Glow'. Currently, I have about 350 plants in my collection. I am on the way to recovery from my DISAbility.

 

Disa Riette White Christmas 'Snow Cap' x Disa uniflora 'Gold Glow'