Thanks everyone-glad to spark some interest in this amazing terrestrial orchid! I don't think Disas are easy to grow, but I also don't think Heliamphora, cephalotus, and darlingtonia are easy to grow either. Many people on this forum and in the CP community would find this plant a great companion to their collection, and perhaps easy to grow under their environmental conditions.
Richard-I've seen these plants grow in pure clay pellets (same ones they use in hydroponics) and watered overhead several times a day with a weak fertilizer solution. These were the largest plants I've ever seen, although imagine the labor, wasted water, and frequency by which you had to water. Also, if your fertilizer solution doesn't contain the right pH micronutrients, etc. things could go wrong pretty fast.
I have experimented with peat and perlite, and while they do grow in it, I don't recommend this mix-it's not "airy" enough. The best results have been in 70% quality spaghnum to 30% coarse or regular perlite (coarse is better). Keep in mind, in the wild, these plants typically grow on the sides of streams, and love having that airy yet very wet conditions. Like Cephalotus, they don't like their feet sitting in water, and similar to dionaea, they like being repotted frequently. Ideally, they should be transplanted every year, although every other year will work too (not optimal though). Transplant in the beginning of fall when you see new tubers start to form plantlets, and be very careful to not damage the roots, as they are extremely brittle.
In general, In the fall and spring when temperatures are cooler, they put on most of their growth, and this is the time they want fertilizer. Use purified water just like for CP's. These plants can tolerate up to 200ppm fertilizer, although it's more ideal to water every other time with 80ppm only during their growth spurt In the Summer and late winter when they are not growing, do not fertilize. In fact, in the summer, just before they flower, it's ideal to nutrient stress the plant to get more color in the flower and to trigger the plant to form larger tubers. However, if you have a cool greenhouse, you can get them to continue growing in the winter by increasing the day temps. to 24C (approx. 75F). and keeping the light bright but not direct. The biggest plants with the largest number flowers I've ever seen have been produced this way.
These plants can tolerate extremely hot days (37+ degreesC, or 100+ degrees F) so long as the soil temperature stays below 29C (85F). With heat waves, I've kept them alive by keeping them in pure shade until it cools down. In general, cool nights are key to keeping Disas happy.
As far as light is concerned, if you can give them indirect bright light all day while keeping the temperatures "mild," that's optimal. I give them morning sun and filtered light in the afternoon, although with this method, the leaves still get slightly scorched here and there during our heat waves. They grow the fastest at day temps around 24C and night temps in around 13-15C.
Hope this gives everyone a better idea of how to grow these plants. It's surprising how there are very few people who grow these plants-the reward is HUGE and the flowers can last up to 2 months!
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