red flower potted plant Disa uniflora “red flower” Potted

While Disa are not carnivorous, they make great companion plants, growing well alongside Nepenthes. 

The plant you will receive will have short leaves, 1-3” high, and be in 2-4” pots. Some of the leaves may die back after shipping; this is normal! These small plants are blooming size and can bloom in the first year. See our care tips below for more information. 

Care Instructions

Growth Habit: Disa orchids grow primarily in South Africa. They grow from fleshy roots and tubers, sometimes spreading by stolons to form colonies in their pots. They have short, lance-shaped leaves up to 6” long that die back frequently. It is not uncommon for these leaves to look a little rough, yellow at the tips, and in various states of dying back. Don’t worry; you’re not growing these plants for the beauty of their leaves! It is best to remove dying leaves to reduce the chances of rot. While it’s normal for the leaves to look a little rough, if all the leaves die back, the tuber may be rotting. If you see all the leaves turning yellow, reassess your conditions and make changes; do not water from overhead, ensure the roots are cool, check airflow, and potentially repot. One exception to this is that the plants will die back after flowering. This is normal. However, this is the most likely time for your plant to rot. Be careful not to water from overhead and watch for new shoots to grow from new tubers or stolons; when new growth emerges, repot your plants. The plants flower in spring most commonly and can be mature enough to flower at 1-3 years old. Thick stems will hold their showy flowers. Some species will have one or two large flowers, like uniflora, while others, like kewensis, will have long stems with multiple, smaller blooms. Hybrids will combine the best of both. The flowers can last for quite some time. 

Sun: Partial sun. It is best grown in greenhouses with 30% shade cloth during summer months or under partial light when grown under grow lights. If under grow lights, keep lights on a 10-12 hour day length and place plants 10-12” below light depending on light. Disa can tolerate more light when grown under lights as long as their roots are cool and temperatures are kept under 70 degrees. Or place pots farther from the lights or to the side of the lights to reduce intensity.  They can also be grown indoors on sunny window sills if the pots do not get too hot from the sun. 

Water & Humidity: Many Disa orchids are water-loving species that grow along stream banks, sometimes seasonally submerged in their native habitat. These species like to be sitting in water most of the time. They prefer water with no minerals and salts, so only use distilled, reverse osmosis, or rainwater. They do best when tray watered or set in flow tables; do not water from above as the water can pool in the crown of the leaves and lead to rot. Set your pots in trays or deep saucers, and fill them with up to an inch of water. In summer, keep the water full at all times. In winter, wait for the water tray or saucer to dry out and then refill. Disa prefers cool roots in high temperatures; keeping the trays well watered in summer helps with this. Disa appreciate high humidity of 60% or more. Disa like good airflow, so as much as they like humidity, we do not recommend growing in a terrarium for these plants. 

Temperature: 30-80F. These plants prefer to be kept no higher than 70 degrees but can tolerate a brief heat wave up to 100 or even a light frost if protected. If temperatures are over 70, keep the roots cool and the plant out of full sun. As long as the heat does not sustain through the night, you plant should tolerate this brief heat, with its roots cool. You can pour cool, refrigerated water into the tray or set up a flow table to keep cool. While we do not recommend exposing them to a frost, they can die from it, if day time temps heat up over 40 degrees, they can tolerate it (but it is still risky so we advice not exposing Disa to anything below 30). Disa need a night time drop in temperatures of 10-20 degrees.

Dormancy: None needed or required. In winter your plant may slow its growth or grow shorter leaves, this is normal. 

Fertilizer: Apply diluted Maxsea fertilizer once or twice a month to the leaves of your plant with a mister bottle. 

Soil & Repotting: Disa do best in a mix of long-fibered New Zealand sphagnum moss, orchid bark, pumice, and perlite. Or just New Zealand sphagnum moss. You can order our Nepenthes soil to use for your Disa. Disa should be repotted frequently, every year. The best time to repot is after flowering. After your plant flowers it will die back and when you see new shoots growing, carefully pull apart the tubers and pot them up. The roots can be quite brittle so be gentle when repotting. You can use a wide range of pots including mesh orchid pots as long as you keep well watered as these pots dry out faster. Larger Disa prefer tall pots. 

More Information: For more information, check out our FAQ page or our YouTube channel!