Potting bulbs for a Bulbophyllum ?

[Cymbaline]

I have this Elizabeth Ann Buckleberry that has developed new bulbs . I know keeping it in a pot isn't going to last very long so I'm trying to decide what I want to do with this plant next.

Do bulbophyllums do better if all their bulbs can be planted rather than just hanging out in the air like this?

[Roberta]

Escaping the pot is an indicator that the roots really like lots of air. However, Bulbos also like lots of water... so that's a difficult combination to manage if one doesn't live in the tropics. I have had some success using a bulb pan - a shallow pot to get lots of surface area rather than lots of volume. Then I try to "wrap" the extending growths around inside the shallow pot - using a highly-water-retentive medium such as sphagnum or small bark. Will it escape again? sure... but will take a bit longer and in the meantime giving it adequate water is easier. With adequate humidity, mounting also works... but especially if you are growing indoors, it is pretty hard to maintain enough moisture that way.

[estación seca]

Bill Thoms of bulbophyllums.com writes that he grows them in shallow but wide trays or baskets. He makes a mound of foam packing peanuts in the center, then covers everything with a layer of sphagnum. He nestles them into the moss and keeps it wet. He says they grow so rapidly they need to be repotted every 2 years. He says the best flowering is on the pseudobulbs that most recently grew out from the rim.

[wisdomseeker]

Bill knows his stuff about bulbos (he's also a down-to-earth guy with a good heart and has lots of "hands-on" experience).

I think Roberta hit it on the 'nail head' about adequate humidity. I grow them on mounts and in various pots/trays. Shallow trays do work very well. Most of my mounts & pots have bulbs/roots dangling in the air (extending beyond the mounts and growing beyond the pot rims). They are watered on a consistent schedule.

Humidity stays on the high end. I believe this is the reason they continue to stay happy (even dangling in the air). Several of my bulbophyllum will produce chains of bulbs/roots dangling in the air. When they get too long, and/or unruly, I make divisions from them.

[Cymbaline]

Originally Posted by Roberta

Escaping the pot is an indicator that the roots really like lots of air. However, Bulbos also like lots of water... so that's a difficult combination to manage if one doesn't live in the tropics. I have had some success using a bulb pan - a shallow pot to get lots of surface area rather than lots of volume. Then I try to "wrap" the extending growths around inside the shallow pot - using a highly-water-retentive medium such as sphagnum or small bark. Will it escape again? sure... but will take a bit longer and in the meantime giving it adequate water is easier. With adequate humidity, mounting also works... but especially if you are growing indoors, it is pretty hard to maintain enough moisture that way.

Thank you! I'll try that. Makes sense.

---------- Post added at 07:09 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:08 AM ----------

Originally Posted by wisdomseeker

Bill knows his stuff about bulbos (he's also a down-to-earth guy with a good heart and has lots of "hands-on" experience).

I think Roberta hit it on the 'nail head' about adequate humidity. I grow them on mounts and in various pots/trays. Shallow trays do work very well. Most of my mounts & pots have bulbs/roots dangling in the air (extending beyond the mounts and growing beyond the pot rims). They are watered on a consistent schedule.

Humidity stays on the high end. I believe this is the reason they continue to stay happy (even dangling in the air). Several of my bulbophyllum will produce chains of bulbs/roots dangling in the air. When they get too long, and/or unruly, I make divisions from them.

Thank you! I appreciate it all.

---------- Post added at 07:10 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:09 AM ----------

Originally Posted by estación seca

Bill Thoms of bulbophyllums.com writes that he grows them in shallow but wide trays or baskets. He makes a mound of foam packing peanuts in the center, then covers everything with a layer of sphagnum. He nestles them into the moss and keeps it wet. He says they grow so rapidly they need to be repotted every 2 years. He says the best flowering is on the pseudobulbs that most recently grew out from the rim.

Got it. Thanks for this. I'll look for some trays. Thanks so much.

[DeaC]

My EAB gave me 7 spikes this yr but it's been in the same plastic 4'' slotted basket for some 5-6 yrs and needs repotting-yikes. Some bulbos are on mounts but I do have some in the shallow bulb pans made of plastic. Others are in clay shallow pots but don't do as well for me as I think the clay retains the cooler temps that do occur in my home.

[OrchidChimp]

This youtube of Bill at San Fran orchid society may help.