I'm curious, how do you have your bulbo's planted/mounted?

[Dekejis]

Hey guys! So I have decided to take the plunge and I bought myself my very first Bulbos! I got them in maybe a month ago and I've been trying to get a feel for growing them and I'm finding them a bit frustrating so far - most seem to not be not doing much of anything and I'm wondering if I need to pot them into something else..
Here's what I have purchased, just for reference:
Cirr. Elizabeth Ann 'Buckleberry'
Bulb. longiflorum (bought as Cirr. umbellatum)
Cirr. Thai Spider (I want this one to do well sooo bad!)
Cirr. Lovely Elizabeth
Bulb. Lepidum
Bulb. corolliferum

Most came potted in those little plastic vanda baskets planted in sphagnum with a wire mesh screen or maybe a bit of osmunda fiber at the bottom. On most of them the pseudobulbs are a bit shriveled and some have growths that are either not at all in the medium or are over the edge and growing into thin air. The exception here is the Lovely Elizabeth, which came potted in a 4" plastic pot planted all the way down with sphagnum - this plant is doing really well at the moment and is busy putting out new growths out the wazoo and I'm wanting to pot it up into something bigger.

I was trying to grow them a bit more like what I'm used to, cttleyas, but I think that may be a bit too dry for these guys. So I've taken to saturating them for a few days at a time and then giving the plants a chance to dry out some before I water again.

Anyway, I'd like to hear how everyone else if growing theirs, I'm really wanting my little bitty bulbo collection to live!

[isurus79]

Ive got mine on a log. Its a Crphm. Sheryl Kurizaki (Cirr. fascinator x bulb. lasiochilum) and is not doing much right now either, thought Ive seen the beginnings of this season's new growth. It gets pretty good light (Catt type light) and is able to dry off pretty quickly, though it sits on the ground in a fairly moist area, which keep humidity pretty high (Im guessing 'cause Ive never measured it). I bought it from Kawamoto Orchids and Les (the owner) told me he keeps them in these little plastic baskets with no media. They seem to grow best this way, so thats why I threw it on a log. Looks a bit better!

P.S. Disclaimer- This is the only bulbo I have ever owned so I am no expert!! These are just the conditions Ive been growing this one in!!

[Orchidophile]

I have a Bulbo. wendlandianum, the first year I had it in fine/medium bark mix but didn't do so well. I now have it mounted on a large piece of a broken terracotta pot and I water it once or twice a day and it love it on there.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I grow most of mine similar to each other. I mount on cork bark and sphagnum. Water everyday during spring and summer. Reduce in fall and winter. Fertilize all year round. Grow many of them intermediate to warm with moderate to good air circulation. Bright shade to shade. Humidity is 50% - 70%.

Here're some of my Bulbos I grow in this manner:

Bulbo catenulatum (new growth growing)
Bulbo elassoglossum (new growths coming out)
Bulbo hirundinis (new growths coming out)


Be patient, yours will do something soon.

[ennery]

Dana
they love it warm and moist, during the day when you go past give them a spray,where most come from its always humid ,they take some time to aclimatise to new surroundings,some sit there a year,the ones hanging out of pot showing roots are the ones that need the spray mostly,if you get time mount them on cork i will give the roots something to cling to,

[jkhom]

I have one that did nothing for almost a full year in it's original mixture from the nursery. The only thing that happened is that the p-bulbs kept getting more and more shriveled. As a last resort, I transplanted it into regular bark mixture and have finally started to get new growth. I Kept the media on the dry side and misted every day to encourage new roots.

[Ray]

Plants of this class come from warm, wet, tropical regions, so need plenty of the same in captivity.

I used to grow mine in S/H culture, which they loved, but they also tend to have extended rhizomes, so they "crawl" into adjacent pots, which is a pain. All of mine are now mounted so I can keep them mostly separated.

[Dekejis]

Thanks, guys, for all the responses. Wow, it's amazing to see how differently everyone grows their plants.
I think I might try mounting a couple of them to see how well they like it. I might try getting some cork and some tree fern and giving it a go. I am definitely starting to see new growth, which is great, but I'd like for these guys to have the chance to grow into large specimens - hard to do in a little plastic basket.
Ray, I'm glad you mentioned the S/H; I was curious about how well they'd do in it; too bad they ramble too much for it!

[ennery]

Dana its up to you but i find the roots dont go into tree fern, iv tried a few times but they just skip the surface,
cork they grab onto

[kiki-do]

Hi Dana, I only have the Lovely Elizabeth and it was young and half dead when I got it. I potted it into a wine basket using a small onion bag to hold everything in and New Zealand moss as the medium. I keep it bright shade and moist. It is growing like crazy right now. I have new roots and a new spike developing. They really like good air flow, moistness and bright shade. That seems to be working well for me. And I too am no expert. I'm just a work in progress.