Inducing blooms in bulbophyllums
I have several bulbos that grow happily throughout the year, but I have a hard time getting mature pseudobulbs to bloom instead of putting out new growth. Is there a trick to this? Whenever a growth matures, it usually just begins putting out new growth instead of a bloom. Can a mature pseudobulb bloom even if it has put out a new rhizome and a new pseudobulb? I'm assuming not. Is there a temperature or moisture requirement to getting them to get around to blooming?
The bulbos I have are as follows: sumatranum, longiflorum, mastersianum, lobbii, medusae, and Elizabeth Ann. The last two are very small rescues so I don't expect them to bloom for at least another year.
I keep them very moist. The longiflorum is mounted and I water it twice a day in summer and once every day or so in the winter. The others are in sphagnum in net pots or similar wide shallow pots with lots of holes. I water as soon as the sphagnum approaches dryness, but I never let it get crispy. In winter I keep them in the same place I keep plants of other genuses like catts, dens, encyclias, oncidiums, etc. that bloom regularly. They're outside in shade in the summer so temps are around 60-95F. Winter temps are 60-75F. I have a humidifier in the winter that keeps RH at 50% or more. I'm a very lazy fertilizer and don't bother to do it at all in the winter.
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