# Bulbo culture hints for my haul



## Gcroz (Jul 15, 2010)

Ok, I received Bulb. echinolabium and Bulb. masdevalliaceum today potted in moss. They are my first foray into bulbos. Plants are healthy and potted in moss.

Besides light, water, and temperature, does anyone have any hints or tricks that they know of for growing these? Is moss good, or is it better to plant in a tree fern pot?

Any help or pictures would be appreciated.

Also got:

Maxillaria sophronitis
Dendrobium unicum
Dendrobium agathodaemonis
Goodyera daibuzanensis
Ludisia discolor alba


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## paphioboy (Jul 15, 2010)

I grow bulbos in the same conditions as phals, but a bit shadier.. Keep humidity high. Depending on how frequently you water, you can mount them or pot in moss. Mounting is good for species that ramble. Echinolabium and masdevalliaceum presumably have short rhizomes, so potting would suffice. Water when the surafce starts to dry out.


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## swamprad (Jul 16, 2010)

Some grow in bark mix, some grow in sphagnum. I have most of mine in sphagnum with good results. Some are mounted, but need daily watering and high humidity. For the guys with long rhizomes, mounting is probably the best option, but for most, pot culture is recommended. Don't look forward to repotting, though, it is a pain to tease all the old sphag off the roots. They need more sun than you might think, certainly NOT shadier than phals. When I was in Hawaii recently, those guys were growing in almost full sun. Mine are in light similar to my catts, and could probably take more.


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## Eric Muehlbauer (Jul 16, 2010)

I only have 2 bulbo's, echinolabium and annandalei, but they seem to do fine in CHC in the shade, in plastic pots.


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## tenman (Jul 16, 2010)

Echinolabium does not bloom for me in less than vanda light. Any mix that you can keep wet will suffice.


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## Jim Toomey (Jul 16, 2010)

Keep humidity high (60-80% especially for mounted bulbos). 
Lots and lots of air circulation.

Mine are in a variety of media:
Prime Agra some in small pellets other in large in a semi-hydroponic pot.
Bark mix- fine bark with small perlite and small charcoal.
Straight Sphagnum 
Also in a sphagnum- perlite 50/50 mix.

Bill Thoms has a excellent book on Bulbophyllums- The Incomplete Guide:From A to Why? Written in a very humorous style that makes it fun to read.

He recommends sphagnum with styrofoam peanuts on the bottom layer.
He has a ton of cultural awards for his bulbos, and has been growing them for about forty years.

After reading his book I'll be moving mine to straight sphagnum with the peanuts on the bottom.


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## Rick (Jul 16, 2010)

I've had both species (and a lot of other bulbos) for several years now. I got an AM on my masdevaliacium (i.e blumei) about 5 years ago.

The bulbos really do like lots of humidity and air movement. All mine are either mounted or in baskets of moss, but I know other folks that do just as well in bark/plastic pots.

Both of the species that you've mentioned like pretty bright light (good for Catts), and although they can tolerate some temps in the 50's they really like it warm and soupy, with the fans on high.


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## etex (Aug 7, 2010)

Good info here! Thanks guys!


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## Gcroz (Aug 8, 2010)

Thanks for the hints!

echinolabium bloom and is doing great! blumei is doing great with lots of new growth coming along.

Humidity is an issue for me, but manageable. Air movement... well, lets just say my greenhouse is like a wind tunnel. You could test high altitude jets in there. LOL.


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## Rick (Aug 8, 2010)

*Pictures*

You asked for some pics. and thought I have plenty of diversity in my bulbos for some ideas.

The fritilariaflorum is in bloom, its mounted on its original piece of corkbark that I stuck in a 6" basket. Many growths are coming out through the basket now on the back side. The big plant next to it is the blumei (masdeveliacium)




Heres another view of the blumei. The original 8" basket is hidden in there somewhere, and periodically I jam sticks and pieces of bark into it to support some of the growth that's left the basket.




One of my echinolabium in 6" basket of sphagnum hanging between some vandas. The plaque hanging on it is Dendro lichenastrum. I got this echino seedling from Troy Meyers several years ago in a plastic net pot. I think you can still see that original pot in this picture buried amongst the pseudobulbs.




I took Paphioboys idea to make a "hydrolog" like system for this cornutum. It doesn't like as much light as many other bulbos and has soft floppy leaves. Its not a strong rooter, and needs lots of humidity. It has resisted my attempts to mount to bark of any kind. The mix is about 50/50 bark and moss.




Other bulbos on various mounts and baskets. Different light levels and distance from the wet pad is really the only big cultural differences for most of my bulbos.





A couple of the only bulbos I have potted in plastic pots with a bark based mix. I've had the mandibulare for a few years now, and never repotted it. A good number of its pseudobulbs are now hanging over the side of the pot. The fascetum has not done all that well until I recently dumped half the mix and replaced it with a layer of moss.




As you can see there's lots of ways to grow bulbos.


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## Rick (Aug 8, 2010)

Missed a couple of pics.

Mounted and basket bulbos amidst some mounted phals. My longisimum originally came in a clay pot. Although it wanted to grow out of it, I couldn't get the pot away easily, so just added it to the moss basket.


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## NYEric (Aug 8, 2010)

Thanx for sharing those great photos. I wish I could be _*my*_ apartment to look like that! :crazy:


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## paphioboy (Aug 8, 2010)

Wow.... :drool: :drool: Great growing, Rick... I wish mu bulbos looked 1 tenth as good as yours, despite having all the warmth and humidity where they are...  

IMHO, I find that to use 'hydrologs', its easier to start with a big one, rather than small. I had a medusae which overgrew its log, so I cut it up to remount and it has not been as happy since.. 

Eric, you don't have space for hanging baskets... oke:oke:


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## JeanLux (Aug 8, 2010)

paphioboy said:


> ...
> Eric, you don't have space for hanging baskets... oke:oke:



just drill some holes into the ceiling and with a few good fixtures ... !!!


Rick, nice pics of your great bulbos!!!! Thanks!!! Jean


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## etex (Aug 9, 2010)

Excellent ideas, and pictures! Great growing!!
Thanks!!


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## Rick (Aug 11, 2010)

NYEric said:


> Thanx for sharing those great photos. I wish I could be _*my*_ apartment to look like that! :crazy:



The algae on the walls and ceiling would get you evicted!!!


I think it woulld be pretty crazy to see your furniture overgrown with mossoke:oke:

I was just remembering when our society was at the recent Lawn and Garden expo in Nashville, and some Korean ladies showed me pics of their orchid collections in their appartments. IT DID LOOK LIKE MY GH!!! I'm not sure if they knew where their husbands where any more because I'm not they they could get through the front door past all the plants.

The kept saying "we're totally orchid crazy"!!!!


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## Rick (Aug 11, 2010)

paphioboy said:


> IMHO, I find that to use 'hydrologs', its easier to start with a big one, rather than small. I had a medusae which overgrew its log, so I cut it up to remount and it has not been as happy since..



Thanks Paphioboy 

The log I just put the cornuta on is about 2 feet long and 4 inches in diameter (in anticipation of massive growth like your medusa), but we'll see. This is about my pickiest bulbo. There's no doubt that bulbos can grow like crazy and take over significant space. I've seen pics of Tom Nasser's GH which puts many of my plants to shame.


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