Bulbophyllum mastersianum 'CAD's Scarlet Umbrella' AM/AOS

David B · Oct 7, 2024

This bulbophyllum unexpectedly earned an 83point AM for me in a recent Central Ontario Orchid Show, September 28th. This post is so as not to piggyback on the very recent bulbophyllum medusae post, but I felt I had some culture guidance to offer. There are times when growing bulbophyllum, that we are discouraged not to see bloom when a plant has achieved blooming size. This plant was examined and I saw that it had attempted to send out a few slender inflorescence, but that they had aborted and were desiccated and brittle. The humidity in the greenhouse is usually sufficient, but when inflorescences started to be produced, I intervened. I placed a hygrometer close to the plant and at least once daily misted with distilled water to keep the inflorescence progressing. Nature is cruel, and 3 days before the show a *#^& mouse bit off two of the inflorescence leaving just one. The lone inflorescence survived (the mouse did not) and I received an unexpected call requiring a clonal name. The NS of the 10 flowers is 1.9 x 4.2, and that along with color saturation and arrangement led to success. Lesson learned is with bulbophyllum, observe the plant closely, and try to determine a course of action that will benefit the plant flowering close to optimum. Cheers.

CharlesD · Oct 7, 2024

Lovely form and color. You definitely earned it!

Djthomp28 · Oct 8, 2024

This is a fantastic example of the species. I look forward to seeing it next time with more inflorescences.

Thanks you for the culture tip. So much can be addressed with observation.