Bulbophyllum medium

swamprad · Nov 29, 2009

I've recently acquired a bunch of new bulbos from a friend, and I've got plants in semi-hydro, sphagnum, bark mix, esoteric combinations, mounted, and who knows what else. I mist all my bulbos heavily every morning and water weekly more or less, depending on the season. I'm going to repot about 40 plants, and all these different mixes drive me crazy. As much as possible, I like to keep things simple and standardized. Apparently Frank Smith grows in sphagnum. My local friend and bulbo expert Jo Levy uses a bark mix. I'd love to hear from you guys as to your recommendation for a good mix for bulbos.

paphioboy · Nov 30, 2009

Mark, I don't know what your humidity level is, but if it is high enough, you might try mounting bulbos. That's what I do with mine, and they love it. Easier to contain than pots too..

biothanasis · Nov 30, 2009

I have mine mounted too with sphagnum (humidity is 70% and more...) But they would be fine in pots with sphagnum too.... depending on their growth habbit...

Good luck!!

Rick · Dec 1, 2009

60% or so of mine are in baskets with sphagnum, about a 30% are mounted (or a combination of mounts jammed into sphagnum baskets). That leaves about 10% that are still in some kind of standard bark in regular pots (I just haven't got around to repotting them from what they originally came in yet).

If you are a heavy waterer, and have >70% humidity, I'd go for the baskets and moss or mounts. Compared to Phals, Bulbos have rather thin roots that like to get into "stuff". The mounted stuff that does best is on coarse bark or grapevine. They seem to have problems with the slick barked things like manzenita.

But as long as humidity and airflow are up none of them seem to care what they are in. They all do pretty good.

I saw a talk by Tom Nasser, I think he prefered bark, while Bob Fallon preffered moss (or maybe I have it backwards). In either case they both watered the snot out of their plants and made sure that whatever they used for pots drained very well.

As Paphioboy mentioned, basic pots end up being very limiting with the way most of these ramble around. Baskets and mounts are more adaptable to expanding plant volume (Just nail on an extension, or put the small basket inside a bigger basket)

Candace · Dec 1, 2009

Most of my bulbos are mounted with spagnum moss and attached with fishing line to tree fern slabs. Indoor growers may have problems keeping up with the daily watering of mounts. I've received them in potted spag and others in a fine bark, perlite and charcoal mix. No matter. Whatever they've been in, they've been tossed on a mount and they grow like weeds for me.

Eric Muehlbauer · Dec 1, 2009

I only have 1 bulbo (annnandalei..its in bloom now...I sent a picture of it with last years bloom), although I have another on the way (echinolabium)....so I can't generalize, but I've had good success just growing in my usual (for epiphytes) CHC chunks....in a plastic pot. I keep it in my bathroom, a few feet behind a west window...its outdoors in summer, facing east so it gets some early morning sun before its shaded by bushes. Take care, Eric