Haraella Retrocalla & Bulbophyllum Electrinum tips

[Ridley Ann]

Hi! I have a Haraella Retrocalla that I’ve had for close to a year & a Bulbophyllum Electrinum that I’ve had for a few months. Both are alive and green but neither have done much of anything since I bought them. Any tips on what I need to change? I attached a picture of my Haraella and it’s set up and my Bulophyllum is set up in a similar way.

If it helps I live in south Floria, I keep these guys outside, I keep the moss wet most of the time, and they get light but no direct sun.

I’m not sure if I’m being impatient or if I need to be doing something else.

Thank you in advance!!

[Roberta]

Patience... Actually, the Haraella may be a bit on the wet side for what it wants I live in a much drier climate, and mine lives on an open mount with just a little sphagnum - shady, watered every day. Your plant is still pretty young. The Bulbophyllum wants to be a little more more moist than the Haraella, but I still wonder if it is getting more than it wants. That very attractive container may also be cutting down on air circulation too much. Again probably better for the Bulbo than for the Harella (which, being Vandaceous, really likes air on its roots)

[Ridley Ann]

Thanks for the tips. I thought that people normally grow these in jars and that mine might not be closed off enough. Maybe I’ll try a different setup for them.

[Roberta]

Mine both live outside - and my climate is drier that yours, both plants seem fine. My Bulb electrinium is still a young plant, that I have had less than a year, hasn't bloomed yet. (But I have grown and bloomed Bulb hirundinis, which is similar, maybe a synonym) The Haraella I have had for several years, and it blooms regularly, several times a year and each time produces several flowers on each spike in succession. In climates with cold winters and hot summers, these both are probably better off in jars or a terrarium, to get humidity indoors. But where they can be grown outdoors (where there is little chance of significant frost), and reasonable humidity at least most of the time, they're both better off in the fresh air. .

[fishmom]

I grow my retrocalla potted in fine bark with a little sphag right at the base of the plant, to welcome new roots. It is on a south facing windowsill, so plenty of light and the benefit of AC in our house. It has 8 leaves at the moment, and two spikes, each with a single bloom. I can see roots extending down through the 3 inch pot.

[SaraJean]

That’s a tiny one! I think I grow my Harrella a bit more damp than others. Mine is in a small clay pot with moderately tight sphagnum that gets watered daily. But with being outside in the heat and plenty of air, it is never soggy. I water a little less in the winter when it comes inside but I don’t leave it dry since it never gets too cold (maybe the low 60’s on that windowsill). There’s 4 spikes and 10 leaves on it right now.

You mentioned that it hasn’t done much in the year you’ve had it. Has it made any new leaves or roots since being in your care? It’s small, but if has made some sort of progress you might just need patience. I’m also wondering if it could be a light thing as well. Can you see your hands shadow if you hold you hand a few inches above it (a fuzzy outline and not a sharp one or no outline at all)? Do you have other orchids that bloom in similar light? Since you live in Florida, does it need to be in that little terrarium? I would worry about it blocking too much air flow when it gets hot outside or cooking it if you tried raising the light levels.

[Ridley Ann]

So I decided to take everyone’s advice and try to get them some more air circulation so they are both now officially mounted. I live in FL and were at almost 70% humidity today and this is a dry day for us so I Don’t think I have anything to worry about there. It gets light all day but never direct sun. Right now I can see my shadow but just barely and later in the day I can very clearly see my shadow. I know south facing is ideal for orchids but I just don’t have the ability to set them up like that right now.

I guess I didn’t realize how tiny my little guy is. I think I might just have to be more patient and just wait for nature to do its job

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by Ridley Ann

I guess I didn’t realize how tiny my little guy is. I think I might just have to be more patient and just wait for nature to do its job

Haraella retrocalla is little and will stay small (one of the most rewarding and easy of the micro-mini orchids) but it's tough. Keep it shady and on the damp side (but do allow it to dry out somewhat between waterings) and enjoy its sequential flower power. For what it's worth, here is mine just now (note two little spikes, which will produce a couple of flowers each in a few weeks or maybe a month, and then several more sequentially). Note the small amount of moss it has, and the roots that are all over the place, beyond the moss (which is where the newest roots are... they really want to be free and not in the moss). And also here it is when it did a flush bloom last fall. I have had the plant about two years - two outdoor southern California winters, a long hot summer and now a milder one.

[fishmom]

That second picture, with all the blooms, is spectacular!

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by fishmom

That second picture, with all the blooms, is spectacular!

Thanks! That is what it does... .sometimes just a couple of flowers, sometimes it goes all out. But even one of those little flowers is noticeably fragrant.

Clearly, this little plant does not need pampering. (Just for the record, this thread should really be someplace else... neither of the plants under discussion are Pleurothallids. The Bulbophyllum is, of course, what it says. Haraella retrocalla is Vandaceous - and that can be important in its culture, since Pleurothallids in general are a lot more sensitive to drying out than Vandaceous orchids, especially a succulent one like this.)