Dinema Polybulbon

[mimigirl]

i purchased this in July 2014 and I so no activity. In August 2015 i placed it on a Kool Log. I still don't see anything going on. Should I not have it on the KL? I am letting it dry before adding more water. It is in a southeast window getting hours of sun. Any suggestions?

[estación seca]

Some photos would help a lot. When the Kool Log has water in it, is the root zone of the plant damp?

[mimigirl]

There is spaghnum over the roots

[estación seca]

Does the sphagnum become damp when the Kool Log is full of water? Has the plant grown at all? Did you try putting it outside during the summer? Have you given it any fertilizer?

[mimigirl]

I let the moss dry out completely and when i fill the log the moss gets damp. It only lasts about a day. I fertilize weakly weekly, then plain water the next several fillings. I was not comfortable putting it out last summer. Out temps avg about 96* in summer. I have had it almost 1 1/2 years and if it has grown, it is very little.

[wintergirl]

Do you have a lot of roots? It seems like you have a great deal of moss on there. I use Kool-logs a lot, so I know they will really wet that entire moss area. I do have one plant on a Kool-log that I do not fill the chamber, but only mist the moss/roots daily. I do not grow this orchid but I read they like high humidity. Most small orchids are slow growers, maybe it's taking it's time?

[mimigirl]

Too much moss? I haven't looked at the roots since i put it on there last August. I do mist in between waterings. Maybe the roots are covered too much? I can't find any info about them on KL. I hate to mount on wood cause i tend to underwater. Thanks for your responses.

[estación seca]

I don't think you're watering it enough.

I looked it up at
IOSPE
under its current name Encyclia polybulbon. It has also been called Epidendrum polybulbon in the past.

I haven't grown this species but I've been to parts of Veracruz State in Mexico where it is said to grow. It grows on tree branches among moss, where it gets rain or dew almost every day.

There are other threads in this forum where people discuss how they grow it. You can find all of them with the Search function in the maroon menu at the top. This is one of the threads:

Encyclia polybulbon

I would keep water in the Kool Log all the time and not let the plant dry out much. If your tap water is full of minerals, they will be left behind on the moss as the water evaporates, so I would use rain or reverse osmosis water.

[AnonYMouse]

Originally Posted by mimigirl

I let the moss dry out completely and when i fill the log the moss gets damp. It only lasts about a day. I fertilize weakly weekly, then plain water the next several fillings. I was not comfortable putting it out last summer. Out temps avg about 96* in summer. I have had it almost 1 1/2 years and if it has grown, it is very little.

Are you adding fertilizer to the fill water? If so, that's probably not feeding the plant. Fertilize the roots directly with a low concentration.

[mimigirl]

I was hoping it was a water problem but could not find anyone talking about using a KL. So keep the log full and fertize the roots directly. Got it! Think I should expose the roots a little? Thanks to all of you for your input. Please let me know about exposing the roots a little. That is my last question, promise.