Bulb. daisy chain

[DirtyCoconuts]

It is (or was) pretty popular and therefore available rather cheap

I am a big fan!

[Cymbaline]

Originally Posted by DirtyCoconuts

It is (or was) pretty popular and therefore available rather cheap

I am a big fan!

I found one!! LOL Kaleialoha Orchid Farm has some in stock if anyone is interested in knowing.

Thanks for sharing this Dirty Coconuts. I LOVE unique and crazy looking orchids.

[DirtyCoconuts]

i am delighted to help enable!!

to me, this is the most responsible way to splurge...at least you can get someone's culture notes and some tips for success

[RoseSD]

Originally Posted by estación seca

For those new to Bulbophyllums, this kind was once a separate genus called Cirrhopetalum, now lumped into Bulbophyllum. The Cirrhopetalums generally have no fragrance. They need lots and lots of water, pretty much every day. They can make multiple inflorescences from each growth, one after another for months. They can continue making new growths all year if it's warm enough. Each "ray" of the inflorescence is one actual flower.

It is the daily watering that makes it not easy for people to have them.

[estación seca]

I grow most Bulbos in plastic trays or food containers with no drain holes. I put a layer of LECA on the bottom, then sphagnum moss. I use RO or rain water otherwise minerals would build up quickly. I don't need to water every day.

Bill Thoms describes setting pots of most orchids in shallow dishes of water so they stay wet. He grows in fairly large chunk media and does this with most genera.

[wisdomseeker]

I do something similar, but different (with growing some of my bulbos).

Plants are attached and mounted on wood. Mounts are inserted into a net pot (filled half way from the bottom with a layer of LFS, topped off with fine bark to the top). The net pots are then placed into saucers/trays (more or less water reservoirs) filled with distilled water and surrounded by live sphagnum.

The wood mounts stay water logged and act like a wick. Saucers are topped off with distilled H2O when needed (plants and sphagnum are also misted with distilled water about every 12 days). They are grown in various glass containers (terrariums of sorts) under artificial lighting. This helps me to keep humidity and temperatures consistent, along with keeping watering chores to a minimum.

Some examples

[tmoney]

that looks great. you got my wheels turning upstairs! seriously beautiful

[DirtyCoconuts]

Wisdom, how long before that wood rots and has to be replaced?

[wisdomseeker]

Wish I could answer that one for you DC, but I can't.

I've got a little extra time on my hands, so I can at least provide a few more details (aka: me babbling on). I guess all wood mounts will vary with mileage, due to different factors (especially staying wet all of the time). The mounts in the photos have been used like this for about 3 years. The wood is still dense and I see no rotting at this point of time.

Several Rhododendrums (I believe the species is R. catawbiense) grow on one side of my house. They are around 35 years old and 16 ft tall. They also do a nice job with shading my HVAC unit. In 2015 we had one hell of an ice storm during late winter. One of these rhodos toppled over from the weight of ice, and snapped off at the base of the trunk. After cutting this bad boy up, I kept several of the large diameter-size branches (I liked their shapes) and stored them in my outside shed, and then forgot about them.

You know how the story goes... because I was in need of some orchid mounts, along with me really not wanting to look around for (or buy) suitable orchid mounts *of my preference*, I started rummaging around in the shed for something I could use for free and without searching. I stumbled upon those branches that I forgot about... gave them a whirl. They were dry and aged at this time. Removed the bark, split them in half, and cut them into various sizes.

The wood is smooth. I usually prefer to use wood that is rough for orchid mounts (gives the velamen on roots more of a chance to attach faster). I reckon most know that all the parts of Rhododendrum (leaves, flowers, nectar, bark) can be poisonous to many if ingested ~ humans, mammals, birds, insects. Rhododendrum is considered to be a hardwood.

For the hell of it, I tried to find it on the Janka Hardness Scale (which seems to be the industry standard for gauging various wood species to resist denting and wear: the harder the wood, the higher the number - e.g., Brazilian ebony 3692, hickory 1820, bamboo 1380, white oak 1360, black walnut 1010, southern yellow pine 690, California redwood 420), but did not see Rhododendrum on the list.

I've heard and read (on many occasions in the past) that using wood mounts of juniper, black walnut, rhododendrum, yellow pine, etc., for orchid mounts is a "no-no". But hey, different opinions for different folks.

[DirtyCoconuts]

terrific info-

i have long used the older decayed cedar basket staves in my bulbos for a lot of the reasons you stated but not so nicely oriented or so well conceived as yours (no surprise given the tillys you keep!!)

thanks for keeping my wheels spinning!