Potting Bulb. cummingii

[Rothrock42]

About a month ago I got a three bulb division of a Bulb. cummingii as a door prize at my OS meeting. It had recently been divided from a well established plant and the bulbs are in a net pot lightly packed with sphagnum.

There are now many small nubs or roots starting from the plants and I'm thinking about moving it into something a little more permanent.

I have a couple of bulbos on bark/slabs with some moss, but they are smaller ones. I also have a very large establish echinolabium in a vanda basket with just a bit of moss and bark -- the basket is mostly filled with roots.

But in all those cases the plant was already established and growing. I'm not quite sure what I should do with this new one to get it going and give it a happy "forever" home.

I've recently moved a few of my other plants -- masdevallia and angreacums -- into semi-hydro. I'm thinking that might be good for this. Cummingii doesn't look like too much of a scrambler.

Anybody have a suggestion or grown this species?

[estación seca]

Bulbos need to get sloppy wet every day. They have much shorter roots than other orchids. These factors need to be taken into account.

Bill Thoms wrote this:
Bulbophyllums: The Incomplete Guide
He has many awards on Bulbos.

He writes that he soaks all his Bulbos at least once a day. He is unable to water them enough on mounts to get what he considers proper growth. He prefers to grow them in low, wide baskets, with mounds of foam peanuts in the center, covered by sphagnum moss. He plants them in the moss. He stands some of these baskets in dishes of water if they dry out too rapidly.

I tried a couple of Bulbos in traditionally-sized S/H pots. They did not get enough water, declined and died, no matter how often I watered them.

I have been growing some in modified S/H in low rectangular food containers, and they are doing better. I placed a layer of LECA on the bottom, then a layer of long-fiber sphagnum moss over this. I did not put holes in the containers. I keep water in the container all the time. If I remember to water them they do well. If one dries out completely it usually dies.

[Rothrock42]

Thanks for the tips ES. I was thinking that I would need to keep the water reserve higher and/or a shorter pot.

Maybe I'll just go for a more traditional basket with moss.

[Rothrock42]

I decided to go with coconut husk chips, chopped sphagnum, and some charcoal bits. And I used round plastic pots with air slots.

I also migrated my Bulb. barbigerum and Bulb. medusae which I've had mounted since I bought them over a year ago. Despite all that time and some good growth neither of them were well adhered to their boards.

I'm thinking the new media will provide a lot more regular moisture. Wish me/them luck!