medusae Blooming

[Jason Barrette]

First blooms on this division. Received it about 6mo ago. While it’s in the house for winter I keep it warm about 75-85 in the day and about 65-70 at night. High humidity around 80-90%. It’s been outside all summer in the shade house with humidity levels in the 90s with the help of misters and temps of 90-100 in day and 75-85 at night. Fed him weekly at 1/4 strength and never let it dry out. So excited about the second spike popping up! I was really surprised it bloomed so soon. I’ll post some more pics as it opens.

[Dollythehun]

Great job. Very nice.

[katrina]

'Tis the season (fall/winter) for B medusae! Good job!! Mine bloomed earlier, in October this year.

Here's what you have to look forward to in a few years...
(sorry for the crappy pic - my phone doesn't take great pics and I still haven't replaced my real camera)

I only wish the flowers lasted longer w/this orchid. A week-10 days is far too short for something this gorgeous. The good news is as your plant gets more mature it will push out additional flushes of flowers. This pic was the first flush...it gave me one more flush almost as big as this one and then a much smaller flush shortly after that.

[SillyKeiki]

Your plants look amazing! What does the B. medusae smell like? Is it good? Is it bad? Can you smell it from afar or do you have to stick your nose inside?

[WeirdGuySeattle]

What are the conditions you put this plant in? Would it thrive in intermediate temps?

[SaraJean]

Awesome!!

[Jason Barrette]

Originally Posted by WeirdGuySeattle

What are the conditions you put this plant in? Would it thrive in intermediate temps?

I’ve never let it get below 63,63 degrees. And that’s this fall/winter. In summer it stays between 85-105 during the day and 75-85 at night.

Originally Posted by SillyKeiki

Your plants look amazing! What does the B. medusae smell like? Is it good? Is it bad? Can you smell it from afar or do you have to stick your nose inside?

The smell is hard to describe! It’s not a good smell, but not a raunchy smell either. It kind of smells like raw hamburger meat that better be eaten tonight because it’ll be bad tomorrow. It is not a strong smell and you have to stick your nose right into it to be able to smell it.

[Paul]

Well done, Jason.

Gorgeous plant there, Katrina!

Originally Posted by SillyKeiki

What does the B. medusae smell like? Is it good? Is it bad? Can you smell it from afar or do you have to stick your nose inside?

Been awhile since I last sniffed one, SK. As Jason mentioned, it is not an enjoyable scent -- which is usually the case with bulbos. (They are typically pollinated by flies and their close relatives, after all.) Most folks I know describe it as a musty/ mildew like odor. A single pompom is not terribly over powering ... you'd have to be quite close to it unless you have a really sensitive sense of smell. Don't know what it would be like with as many as Katrina's plant had.

[SillyKeiki]

I would really like to own a Bulbophyllum some day in the future. I know most of them are pollinated by flies though, and one should choose wisely if they don't want to end up with their house smelling like rotting corpses, hahaha!

B. medusae is always one of the most eye-catching, that's why I was very interested to know if the smell was bearable (I am fine with foul smelling Bulbos, as long as the scent doesn't reach too far, like seems to be the case of B.medusae).

My summers can be pretty hot here (36ºC), but I keep humidity at least around 60%-70% with the help of a cold mist humidifier.

Does anyone know any other kind of Bulbos that would like these conditions?

[Jason Barrette]

Does anyone know any other kind of Bulbos that would like these conditions?[/QUOTE]

I have 25 bulbo’s. 8 hybrids and the rest species. “In general” I keep them in high-warm to hot temps. 36c is very common where I grow in the summer months. All of mine love this heat, but I know there are some that prefer cooler temps. Just remember, the higher the heat the quicker they dry. I keep most damp, not soggy, at all times. I’ve never let any of mine dry out completely. I let them get closer to “dry” from Halloween to Valentine’s Day, but never fully dry. In summer they are watered daily if in pots and baskets, and three to four times a day if on mounts.