Caring for Mounted Plants?

[RandomGemini]

I have a mounted Bulbophyllum. I'm really new to mounted plants, so I'm not sure how the process of upgrading and caring for a mounted orchid works other than it being difficult to overwater a mounted plant, which is fine by me!

I noticed when I was watering it today that it has a smell to it. The plant is growing fine, it's putting out the first new leaf I've seen since about a month after I bought it, I'm hoping for a spike because I'm really curious about the smell on this guy. It's supposed to stink like the dickens and I've heard rumors that my family may move out while it's in bloom.

But that smell on the mount seems like decay to me, so I'm concerned. The smell is earthy, kind of like opening a bag of potting soil. Is it time for a new mount also or can I just replace the pad of moss around the roots, or is this normal and something I just never noticed before?

It's been on this mount for about a year as far as I can tell. I've had the plant since October.

Thanks for any tips or advice!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Only the flowers are supposed to smell like either dead fish, or decaying flesh for certain species of Bulbophyllum. Some stinkers smell like animal droppings. Not all Bulbos stink. In fact, some are pleasantly fragrant.

The plant itself shouldn't smell at all.

If the pseudobulbs are rotting, they smell sweet, like sugar water - heavy on the sugar.

The mount is not supposed to stink either. It doesn't matter what the mount is.

Please post a pic.

[RandomGemini]

It's Bulbophyllum carunculatum var. sulawesi. Supposedly smells like a dead body or stinky cheese when in bloom. The internet seems vague on which one, which is why I'm curious and kind of excited for it to do its thing.

The roots that I can see look good and the bulbs aren't rotting, they look good too. I do let it dry out a bit between waterings. I just watered it today, so the moss pad around the roots looks pretty dark.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Plant looks fine…

It is a stinker. Never owned one, but I know it is one. I have grown another Bulbo belonging to the same section; Bulbophyllum nymphopolitanum, and the Bulbos in this section are all stinkers.

Maybe it's the moss? Try smelling the moss. If it is, probably might want to change it out.

---------- Post added at 09:27 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:25 PM ----------

Btw, the smell on the flowers isn't earthy. It should be pretty rancid. Kinda like walking through a meat locker sort of rancid. If you've ever laid a dead fish out in the sun, that's also another smell to expect.

The plant itself doesn't smell earthy either.

I'm really thinking it might be the moss.

---------- Post added at 09:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:27 PM ----------

Here's something you might be able to relate to…

If you've ever done your own cooking with fresh, raw meats. The smell that comes out of the package of a piece of beef when you open it up, that's what you should be smelling if the flowers are in bloom.

[RandomGemini]

I pulled a little piece of moss off of the bottom and sure enough... that's the smell! I was worried it was something worse. It kind of came apart in my fingers, so it's definitely broken down.

Thanks for helping me figure this out! I've got some fresh moss, I'll soak some tonight and replace it tomorrow.

The pictures I've seen of the flowers on this one are very striking though, so it might be worth it as long as the smell isn't overpowering. I might have to put it outside for a while if the smell is very strong. LOL!

Raw meat... nice! My dogs will be living in my office!

[RandomGemini]

Reapplied the plant to the mount today and found that the root system is a lot smaller than I expected it would be. I think I may have a long wait before this one blooms. Still, it looked good. No signs of rot at all. And now, no more stink!

Here's a bad mobile photo of the plant with fresh moss. Hope I did a good job! Tried to orient it the same as it was before, but that didn't work out quite right. Still, it's close.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Bulbophyllum do not have big root systems. Each pseudobulb usually produces no more than 7 roots. 7 is a generous number in most cases.

[RandomGemini]

I found about 7 roots total. There are five pseudobulbs in total on this plant, with a sixth growing. Two are very tiny and don't seem to have any roots growing from them. The newest one seems to be growing pretty well.

The moss pad that was around the roots before seemed to be pretty tightly compacted. I placed the new pad a bit more loosely around the roots. Hopefully some airflow around those roots will improve things.

Do you think this plant might grow better in my terrarium? Temp in there stays a degree or two higher than room temp and the humidity is roughly 83%. I really can't do better than about 50% humidity in my office.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

How bright is the lighting in the terrarium?

83% humidity is fine, you'd just water less frequently.

As long as it's got some air circulation, I think it'd be alright in a terrarium.

The only issue would be the lighting.

[RandomGemini]

It's a small terrarium 12x12x18. I have a 23w CFL in there, 6500 k color temp bulb. It's set up for pleurothallids. I set it up for my dracula lotax because I kept forgetting to water it regularly, so I thought this would help keep the plant healthier. I have the dracula near the bottom of the terrarium and the leaves are a nice yellowish green.