Quote:
Originally Posted by Spider
I brought an inodora last summer and it was in a terrible stat, 1 bigger leaf that fell of after a few weeks. It has 5 larger bulbs without leaves. It has started growing in the basket it hangs in but very slow, it has 2 new bulbs. I hope I can manage it. How many years have you grown yours? It is wonderful, congratulations to fin culture.
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Hi Spider!
Well, I have it for at least 20 ys! This was my first inodora, and second Bifrenaria (the 1st was a harrisoniae, I posted the pics in the OB). Today I have dozens of these beuaties! Almost all Bifrenarias come from southeastern Brazil (when I live), for me the climate is "ideal"! Big-flowers Bifrenarias (harrisoniae, tyrianthina, inodora, calcarata, mellicolor, tetragona etc.) love hot & humidy spring/summer and relatively warm & dry fall/winter; even in the dry season the 'fog' during the night keeps the moisture, and during the day they dry; the 'secret' to bloom Bifrenarias is the difference of temps in the dry season: during the night the temp falls to 10-12ºC, and there is 'fog' formation, and during the day the temp rises to 18-25ºC (yes, this is our 'winter'!) and the plants dry completely. If you could 'copy' these climate, your inodora will grow and bloom happily! Use very fast draining media, the Bifrs loves moisture in the environment, not in the roots (except in the hot season, it's raining daily here now!). Fertilize as usual (like Catts and Laelias).
PS: small-flowers Bifrenarias (former Stenocoryne or Adipe), leucorrhoda, stefanae, vitellina etc. are much more hard to grow and bloom, even in Brazil