b. nodosa little stars-basket? pot? mount?

[VickiC]

Hi,
I just bought a B. Nodosa 'Little Stars". I've never had one before, so could someone please tell me the care it needs? I wasn't able to find much about when I searched. Also, I would like to know if I should pot it, grow it in a basket or mount it. If you tell me that growing it in a basket would be good, should I pot it in some medium, or just it's roots only?
I always appreciate your advice,
Vicki

[Royal]

Vicki,

These perform well mounted or bare-root in baskets, but only if your cultural conditions sustain mounted orchids well. They'll do fine in a pot too, just use a course potting mix and allow to dry between watering. In nature these guys get lots of water while in active growth, then almost none for the rest of the year. Just try to mimic that, lots of water and fert over the summer and into fall. Then when it's time to bring it inside, reduce water and eliminate fert. It'll bloom right in time for Christmas.

FYI - B. nodosa is a species. B. Little Stars is a hybrid of B. nodosa x B. subulifolia [cordata].

[isurus79]

Basket culture either bare root or with large bark chunks works great. So does mounting. Ive got B. cordata in a basket with large bark chunks, B. nodosa in a pot with holes cut in the side and wine corks and decorative bark (BIG chunks!) as a media (basically a basket but in a plastic pot), B. cucullata (close relative with same cultural needs) bareroot in a basket and B. perrinii (close relative with same cultural needs) mounted on cork. I water my guys every day, but they dry off in a few hours. These guys really dislike wet roots, so as long as you can provide, high light and rapidly drying roots, you should be fine.

[VickiC]

Thanks Royal and Steve! He's getting settled in his new little basket-home.
Vicki