I grow four bulbophyllums, Daisy Chain, Vaginatum, Lasicilum and Makoyanum.
I got them about two months ago while on vacation in Hawaii. The vaginatum
was sulking for a bit but eventually recovered. With the exception of the
makoyanum they all grow in different ways. The daisy chain is in a wooden
basket suspended in my bathroom where it's getting defused light and the
roots are covered (very very loosely) with sphagnum moss. The vaginatum is
mounted on a piece of pine , the roots are wrapped in sphangum moss as
well. The lasicilum is mounted on cork with the roots loosely covered with
sphagnum. All are in the bathroom and are suspended on chains that are
hooked to the ceiling. I mist them all twice a day, they get western
difused exposure, the rest of the moisture comes from the family using the
facility. In two months since I've brought them home, they grew into their
new media and are displaying new growth all over including crazy hair like
roots! Chet from Wilks Orchid in Hawaii told me that bulbophyllums will
grow out of control and out of their pots (if you grow them in pots), and
that it isn't anything to be alarmed about, and that to get a bulb to behave
is quite unreasonable . BTW- the fourth bulb the makoyanum is in a 3"
extra deep clay pot, with no potting media at all, this is how I brought it
from Hawaii where it was grown that way. The roots have filled the pot and
the plant has grown out of the pot and all around the clay! Now lets see if
I can make them flower

Good luck to you,
Mariana

----- Original Message -----
From: "Fran Kirby"
Newsgroups: rec.gardens.orchids
Sent: Friday, April 04, 2003 8:54 PM
Subject: Help!!! Bulbophyllum playing King of the Hill...


I have had a bulbophyllum for 2 months and the psuedobulb growths are
piling
on top of each other and strangling themselves. They WERE in a 3 inch
pot,
but I have tried to rescue (but probably didn't need to) and I am trying
to
figure out what kind of potting arrangement would be best to get the type
of
configuration I want. I saw a "specimen plant" of these at the same JOS
that I "acquired" mine. The plant was growing in a big circle around the
outside of a container about 9 to 12 inches across. The grower didn't have
problems with the plant climbing itself or trying to crawl out of the
container. Any suggestions to getting a "well-behaved" bulbo ;-) would be
appreciated.
TIA!!!
*Don't know who the original grower was to be able to ask them now :-(
--
Fran Kirby
Jacksonville, Florida