"sneff" wrote in message
...

"K Barrett" wrote in message
news:eD9Ea.890048$Zo.202493@sccrnsc03...
The secret to bulbophyllums is to remember that they have roots with
very
little velamen on them. Velamen traps and holds the day's moisture for
the
plant to use at a later time. Hence Bulbophyllums need/want more of a
daily
introduction to water than something like a Cattleya would. Cattleyas -
for
example - can take some drying out because the velamen traps and holds
moisture, like a sponge. Think of it this way. If velamen was an
anatomical
feature equivalent to breasts, Bulbophyllums would be Twiggy and
Cattleyas
would be Jane Mansfield (or insert the name of whatever heroin-chic
model
currently in vogue and Anna-Nicole Smith). So you can visualize how
deficient in velamen poor Bulbophyllums are. You gotta keep most of
these
babies evenly moist, but still with air to the roots. A difficult
balancing
act indeed. If your remaining Bulbophyllum doesn't want to grow for you
try
a bit more water, try to make sure it stays above 60F at night and try a
*bit* more light (as for Cattleyas).

K Barrett



K Barrett,

I found your "anatomical feature equivalent to breasts" analogy just
absolutely fascinating, and at first - it made perfect sense to me. Things
started to fall apart for me when you compared Cattleyas to Jane
Mansfield,
and Bulbophyllums to Twiggy. You see, I've always salivated over Jane's
fulsome, milk-fed figure - but I don't care for Cattleyas. On the other
hand - Bulbophyllum's startling blooms have always enticed me just as much
as Twiggy's threadbare frame left me cold. I feel all topsy-turvy, and
even
more confused than before.

Perhaps if I get that old Jane Mansfield super-8 reel out of the cupboard
it
will make things a tiny bit clearer.

END tongue in cheek

Matthew.



Or you could watch her daughter on the US TV show 'Law and Order: Special
Victims Unit'. The show's producers usually show her wearing clingy T-shirt
type blouses under her jacket. I'd say she's somewhere between a Cattleya
and a Bulbophyllum. [*G*]

K Barrett