Bulbophyllum

Light needs are easy to fulfill for bulbophyllum. They can receive ambient light in a greenhouse or north window at the least and up to five hours of bright diffused light at the most. Most will thrive with two to three hours of bright diffused light a day.

• In a greenhouse, shadecloth is required to reach about 10,750-32,250 lumens (1,000-3,000 foot-candles) depending on the plants.  
• In the home, east, north, or west windows where they will get about 1-5 hours of bright sun are ideal. Some species will flower even without this amount of sun exposure, as long as the ambient light is bright enough.

Many types of Bulbophyllum will grow well under artificial light. Use lightbulbs/LEDs of your choice that are about 1-2 feet above the plant and emit >10,000 lumens per square yard/square meter.  The lowest amount of lumens for growth is about 1000 lumens, though flowering may be poor.

Temperature should be warm to hot. Some species that hail from higher elevations may like to cool off at night, but most Bulbophyllum do not need that.  60F-90F (15.5C-32.2C) is the ideal range for most species, regardless of species-specific temperature preferences. There are warmer growing and colder growing species, but this range should work for all plants.  They can tolerate even higher day temperatures, so long as they cool off at night.

When thinking about these plants water needs, think about the environments that they come from – mostly low to mid-elevation rainforests or equatorial.  Regardless of growing indoors or in a greenhouse, water should be liberally applied. Potting mix should be perpetually moist and dry slightly between waterings. Plants should not dry out completely, or if they do, water needs to be immediately applied when the media hits dryness.

Humidity should be maintained at 60% to 90% unless plants are well-watered.  Because their native environments are extremely muggy, the hotter and more humid you can make it for these plants, the better they will perform. Air circulation will help prevent damage to leaves by leafspot fungi. Increase airflow as the humidity/mugginess increases.

Fertilize on a regular schedule when the plants are actively growing, which can start at any time of the year.  Many plants will perpetually grow, meaning that you should fertilize at all times of the year. Use a ¼-½ strength dose of a well-balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10).

Potting should be timed to coincide with the initiation of new growth, usually in the spring. However, since these equatorial plants tend to grow year-round, anytime is the right time, so long as they are not in spike. New roots will be produced quickly at the time of new growth, and plants will experience minimal setback. Note that most species tend to “hover” above the moss that they are planted in. This is normal, and you should not cover the pseudobulb, lest you rot it. The roots have taken on the form and function of stilts in many species to protect themselves from touching perpetually wet moss and rotting.

•  It’s best to pot these plants in either treefern fiber, sphagnum, very fine orchid bark mix, or some combination thereof.  Use plastic pots, as terracotta will dry them out too much.
• Plants with extended space between the rhizomes are best grown mounted to cork or treefern branches with some sphagnum.

Some growers claim that if you remove fertilizer during the winter, you can force blooming in spring. The truth is, is that no one knows what causes a Bulbophyllum to bloom. Much is still unknown about their environmental cues.

Further information can be found on the Bulbophyllum genus page.

Best orchid care practices are also provided for watering, repotting, and fertilizer types. There are also detailed discussions of growing orchids indoors, outdoors, or in greenhouses.

For more information on genus name changes, see Taxonomy.