Bulbophyllum blumei

Also known as: Blume's Bulbophyllum in the subfamily: Epidendroideae

Native to: Australia Malaysia

General Information

Blume's Bulbophyllum is a sympodial hot growing epiphytic orchid belonging to the sub family Epidendroideae native to Australia and Malaysia. It is named after the German Director of Botanical Garden In Indonesia early to mid in the 19th century.

Plant Description

Sympodial. Grows to 12-18cm. Each new growth has a single leathery lance shaped leaf that grows to 2-14cm long. Pseudobulbs grow to 0.1-8cm

Substrate(s)

• Coarse
• Medium
• Fine
• Bark
• Spaghnum Moss
• Perlite

Care Notes

This orchid goes into a dormancy phase during winter, during this phase it is best not to provide water unless the plant is starting to look thirsty. The lack of water increases the chance of flowering in spring, and also reduces the likelihood of any rot forming. Do not resume watering until new growth has appeared and is growing strongly.

Often a period of intense growth occurs after dormancy. During this time the amount of light, water and fertiliser the plant receives will directly impact the amount of growth that occurs during this time, and in the case of seedlings, will reduce the time required to reach maturity.

It's recommended to heavily reduce the water amount at the middle to end of autumn to trigger dormancy. Leaves on older bulbs will begin to drop during this time while the newer bulbs continue to mature until terminal leaves appear at the tip of the pseudobulbs.

Repotting can be done any time of the year though it's best to do it in early spring when new growth is appearing as this also means new roots will appear to help the plant anchor into the new media and offset any damage to established roots during the repotting process.

 

Climate

Grows at low to high elevations. Rainfall ranges from 165mm to 389mm per day, heaviest in November and lightest in July. Humidity ranges from 79% to 87%, highest in October and lowest in July. Temperature ranges from 23C to 32C, highest in May (24C to 32C) and lowest in January (23C to 31C).

Fertiliser

dormant-medium-demand-orchid Use balanced fertiliser during Spring and Summer. Be sure to flush out excess fertiliser by running water through the media regularly year round. Apply fertiliser regularly at half strength year round. Use a high Nitrogen fertiliser during Spring and Summer. Use a high Phosphorous fertiliser during Summer.

Potting

Due to the growth nature of these plants they are best mounted onto cork, tree fern slabs, or even trees if the climate suits. Water regularly especially in hot weather.

This plant does very well in baskets or suspended pots This plant does well mounted. Repotting is best done annually.