Bulbophyllum dayanum

Also known as: Day's Bulbophyllum or Phyllorkis dayana Bulbophyllum dyphoniae Bulbophyllum hispidum in the subfamily: Epidendroideae

Native to: Cambodia Thailand

General Information

Day's Bulbophyllum is a miniature warm to hot growing epiphytic orchid belonging to the sub family Epidendroideae native to Cambodia and Thailand. It is named after the English Orchid Enthusiast in the 19th century.

Plant Description

Grows to 7-15cm. Each new growth has a single thick erect, oblong shaped leaf that grows to 5-10cm long. Pseudobulbs grow to 3.8cm. The plant tends to climb or sprawl with each new growth

Flowers

Numerous blossoms appear during Summer and Spring

Blooming Season

• Spring
• Summer

Substrate(s)

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

Care Notes

These orchids like to be kept on the dry side, but may need to be watered daily during warm weather, and prefer a well draining mix or also do well mounted, provided they can be watered regularly.

These are quite a forgiving orchid, there are no special requirements to get this orchid to flower, just good care and consistent conditions. Larger plants may be more fussy and can react poorly to change; a poorly timed repotting, a pest infection or an unusually hot day can set them back for a couple of years. However, even plants that have been treated poorly can thrive, and if they are set back they often recover much stronger then they would otherwise be.

Climate

Grows at low to high elevations. Rainfall ranges from 8mm to 798mm per day, heaviest in August and lightest in January. Temperature ranges from 15C to 29C, highest in March (18C to 29C) and lowest in January (15C to 24C).

Watering

Keep moisture levels up during hot weather as the plant is prone to dehydration

Fertiliser

Apply liquid based fertiliser per recommended directions. They can benefit from a high phosphate fertiliser leading up to flowering season, followed by a high nitrogen fertiliser when new growth appears, and a balanced fertiliser in other times. These orchids can also tolerate slow release fertiliser applied 1-2 pellets per cup (250ml) of media.

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

It's best to observe the root system when repotting and use that as a guide:

A plant with a short root system will do better in a shallower pot with a fine mix, or mounted on fern or cork supplanted with a good amount of moss or similar material.

A plant with a long root system often does well in a pot filled with moss or fine media, mixing in perlite and charcoal is always beneficial to reduce the likelihood of the mix becoming soggy and keeps it fresh.

A plant with a coarser long root system can be potted in a deeper pot, but with 2/3 coarse material such as bark, expanded clay, or coco chips and topped with moss or similar material. This will allow the moisture to remain inside the pot but give the roots air as well.

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