Bulbophyllum: a large family

The Bulbophyllum is one of the most important orchid families since there are over 2000 species. They come from Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Guinea, Cameroon, Madagascar, New Guinea ... There are so many that the choice of colors is almost too much pink purple, red and yellow, purple, red, pink, reddish brown , pale yellow. Some flowers are arranged in umbrella, others elongated cup, then there are those that are simply spectacular, indescribable in one word. Each pseudo-bulb data of 1 to 2-leaf tough and each plant can be between 10-60 cm. As lithophytes for most of them it will be almost improbable to recreate their natural environment with rocks. Good news all the same, they are cultivated in every way an existing orchid: basket suspended on a plate with Light of tree fern or in a clay pot with a very draining substrate (ferns, conifers, polystyrene Dolime). The first two options are the most recommended, due to the size of the rhizome. However, if you place it in a pot large enough, it will suffice to repot every two years after the flowering period. Watering is not continuous, but it remains fairly steady throughout the year: 2 times a week and then once a week in winter. If you repot, avoid putting as much water as usual, the young shoots will react badly. You can add fertilizer, start by giving a monthly basis and if you find the result less luxuriant than when you bought it, why not double the dose, twice a month but no more. As 95% of orchid fertilizer applied during the growing season does not the same as that of the flowering period, for those in need during this period. For the first time, it is recommended fertilizer NPK 15 October 15, for the second period are purchasing the NPK 12 August 24. This is not the same nitrogen requirements or the same salt tolerance, so be specific.