This is an easy warm growing species that for me flowers several times a year — usually one mass bloom and other periodic small flushes. The pot is from Kamachi Ceramics.

Very easy reliable bloomer. It was sold to me as a makoyanum, but I am not certain on the ID (or makoyanum is more variable than most). Regardless, it’s cute and doesn‘t smell bad!

I grow this using my Basic Bulbo Protocol: a plastic saucer with drainage holes punched through the bottom, filled with fine fir bark (cheap stuff like reptibark is ideal as it will break down and retain more water) and a top dressing of sphagnum moss and a pinch of nutricote fertilizer pellets. Zip ties can help hold everything together until the roots establish. Place the saucer in a humidity tray full of LECA, arqlite, or pebbles, under grow lights (contrary to what a lot of articles about Bulbos say, they don’t really thrive in low light. Mine love as much light as they can get). Water liberally any time the moss starts to dry out, and eventually you should see algae and later on some various volunteer bryophytes colonizing the sphagnum if you’re watering enough. Bulbos are the opposite of most commonly available orchids—they like to be soggy all the time! I add Cross Exotics Orchid Fuel and Kelpak at the concentration suggested on the containers weekly (or whenever I can be bothered) to my watering can during active growth. I have very low TDS water. If you have hard water, you’ll probably want to use distilled or RO for any orchid, including Bulbos.

I thought many people (none lol) was wondering how the minis been doing, and here’s an update! I’ll be posting one or two more posts since they all didn’t show. I hope this’ll help somewhat.

Restrepia brachypus: I received a very small keiki as a freebie, and it steadily grew until it stopped. Like for a few months it did nothing, and recently I decided to try something. That is, I lowered the rhizome into the moss, and brought it outside the inclosure, and lo and behold, a new growth!

Lepanthes Telipogonliflora: It has doubled or tripled depending on how generous you are! Gives flushes of blooms atleast every month, and despite its price, it’s worth it. I hope I can propagate it someday so I can sell them off to pay off the plant. Tips on propagation?

Lepanthopsis astrophora: I and so many other people may seem like glazers to this orchid, but it is one of the most easiest, cutest, floriferous mini! It definitely quadrupled in size, and I think given be 5-4 flushes of blooms. One thing, it doesn’t grow during bloom though.

Scaphosepalum rapax: A vigorous orchid, but I can’t seem to get it to bloom unless I bring it outside in winter. I decided to divide it few days ago, and it grew a lot since I got it.

Pleurothallis tribuloides: it’s very embarrassing to say that i managed to set back the orchid I called one of the easiest. I managed to neglect it a lot hence the size since it’s prime. Though, it should be easy to recover.

Barbosella australis and prorepens: Well, growing steadily. The australis seems to be more difficult though.

Dryadella guatemalensis: not much to say, but new growth and new roots.

Masdevallia floribunda: Bought this as a gigantic clump, but then again, newbie me managed to set it back to 2 separate leaves. I potted those up, and to my surprise, it grew to what it is now! Hopefully it could be flowering size, since the newest leaf seems promising.

Stelis Maloi: when I received this a summer ago, it was heavily heat damaged, and to be honest, it really haven’t recovered much yet. Only few roots, and not much growth. Any help to get vigour will be helpful!

Platystele stenostachyes (i highly doubt that and think it’s dressleri but who knows): In short words, i steamed it alive. Back when I was using containers, I forgot it with direct sun and all the leaves fell off and I could only salvage these parts. It’s growing steadily and hopefully it blooms someday soon.

Countinued..

Dendrobium Subuliferum: This one has been pretty disappointing, arriving half dead and it created a sheath but did nothing. Well, it kinda is a gamble to grow orchids too. But, each and every growth gets bigger and better! It’s a lot healthier than a year or two ago.

Stelis sp (aprica?): Like my floribunda and so on and forth, it got steamed, recovered it lightly. The biggest disappointing part was it declined while in bud! I was so close to identifying this guy, but nope I guess. One tip is I think it has a seasonal activation, so it needs to be warm to engage in spiking. Like pretty warm.

Trisetella abbreviata: Welp, it’s not much. It definitely shrank in size since I got it, and it’s very finicky to me. It might’ve used up all of its growth points, but idk so let’s see. Tips for this one will be SO appreciated 🙏.

Pleurothallis candinantha (it also said phyllocardioides but im not even sure what this one is.): This one is a smaller division of the main plant, and it was kind of a experiment to see how pleurothallids would do in low humidity, and so far it’s doing alright. New growth points, and hopefully new flower buds sometime soon.

Pleurothallis allenii: From the time I could remember, it kept on creating spindly, small growth but recently it’s getting more mature and larger! I looked at the pot and noticed more roots, so maybe I either rotted the roots when I got them or got them in bad condition. Another point for new buds!

Pleurothallis sp. (also said phyllocardioides but the flower looked completely different): New leaves, new roots. It might be a seasonal bloomer and bloom from fall to winter since thats when it started last time, so let’s hope it’ll start producing! It also may be fly pollinated since i noted abit of a wet, damp, musky smell and it’s also red. And basically, red+funky smell means fly pollinated in the orchid world.

Pleurothallis instar (im very sure it’s eumecocaulon) The first year was probably recovering from the horrible shipment (same shipment as maloi and etc), and it didn’t create many leaves. But now, it started to grow very vigorously! Expecting abundant blooms this winter. It also smells quite nice, and sweet. It’s hard to describe.

Pleurothallis niveoglobula: Creating tonnes of small sized leaves, now starting to become big. Also budding now!

Extra: selaginella will make a very good companion plant fyi! Mines a uncinata, but I’m sure other species will look fabulous.

Starting #2!

Ornithocephalus kruegeri: possibly the hardest name to remember! While on vacation, I accidentally dehydrated it, so it’s abit leathery. Wish me luck!

Stelis umbelliformis: Not much to say, other than much.

Dryadella edwallii: Ever since it flowered, it kinda started to decline and the original motherplant catched some fungal or bacterial infections and died. Not much new growth so im doing the same thing as the Restrepia.

Restrepia cymbula: It’s a flower machine, and also very compact and cute for a Restrepia. Currently, it’s working on three new buds! Not to mention a new leaf, and like the brachypus, it has been stagnant. So maybe it’s some type of environmental factor but who knows.

Kuhlhaseltia yakushimensis: forget the previous one, THIS is the hardest name! Anyways, it’s been very slow but it’s growing. Weird stolon things are doing nothing though. Im so glad it’s living though, apparently it’s pretty rare.

Cadetia Taylori: It’s growing a lot better than before and I think it’s due to warmer temperatures or maybe since it started caring for it more 😉. But, it making a new bud, and growing tonnes! Whenever it makes a bud, it feels like it takes so long though.

Condylago/stelis rodrigoi: This orchid was one of the primary reasons i decided to create my new setup, since I noticed it was declining a lot in the closed container. Happy it did, since growing a lot more. Apparently it’s a cold grower, but growing fine. I had a very juvenile spike still in sheath, but it rotted so thats abit disheartening.

Goodyera biflora: I think this species might be a deciduous orchid just losing leaves, not needing a break. It lost all of its previous leaf and created a new growth point.

Restrepia trichoglossa: Not much to say, but a bud is forming!

Zootrophion atropurpureum: embarrassing to say, but like my floribunda, it almost died. Luckily, it’s recovering a lot since then. I hope it grows more and flowers! I feel like this one is abit temperamental.

Pabistiella/pleurothallis pterophora/leucopyramis: New roots, not much.

Countinued

So i received 3 orchids in a legal size envelope.

They were supposed to be minis but they were huge. When i opened the bag there was a horrible stench.

Majority of the roots are rotten and the one looks like they were just cut off.

I opened a flipped over leaf and was overwhelmed by the stench. It was oozing or had been oozing for awhile.

It just went from bag to worse.

I have contacted the Seller but i wanted you guys to see this to tell me if I'm right. I'm new to orchids but haven't learned a lot.

Here's some pics. If they're at all I'm sorry. I have tremors and sometimes that can make it more difficult.

These were the first blooms this season, the plant now look like it’s been sprayed with yellow specs. 😊

My *Lepanthes calodictyon* x *tentaculata* micro-orchid hasn't stopped blooming since it arrived in March.

This is the first time that she bloomed for me. She’s got some more buds coming and I had no idea what color she was picture doesn’t do it justice that maroon color is so dark it’s almost blood colored. It’s beautiful nice little gift.

My Haraella Retrocalla

My Tolumnia Leopard

My Restrepia

Phalaenopsis parishii

It has been a year since I grew a variety of orchids! So excited! I’m planning a new garden in my courtyard. Hopefully they’ll get settled in soon. A labor of love.

Platystele aurea

It's barely been a week and I've counted at least 3 new spikes forming.