BecauseBulbophyllum is an unusual Genus of orchid, it can be difficult to care for. This post will teach you the basics of how to care for Bulbophyllum!
Bulbophyllum can be found all over the world, but are almost always found in tropical or subtropical regions.
This means that Bulbophyllum like warm temperatures and high humidity. Furthermore, most Bulbophyllum are epiphytic, which means they grow on trees. This means they’re going to like a media that is well-draining but retains moisture.
The best way to determine a plant’s exact needs is to research its natural environment.Use a tool like OrchidWiz to find the best care requirements for your species of Bulbophyllum!
Read on to hear more Bulbophyllum care from Florae’s orchid specialist, Austin Miller.
Bulbophyllum dentiferum
Light Preferences
Bulbophyllums like bright eastern windows or shaded southern windows.
Remember not to expose this genus to direct mid-day sun. Whenever you’re placing the plant in a new light environment, do so slowly to acclimate the plant.
Water & Humidity
Mounted Bulbophyllum species typically require daily mists to wet the roots. If the plant is potted, the media should be kept moist and not allowed to dry out.
A humidity of 70-80% is ideal for Bulbophyllum. However, if the plant is in your home and you can’t achieve these humidity levels, you can try using a high moisture media or a humidity dome to keep the humidity up!
Temperature
Temperature is one of the care guidelines that is most dependent on the Bulbophyllum species. But generally speaking, Bulbophyllum are warm-growing and will tolerate temperatures ranging from 55°F to 95°F but prefer temperatures between 60°F – 85°F.
Media
Most Bulbophyllum should be mounted or placed in baskets, however, some can be potted. In any case, the recommended media is sphagnum moss.
Bulbophyllum microtepalum
Helpful Tips for Bulbophyllum
Air movement is beneficial to Bulbophyllum, as it minimizes the risk of fungal issues. Try keeping a small fan near your Bulbophyllum!
Try to repot or remount as infrequently as possible.
Apply a half-strength orchid fertilizer once a week during the summer growing months. During winter non-growing months, apply your fertilize at quarter-strength either once a month or every other week.
If you’re watering with RO (reverse osmosis) water, use Pure Water Special fertilizer. If you’re using tap water we recommend the Tap Water Special fertilizer.
Florae’s 2022 Spring Open House will be Saturday, May 7th from 12:00-4:00pm! We’re very excited to announce our featured guests will be Rob Cantley and Jeremiah Harris!
In addition to being a world-class breeder and grower, Rob tirelessly works to conserve Nepenthes. He helps determine Nepenthes conservation status as the Chair of Carnivorous Plant Specialist Group of the IUCN. Furthermore, Rob maintains a vast collection of Nepenthes species in tissue culture to ensure their continued genetic diversity.
Jeremiah Harris holds the Guinness World Record for the largest Venus Fly Trap and has one of the most extensive collections of carnivorous plants in the US. He regularly travels to see these plants in the wild and has some incredible stories. On top of all this, he is the founder of the Colorado Carnivorous Plant Society!
Jeremiah and Rob are experts in carnivorous plants. We’re very excited to learn from them!
In addition to meeting Rob and Jeremiah, at our Open House you’ll be able to tour our greenhouse, speak with our botanists, and of course see incredible tropical plants. We have thousands of carnivorous plants, orchids, and aroids.
Don’t worry – the fun doesn’t stop with the tropical greenhouse. Our surrounding property was professionally designed and hosts a variety of unusual plants. You can find Dawn Redwoods, Giant Butterburs, Contorted Mulberry, and Weeping Katsura†.
If you are arriving to NYC by plane, the tricky part is getting to the Cornell Club. It can be done by train but requires ample planning. A rideshare is easier.
If you aren’t affiliated with Cornell the campus is worth a visit. It has one of the best views of Cayuga Lake and hosts incredible architecture and landscapes.
Nature
Taughannock State Park – Easy and rewarding hike on the gorge trail or drive to the scenic overlook for easy access. Swimming area on the lake.
Treman State Park – Stunning but slightly strenuous hike. We recommend starting at the upper park entrance. Natural swimming hole with waterfall.
Want to learn how to repot your Nepenthes? This post will teach you how!
When should I repot Nepenthes?
You ideally want to repot your Nepenthes every 2-3 years. However, if you notice any of the following, it may also be time to repot!
The root mass has outgrow the pot
The media smells or is decomposing
The roots are rotting (commonly known as “root rot”)
The media is too tight
The media is holding onto more or less water than is optimal
You have a pest problem
Like most plants, the best time to repot Nepenthes is early spring when the plant is being exposed to more light and warmer temperatures.
How do I repot Nepenthes?
Repotting Nepenthes is trickier than a regular houseplant. Follow these tips to ensure your Nepenthes is safely repotted!
Remove the plant from its current pot
Hold the base of the plant in one hand and the pot in another. Gently wiggle the plant out of the pot.
Remove old media from roots
Lightly shake the old media off the roots. Use your fingers to lightly remove any media stuck to them.
Check plant health
Examine the roots and rhizome of the plant for root rot. If you see root rot, trim it off with a clean knife or pruners.
Prune or divide the plant (if needed)
This is a great time to prune or divide your plant, but it is not necessary. Read our blog post about Cuttings and Divisions for more info!
Prepare the new pot
Add media to the pot and leave room for the plant’s roots.
Pot the plant
Place the plant inside the pot, making sure the roots are snug but still have some room to grow. Then, fill in the rest of the pot with media. Pack the media tightly enough that the plant won’t fall over and can hold its own weight.
Useful Tips
Here are some helpful tips to keep in mind when repotting Nepenthes:
Use a media that balances water retention and drainage. Good examples of this are coconut coir or sphagnum moss mixes.
Nepenthes have very delicate roots, so be gentle when removing them from their old pot.
Don’t use a potting mix or media that contains fertilizer. Nepenthes need to be fertilized in their pitchers. To learn more about Nepenthes fertilization read How to Fertilize Nepenthes
Use a pot with drainage holes
Learn More About Growing Nepenthes
To learn more about Nepenthes, read our other posts and check out our potting mixes:
Trying to figure out how to fertilize Nepenthes? Then this is the guide for you!
Read on to figure out if you need to fertilize and different ways to provide extra nourishment for your Nepenthes.
Do I need to fertilize?
Fertilizing Nepenthes is commonly debated in the carnivorous plant community. Since Nepenthes produce pitchers to obtain nutrients, some believe fertilizing will stop the plant from producing pitchers or damage the plant.
If you’re growing outdoors, this seems to be anecdotally true. The plant already has ample access to nutrients through the insects it traps.
However, if you’re growing indoors or in a greenhouse, your Nepenthes won’t have much access to insects during colder months. In this case, fertilization can improve a plant’s growth.
No matter where you grow, just be sure to keep the plant hungry so it continues producing pitchers!
How Do I Fertilize Nepenthes?
There are several ways to fertilize Nepenthes. The most common methods are feeding prey, using pellet fertilizer, or using a spray fertilizer. Each option has its own pros and cons, so it’s important to determine which option works best for you and your plants!
Here are some supplies you may need to fertilize your Nepenthes. Your choice of fertilizer, a spray bottle or watering can, and of course a plant!
Feeding Nepenthes Pitchers
The simplest way to fertilize Nepenthes is to feed them. If you live in an area where Nepenthes can be grown outdoors, just put them outside and let them do what they’ve evolved to do!
If you grow indoors and still want to use this method, you can feed them with insects, bloodworms, mealworms, or even fish flakes.
Before feeding, be sure the pitchers have water in them. You can feed multiple pitchers at once and repeat 1-2 times a month.
Using Pellet Fertilizer
Pellet fertilizer is another simple way to accelerate your plant’s growth. It’s the same as feeding a pitcher insects, except you’re using fertilizer pellets instead. Just drop in a single pellet of 14-14-14 fertilizer like Osmocote and you’re all set!
If you use pellet fertilizer don’t be surprised to see pitchers “burn.” This is where the pitcher turns black and dies because of the high concentration of nutrients. Don’t worry, though! The plant is still absorbing the nutrients.
Using Spray Fertilizer
An easier method for fertilizing at scale is to use a spray fertilizer. This is the method Florae uses.
To choose a proper spray fertilizer you’ll want to confirm two things, which usually can be found on the fertilizer label:
The fertilizer is water-soluble
The correct NPK ratio
It’s critical the fertilize is water-soluble. If it isn’t, plants can get damaged due to inconsistent concentration.
The NPK ratio is the relative amounts of nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and potassium (K) in the fertilizer.
At Florae we use a fertilizer called Maxsea. Maxsea is a seaweed-based fertilizer with an NPK ratio of 16-16-16. It’s a common fertilizer and we see great results with it!
Once you have your fertilizer, follow these instructions:
Follow the instructions on the bottle. However, dilute the fertilizer to be 1/4 strength. This means you need to add four times as much water as the bottle calls for. The standard concentration is too intense for Nepenthes.
Mix well.
Fill a few mature pitchers 1/4 of the way. Scale as needed for smaller plants.
How often should I fertilize?
We recommend fertilizing twice a month during the growing season and once a month in the winter.
A plant’s ability to intake extra nutrients is dependent on the amount of light they’re getting. Since plants get more light during the growing season, they can also get more fertilizer!
Finally, remember to never fertilize the media. We are trying to replicate the plant’s natural environment. Nepenthes have evolved to derive their nutrients from their pitchers and not from their roots!
Learn More About Growing Nepenthes
Whether you’re a new grower or you have hundreds of plants, it can be useful to learn more about Nepenthes. Here are some resources to get you started!
Scroll down to learn more about both of these awesome organizations!
What is 1% For The Planet?
1% For The Planet is an international organization focused on saving the planet. Every year, its members donate 1% of their annual sales to environmental organizations.
1% For The Planet and its members believe that since companies profit from this planet, they should also be active participants in protecting it. We think this is especially true for businesses like us that sell plants! Here are the two organizations we supported this year:
Meadoview Biological Research Station
The Meadowview Biological Research Station is a non-profit organization that protects over 500 acres of wetland habitats in Virginia and Maryland. They specialize in bogs, which means they work a lot with carnivorous plants!
Their primary focus is Sarracenia, though they also work with Drosera and Utricularia.
Here’s a bit of what they do:
Discovery: Identify new bogs that contain rare species.
Research: Study the genetics, biochemistry, ecology and population biology of various wetland plant species.
Propagation: Create backup populations for wild species that are rare or endangered.
Reintroductions and Outplantings: Work towards the restoration of native plant populations.
Education: Provide instruction on the maintenance and care of bog habitats.
Photos of Joseph Pines Preserve, one of the last bogs containing Sarracenia flava. This preserve is maintained and protected by MBRS and its researchers.
We highly encourage growers to support Meadowview. They also have a great online shop that supports their conservation efforts!
Finger Lakes Land Trust
The Finger Lakes Land Trustis an organization dedicated to protecting the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York.
FLLT has permanently protected over 27,500 acres of land by creating public land preserves. They’ve been protecting the Finger Lakes’ local forests, gorges, and shorelines since 1989.
As a business located in the Finger Lakes of New York, we wanted to support a local conservation group in addition to carnivorous plants.
Check out some of the FLLT’s results. They manage 345 separate land parcels, of which 45 are publicly accessible!
Interested in learning how plant tissue culture works? Or, curious about how Nepenthes have unique requirements within tissue culture? Then, this page is for you!
Before we dive in, a few things to note…
We’ve intentionally kept this article simple to be more beginner friendly. If you’re looking for something more advanced, we’ve recommended additional readings at the bottom of this article.
Additionally, this page uses definitions and frameworks from other posts. We strongly recommend reading the following articles before beginning here:
Tissue culture is a special way of propagating plants. It allows plants to be asexually reproduced at a large scale and low cost.
At the most basic level, tissue culture is cutting a plant into very small pieces, then exposing these pieces to hormones to help them grow.
Before we dive into the tissue culture process, we need to explain two key ideas: sterile environments and tissue culture media.
Sterile Environment
A sterile environment is a setting where nothing is living except for the desired material (in this instance a plant). This means there are no bacteria, fungi, viruses, or other microbes alive in a sterile environment.
This is why when you see photos of a plant tissue culture lab, all the plants are inside flasks. Each of those flasks is a sterile environment.
By growing plants in a sterile environment, the risk of a plant being harmed by a pathogen is greatly reduced.
You might not be able to tell, but nothing is alive in those flasks except for the plant! Those flasks are a sterile environment.
Tissue Culture Media
Tissue culture media is another core component of tissue culture.
Media is the substance a plant grows on. It’s an all-encompassing term that includes soil in the Earth, a potting mix from your local garden store, or tissue culture media.
Tissue culture media is a unique combination of water, sugar, and plant growth regulators (PGR’s). Plant growth regulator is a scientific way of saying plant hormones.
Think of PGR’s as a scientist’s way of communicating with a plant. If they expose a plant to one PGR, a plant will grow roots. If they expose a plant to a different PGR, the plant will grow new leaves. PGR’s are the “language” scientists use to communicate with plants that makes tissue culture possible. By using different PGR combinations, scientists can tissue culture virtually any plant.
Now that we have an understanding of sterile environments and tissue culture media, let’s dive into the tissue culture process.
Each plant tends to have a unique media recipe. All the plants in this image are growing on a different media!
Tissue Culture Process
Tissue culture is divided into four main stages: Initiation, Multiplication, Rooting, and Weaning. The stages are sequenced as follows:
So, what are each of these stages?
Initiation
Initiation is when plant material is taken from a non-sterile environment and put into a sterile environment.
This means to introduce a plant into tissue culture, all other living organisms on andin the plant must be removed. This is quite challenging, as this means any bacteria, fungal spores, or parasites have to be removed or killed. Often this requires both a chemical and mechanical cleaning process, such as scrubbing a plant leaf with isopropyl alcohol or soaking it in a bleach solution.
Once a plant has been cleaned and placed onto growth media, the initiation stage is complete.
The above image is of Nepenthes seeds that were sterilized and placed onto tissue culture media. This is the Initiation Stage.
Multiplication
Loosely speaking, all plants have two areas – roots and shoots. Roots are what grows below the ground (or in the instance of epiphytes, anchors the plant to a tree). Shoots are what grows above the ground. Shoots is a loose term that encompasses leaves, petioles, stems, etc.
If you want the plant to grow shoots, you place it on a media with the appropriate PGR’s. If you want the plant to grow roots, you place it on media with a different set of PGR’s.
Thus, the multiplication stage is growing a plantlet on multiplication media until it is large enough to be divided into tiny pieces. Then, all of those pieces can grow into individual plantlets.
The two following images are both of plantlets in the multiplication stage. The left image is plantlets that have grown to a large size and are ready to be divided. The right image is plantlets that have recently been divided and are now growing again.
These plants haven’t been exposed to rooting media yet, so they don’t have any roots!
Rooting
If you want the plant to grow roots, you place it on a rooting media. This means the rooting stage is a plantlet on rooting media. The main difference between multiplication media and rooting media is the PGR’s used.
The below images show plants on rooting media.
Weaning
Once a plant has been multiplied and rooted, it can be removed from the sterile environment and be potted up!
Plants fresh out of a flask generally lack a cuticle, which is the barrier on the outside of each plant that retains moisture. Because of this, tissue culture plants typically need an extra humid environment until they develop their cuticle.
Nepenthes and Tissue Culture
We frequently get asked questions like – why aren’t there more Nepenthes edwardsiana in tissue culture? While the rarity of N. edwardsiana is a partial answer, it’s also due to how difficult Nepenthes are to tissue culture.
It appears that Nepenthes have an endogenous relationship with a bacteria, a fungus, or both. But since tissue culture requires a sterile environment, the challenge is to sterilize the Nepenthes tissue without killing the plant.
To compensate for this, Nepenthes are introduced into tissue culture via seed, before the symbiotic relationships are established. This means that to introduce a new Nepenthes you need:
Both parents to flower
The seed to be initiated without damaging the embryo
The seed to successfully germinate
Yet, this doesn’t cover the challenges that arise during multiplication and rooting. Since each plant prefers a different media recipe and so little research has been done on Nepenthes tissue culture, labs essentially make educated guesses about which media recipes to use. If the plant doesn’t like the media recipes, the plant could die.
To help them get new species introduced into tissue culture, support your favorite Nepenthes lab! It’s an ongoing effort to conserve these wonderful plants we all love.
Additional Reading
If you’re interested in learning more about tissue culture, we strongly recommend Plants from Test Tubes.
Are you interested in working in our lab, either professionally or as a college intern? Feel free to contact us at careers@floraecollaborative.com. We’re also looking for a smart developer to help us build a great lab management tool! Please contact us at the same email if you’re interested.
Fun fact! Heliamphora only release pollen from their anthers when they sense vibrations from distinct insect wings. In our greenhouse, we use a tuning fork to mimic this behavior.
During Summer Rayne Oakes’ visit to our greenhouse, Ryan demonstrated how to properly collect Heliamphora pollen using a tuning fork. Thanks to Ryan’s symphonic skills, they were able to successfully pollinate another flower!
Discover the people behind Florae Collaborative in our new blog series – Florae Spotlight. Kicking it off is Ryan Georgia!
Ryan Georgia tending to highland Nepenthes in the Florae greenhouse.
Hey everyone! I’m Ryan Georgia and I have been growing carnivorous plants for over 25 years.
As a young child, I spent my summers in the garden with my great-grandma Mary, who nurtured my botanical interests.
As I got older my love for plants only grew. When I reached middle school, I started hanging around some of Cornell University’s laboratories, trying to pick up whatever plant knowledge I could. I was lucky enough to start receiving mentorship from Mary Alyce Kobler, Head of Research at Cornell University’s Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research, and Peter Podaras, a then-graduate student at Cornell’s Kenneth Post Laboratories. Under their guidance, I spent summers learning about tissue culture and the wonderful world of carnivorous plants. As my enthusiasm grew, I would buy Nepenthes seeds from the ICPS and try to germinate them both in vivo and in vitro. This was when I discovered growers like Wistuba and Borneo Exotics and it wasn’t long until my CP collection expanded exponentially!
My fascination with carnivorous plants and tissue culture carried into my twenties. During my time at SUNY ESF, I discovered an interesting method to grow highland Nepenthes. Using a styrofoam cooler box, 4-5 freezer packs, plastic terrarium cubes (also known as “death cubes”), mesh pots, and sphagnum moss, I constructed a miniature greenhouse to achieve a cool nighttime highland temperature. I tucked my plants into their cooler at night and brought them out each morning to rest on my grow racks. I repeated this tedious cycle for over a year. It wasn’t until years later that I discovered Jeff Schaffer’s innovative chest freezer method.
Ryan locating a native orchid.
When I wasn’t immersed in the complexities of carnivorous plants, I hunted for native orchid species.
Like a true enthusiast, I traveled all across New York State and even into Canada looking for over 60 native orchid species. I connected with a group of local academics, botanists, and even birders around this common goal. We all enjoyed the challenge of finding new plants. Not only did we have to know where the plants were, but also when they were blooming. I would go to herbariums and look through historical documents to find hints of each species’ location. Oftentimes, I’d have to get permission from landowners to search their properties. This exploration also helped me locate most of the carnivorous plant bogs around New York State.
Mount Kinabalu in Borneo.
The adventure of a lifetime!
In my late twenties, I traveled to Borneo to see mature Nepenthes in the wild. I spent almost two months hiking through Mount Kinabalu, Marai Parai, and Gunung Alab. I got to see mature Nepenthes edwardsiana, rajah, villosa, lowii, stenophylla, bicalcarata, and ampullaria growing spectacularly in their native habitat. It was one of the most magical experiences of my life! This fantastic trip inspired me to dedicate the rest of my career to the conservation and cultivation of carnivorous plants, thus Native Exotics was born.
Inside Native Exotics’ greenhouse.
Native Exotics facilty.
Ryan’s mother lending a helping hand.
Native Exotics began in 2012 with an account on eBay and an 18x40ft greenhouse on my parent’s property.
With the help of my friends and fellow carnivorous plant enthusiasts, Mike Smith and Frances Bauzon, we built my first website, grew the collection, and launched Native Exotic’s first auction. For a short time, I actually built and sold laminar flow hoods, which is what helped me build my first tissue culture lab. It was constructed inside of an old horse barn!
Ryan’s self-constructed flow hood.
After 9 years of running Native Exotics as a single-business owner, I realized I needed help to grow.
At that time I was also working part-time with Dr. Nina Bassuk. We were propagating oaks via micropropagation in Kenneth Post Laboratories, the place where I first learned tissue culture. With the expertise of my friend and now colleague, Andrew Smith, the three of us put our minds together to build a business that could grow into something new and exciting, Florae Collaborative! We remain focused on Nepenthes and other carnivorous plants but are branching out into orchids, aroids, and eventually woody temperate plants.
I want to thank all the people that have helped me along the way! In particular, I thank my parents for their unending support and trust, Nina Bassuk for her mentorship and vision, Andrew Smith for his friendship and dedication to the operation of the business, and of course my wife, Sophie. I couldn’t have done any of this without her. It’s been 10 years in the making and I can’t wait to see where the next 10 will lead me.
Thank you all for being a part of my journey!
Ryan and his Nepenthes.
Quick Questions:
What was your first plant?
Nepenthes khasiana or alata
What is your favorite carnivorous plant?
Nepenthes villosa
What do you like to do when you’re not in the greenhouse tending to your plants?
Spend quality time with my wife, go for runs, cuddle with our dog Lila, and watch movies!
