Bulbophyllum longissimum, like slender and delicate pink tentacles of Cthulhu

Freshly opened flowers

Fully opened flowers

This orchid is found in Thailand, Burma and Malaysia.  The flowers of my plant open at ten inches long and eventually elongate to eleven.  It has proven to be easy to care for and trouble free, probably because the local weather and altitude are similar to those of its natural haunts.  Initially it was a bit of a slow grower, but I think this was because the plant was small.  After its pseudobulbs achieved adults size it has started producing side branches.  The flowers last for about a week in good shape and then start to deteriorate.

Here are some details on the weather and how I care for my plant.

Media: fine bark.

Potting:  It is growing in a eight inch wide home-made wire metal basket.  The plant grows on top of the basket but it is starting to climb down the sides.

Watering:  During the summer this plant gets rain every single day in the afternoon, the media stays constantly wet for months.  During the dry season, if it is not growing it gets a soaking once a week or a bit more frequently if the bulbs start to become furrowed.

Humidity: The local weather provides the right amount of humidity for this plant most of the year.  Humidity locally fluctuates between 70% and 90% during the day.  At the height of the dry season humidity might go down to 50% for a few hours a day but climbs over 70 at night.  At the height of the wet season it can stay close to 100% during the night.

Fertilizing: A fertilizer with a high nitrogen content,  two times a week when it is producing new growths.  I stop fertilizing when the new growths achieve mature size.  I don’t’ fertilize if the plant is not producing either new growths or roots.

Light: It gets bright light, it is with my Cattleyas, it gets full sun early in the morning and the rest of the day it is under the shade of trees.  It is not in deep shade.

Temperature: From 95 F high day to 75 F at night during the summer, 80F to 60F during the night in winter.

Care: Under my conditions, this plant thrives with routine care.

Pests:  None so far, insects have not attacked the plant, it is in a place innacesible to slugs, and fungus and bacteria have not been an issue.