How to kill a bamboo orchid

There are 2 major killers of bamboo orchid plants. Bamboo orchids need moisture but too much of a good thing will kill them. They love water but their roots don't like to be kept wet. They are often grown in volcanic rock or a fast draining medium. You can also add polymers to the medium to hold moisture without making the roots wets. Read my post about using polymers to grow bamboo orchids in. The next major killer of bamboo orchids is fertilizer. Yes the orchids do require fertilizer but use a very weak solution of liquid fertilizer at each watering. Here are some liquid fertilizers that are formulated just for orchid growing:

Bloom life of a bamboo orchid

The average life span of an individual bamboo orchid bloom is only a few days to a week. That is short compared to other orchids where blooms will last from weeks to months. The moth and cymbidium orchids both have blooms that can last for months on the orchid plant. The bamboo orchid on the other hand has a short bloom life but it makes up for it in having multiple blooms over the course of several weeks. Its short bloom life in the main reason why the bamboo orchid is not commercially grown for its flowers.

Where to buy bamboo orchids

I have just added a page for you to find those elusive bamboo orchid plants and bulbs. I originally bought several bare bulbs at a local store many years ago. The store has since gone out of business and when I looked to buy some more bamboo orchid plants or starter bulbs I had a heck of a time finding them. I now have a source and as I find more I will add them to the "where to buy them" page.

Growing bamboo orchids in polymers

Polymers are the soil less way to grow plants. They are those crystals that you add water to and they turn into a squishy medium for plants to grow their roots into.Here is what they look like The advantage of polymers is that they can water your plants very slowly and yet keep them not too moist that they develop root rot. Bamboo orchids can be started off in polymers. The trick is not to have the polymers too wet. A great way to tell if they are moist but not too wet is to stick your finger into the moistened medium, your finger should come out dry not wet and yet you should be able to feel the moisture with your finger when it was in the polymers. I recently bought a 1 pound container of  Soil Moist and I do believe that I have only used 3 tablespoons full on 3 pots full of polymer. I have planted 4 orchids (phalaenopsis) and a group of bamboo plants in the polymers. So far they are doing great.

The bamboo orchid requires lots of ......

Arundinia g. requires lots of warmth an moisture but not wet roots. If kept too wet they will rot very fast. They require lots of sun but not heat in excess of 90 degrees. Air flow is also important. Don't grow Bamboo Orchids in a stuffy warm, dry room.