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.