Brassovola nodosa

[MichigooseOH]

Ok...great plant for beginners, m.a.! I bought this thing last summer, it came in a basket with coconut fibre around it. It goes outside in the summer, and hangs in my eastern window above the sink in the winter. Winter night temps: about 60, day temps, c. 68. I spray it, and at least twice a week dunk the danged thing. Results? one living root (altho it seems like the others may have been dead when I got it), and wrinkly nasty leaves.

I'd love some advice on this baby and how to bring it around. thanks.

[MikeWA]

I hate nodosa. I have all the others and they grow on sticks and bloom their little heads off but I kept nodosa (like an idiot) in the pot it cam in and it just sulked and grew no roots.

I finally attatched it to a stick with sphag and it finally is growing roots. They do prefer higher humidity and less water.

Nice to see you here Lisa!

[TundraKev]

Laura said these are very tough to keep alive if they are small. Don't know if that's true or not. I got a 3 leafed division awhile ago. It did nothing for the longest time, but spent the winter growing nice roots. That's all it did was grow roots. Now it's finally putting out some new growth.

It's potted in clay, in bark, watered about twice a week, in a south window with additional CFL. I made sure the leaves stayed spotted purple all winter. Last summer outside, the leaves were completely dark purple.

I just repotted it about a month ago and the roots really looked nice. They completely filled the pot.

Kev

[mde]

I keep my two mounted on cork with just a little sphag. here and there to hold a little moisture when I spray it. I keep mine hanging lower to the ground in an East sliding glass window to maximize the morning exposure. I supplement part of the year with CFL's (red/blue mix, heavy on the red). It gets diluted fertilizer once a weeks - a 5 minute soak. And I spray it roughly 4-5 days a week. Water quality is very important. Try rain, lake/spring, or reverse osmosis water. The old roots do die off regularly on mine, but it's as healthy as a horse.... (you can see a photo of it in genus specific photography section from a few weeks ago.)
Hope this helps.

Matt E.

[bench72]

Well after Matt's posting of his beautiful plant, this went on my wishlist and tonight at my society meeting there was a plant with 3 leaves and a flower...

So, this plant (oh yeah it came home with me) it's growing on a piece of wood roots everywhere, white but no green tips. Is that bad? Should I spritz this with water to induce new root growth?

It is getting cooler here, about 15 celsius at night (outside temp, inside about 19 minimum so far), so is it just going dormant? But if it's in flower...

Btw, I love the smell on this, it is just so sweet, like jasmine but not so citrusy...

Cheers
Tim

[mde]

I treat mine the same year around....they will bloom 2-3 times/year various (no specific) seasons. Typically I only notice the growing roots tips from the roots that are put out from the newest pseudobulb growth. The older ones will stop advancing at some point. If it's mounted I'd spritz it with rainwater a little every day, and soak it for a few minutes once a week.

Have you gotten a whiff of its scent yet?

Matt

[peteMc]

I have a couple of these that haven't done much, think I'm going to mount them up on something and see if that improves their attitude......

p

[Gin]

I tried to keep mine in a pot for years , and finally gave up , there is a 4 inch pot in it somewhere . This was taken last year at the end of the bloom season . It is on the screened in porch . Bright light some direct am .sun , before the porch it was on the south side of the green house outside but got to much heat .Not enough light is the usual reason they won't bloom , a slight reddish tinge to the leaves is good . Gin

[mde]

WOW! WOW! WOW! WOW!

That is enormous! I've never seen anything like it. It is beautiful. I definitely am a specimen plant buff. How long have you had it Gin? And how big was it when you got it? Thanks for posting this, I LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT!


A few other questions. You said 'at the end of the bloom season.' Does it only bloom once a year? I thought they always had various blooming periods, not always at the same time?
Also, do you keep the screened in porch heated in the winter, or just move the plants elsewhere?

Matt

[bench72]

Holey Guacamole! That's a brilliant plant Gin. Hope mine gets to that size in a couple of years... so sounds like the answer is loads of light, and keeping it fairly much on the dry side... yes?

Matt, I still haven't had a whiff of the smell, I haven't been around in the evenings much.. so hopefully the flowers will last long enough for me to finally experience this in scent mode.

Cheers
Tim