This species “Arundina graminifolia” is a mainstay in many spectacular tropical gardens, planted in raised beds en masse like they do at the famous Singapore Orchid gardens. The long season compared to most other orchids and the attractive upright growth of the canes make it indispensable.

Sandy poor light soil means the roots grow very healthily and big and so they make large healthy abundant sturdy canes and many flowers, heavy clay and or rich soils mean they grow a bit too tall and thinly and the roots are either restricted not making much of a good thick clump or many flowers at once or they grow too high with much vegetation and hardly any flowers and fall over. But either way they are survivors and the soil is easily made accommodating.

Graham dead heading is definitely beneficial I do this on my rounds every morning it only takes a minute. Just pinch off each single wilted flower between your forefinger and thumb using your nail tip to easily remove them at the joint. If you dont do this a large seed pod develops and drains the inflorescence of energy so subsequent flowers get smaller and smaller until they stop altogether on the cane. Often there is only one pod per cane.

I prune and feed mine heavily every year at the beginning of the rainy season. They will if you keep watering well flower all year, but the canes eventually stop flowering well and get top heavy with small plantlets forming along the upper section of the cane, the cane will then bend over naturally and so a new clump will grow when it hits the ground as in Mary’s one. They do prefer full sun otherwise this happens even earlier.

I remove all the last seasons canes every one at the same time (hair cut time) Its important to do this when the plant goes into active growth i.e. when you have stopped watering for a week or two and the rains then take over. You can see when this is about to happen because right at the base of last seasons canes many many new green shoots will appear. Do not prune until you see these appearing or else the entire plant will be set back.

They like a dry and wet season to grow optimally and for regeneration of the entire clump every year. All the old canes will eventually bend over with the weight of the plantlets so best removed and at the same time to get an even good looking plant with canes all the same height and no tangled masses of flowerless thin stems.

They do not like chemical fertiliser at all of any kind. This causes an abrupt halt of flowering and active growth, that is they sulk.

So the best fertiliser to use is bone-meal or any kind of slow break down organic feed, well rotted cow or horse manure works wonders too. You will get sturdy wind and rain resistant canes this way and a veritable field of masses of butterfly like flowers almost all year right up until the start of the next season. The new flush of canes take about three weeks to reach blooming the only time you will be without flowers. You can though stage the pruning of different clumps to get flowers all the time but this often makes the last pruned very scruffy, blown over and delayed to flower as it grows plantlets instead of flowers or canes eventually.

I have noticed though that for me the mini or short white one with flowers in the shape of a dove in flight flowers the longest so this one I prune last by about three weeks ( ;

This is one of the easiest to grow but with with just a bit of attention also one of the most spectacular.

Regards,
Abiel

Hmm. Well, the huge stand of Calathea that grew in our back yard from that little pot shows opening/closing behavior. Not exactly at noon or night, but under various conditions. I haven’t done a systematic study of when they’re open and when they’re closed, but you’ve inspired me to do so.

Yes, I’d love to see your pictures. And I’ll dig around for pictures that I’ve taken from time to time since the stand has matured.

Thank you so much for your observations. Now I’m really curious.

Mary

I am a wholesale dealer and would like to carry the bamboo orchids. Would you be so kind as to give me more info where to contact you and/or to buy this orchid either from you or somewhere close to West Palm Beach
Thanks, MJ