subject: Orchid Propagation – What's Needed to Get It Right? [print this page] What are the quickest and easiest ways to propagate your orchids?
Plant division the quickest way to propagate orchids
You can speed up the propagation process somewhat by dividing orchids like cattleyas. Rule(s) of thumb: the larger the volume of plant divisions (meaning 3-4 growth sections), the more successful the propagation tends to be. In addition, the largest divisions with the most pseudobulbs (the thickened stem which support the leaves of an orchid) will grow the fastest into blooming plants.
5 steps to dividing your orchid to quickly propagate your orchid
Use only sharp, sterile knife or pruners. This way you won't spread any existing disease and will help to maintain the strength of the divisions.
Cut off any dead or unhealthy leaves. As you're doing thin, look for the best place to divide the plant. You will often find a natural division point in your orchid; this is great place to cut the root system.
After dividing plant, clean off old medium, dead roots and old leaf sheaths around the bulbs. Leave as many healthy roots as possible. This encourages strong, stable growth in the "new" plant.
Choose a pot for each division that will allow about 2 year's worth of growth. Lay down a thin layer of potting mix in the bottom of the pot. Make sure you're using the kind mixture that is best for your orchid. Place it in the pot and add more mixture around the root system.
Lightly tamp down the mixture or stake the plant to ensure its stability and help it quickly establish itself in its new home. Add a name plate with the date you divided the plant for a handy reminder to when you may need to divide it again.
The 4 easiest ways to propagate orchids: use cuttings
If you have an orchid that have back bulbs (older stems that have lost their leaves), cut them off the main plant. Clean them of medium and any dead plant material. Then bury several together in a plastic bag containing 2" or 5cm of sphagnum moss (or approximately up to a depth of about the bottom of the bulb). Seal the bag and place it in warm area (approximately 75 F or 24C) that receives a bright diffused light.
In 2-3 months you'll begin to see new growth. When the leaves of these new plants are a few inches or centimeters long, place them all in a shallow container with a layer of sphagnum moss on the bottom. Allow them to grow for several months in diffused light. Afterwards transplant each to its own individual pot.
Orchids that have canes or long stems: cut up the canes into pieces (each containing at least two sections of cane where leaves were attached). Half-bury the sections horizontally in shallow dish filled with sphagnum moss. Cover the dish. Place it in a warm area that gets dappled or diffused light. In a few months you'll see small plants sprouting. At this point you can transplant each to individual pots.
Orchids that produce "babies" along a long, slim stem. After these "babies" develop several mid-sized roots of their own, cut them off the stem and place in each in their individual medium-filled pot. Voila, a new orchid is born!
For orchids that grow tall and have extending roots from the stem. Cut off several inches of the top of the plant that has exposed roots. Place this piece in a pot filled with a good medium mixture. Left alone, the bottom portion of the original plant generally will produce "babies" that can be cut off and planted as described above.
With all the quick and easy ways described above, there really is no need to attempt to propagate orchids from seeds. It is probably the most difficult and slowest way to grow orchids, and only the most patient and avid growers bother to do so. If you really want to grow an orchid from an early, early stage purchase year-old small plants and start from there. If you're patient and fortunate, they'll reward you with blooms in a few years.
Regardless of how you propagate your orchids remember to enjoy the experience as you do with the orchid itself for many years.
