Orchid Propagation?

Hi,

I've been to RHS Tatton Park Garden Show and bought a few plants, but a few were orchids. My family has seen this 1 orchid that I've got and they are taken back with it, because it has a Chocolate-Vanilla fragrant which none of us knew some orchids had smells.

Now they want a cutting off it, but I've never propagated orchids before. I've done a search and found you can split orchids, or they might grow off-shoots which grows into plants. My orchid is a Odontoglossum type orchid.

What I'd like to know is when to do this, what's the best & easiest technique, how long it take to get new plants, how to increase plants quickly?

Thanks

 

hI clum111 , I`m not an expert at all , been in an orchid farm and what they are doing was just going around with a cotton fioc and pollinate and crossing the orchids.
Small plant should appear where the flower is.
This was happen in Thailand where they have a constant temperature and humidity , so the first target should be to keep the plant alive .

look at this picture where it was a flower , now there`s a baby plant.
but not an expect in Orchid , it may be an easy way.

 

clum,

You need to split the clump if it is big enough. Each section needs to have at least 3 pseudobulbs. Pot up in fresh orchid compost (those "off the shelf" mixes you get at a garden centre are no good - too much soil). Keep warm, humid and well watered.
It should take a few weeks for the new roots to get going, and hopefully a season or so for new growth to appear.

 

Sal,
That is a Phalaenopsis. They often produce young plants on the old flower spikes, called keikis.
Odontoglossums have a completely different growth form, and won't produce keikis. But unlike Phalaes, they form a clump of psuedobulbs that can be divided.

I had a specialist orchid collection for 5 years b.t.w.

 

wow , Sirius that`s really interesting to know , unfortunatly for me I`m been really bad with orchids got 2 Giant variety from thailand and as hard as I tryed they both died . Always wanted to build an heated terrarium for orchids , but accordind to my miss they will produce giant spider that will eat you while you sleeping
http://gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/thai-orchids.40506/

 

If you are saying the "off the shelf" orchid compost mixes have too much soil, then what other stuff would you suggest? I just thought orchid compost didn't have any soil, just bark type stuff.

I think I'll wait a year before I start splitting my orchids, as I don't want to distroy them

 

Every time I have bought a brand name orchid mix, I have found it to have some loam in it, which is really not ideal for an orchid mix.

Yes, bark is preferable, and a lot of orchid growers will add a few other ingredients, including perlite and sphagnum moss.

Clum111, if you are serious about growing orchids, it may be a good idea to have a look online at the various orchid nurseries as most will probably sell you some bark.

 

I have one in a pot where I have used plagron batmix:

http://www.greensea-hydroponics.co.uk/shop/Plagron_Bat_Mix.html

it's growing well

 

I agree on the whole, although my Cymbidiums thrive in such mixes with added grit.

 

dim,longk,

You can use any mix really as long as it is relatively open and airy.

I have some friends who grow their orchids in pure perlite. They put some muslin type material at the bottom ofthe pot to stop it falling out. And then some gravel on top to keep the plant stable.
The problem with this substrate though is that is is totally inert, so they have to feed constantly.

 

Thanks for your replies. I've managed to get hold of the RHS Orchid book and the Encyclepedia of Orchids, so I'm working my way through those because I'm finding some of my other orchids require different conditions, i.e. light, cool, shade, sun. Wished I'd never started