Specific Families and Genera > Pleione and Orchidaceae
Encouraging terrestrial orchids to increase vegetatively
Tristan_He:
Hi Orchid lovers,
I have a query about this. I recall somewhere reading about a technique to encourage terrestrial orchids to bulk up. I can't remember if this is exactly right but from memory it was by knocking them out of their pots while in growth, cutting off the newly developing tuber and replanting both the plant with the old tuber still attached and the newly developing tuber. But now I can't find any information.
Did I imagine this, or is it a recognised method? And if so, what is the correct method and when is the best time to do it? I don't want to start hacking randomly at my orchids without knowing what I am doing.
Thanks!
Tristan
Anders:
Certainly a recognised method. It is described in detail in Cribb and Bailes, 1989, Hardy Orchids - Orchids for the garden and frost-free greenhouse. Page 43: "Summer propagation. The method is used just as the flowers begin to fade (which will be any time from early spring onwards, depending on the plants being grown, and the conditions under which they are housed). Remove the plant from its pot and separate the new tuber from its rosette by cutting the stolon, or at the place of attachment, The rosette and old tuber, which should have most of the root system intact, should then be repotted in the normal way, as should the new tuber. Aftercare of the two differs. The new tuber should immediately be treated as if dormant, whilst the flowered shoot and old tuber should be kept in growth for as long as possible, to allow the maximum opportunity for new tubers to develop before dormancy. Do not allow seed set, or the rosette will die off more rapidly, and reserves will be taken from tuber production to seed production. Shady, moist conditions will delay dormancy in those species which are summer, or dry season resters. After the rosette has died down, give the normal conditions for rest, and thereafter treat normally".
Ian showed how to do this for Dactylorhiza in his Bulblog a few years ago. I tried it with several Dacts with good results. You don't need to cut them with a knife, the old and new tubers separate easily with a little twist. Btw, the Cribb and Bailes book is the best hardy orchid book, if you ask me.
Anders
Tristan_He:
Thanks very much Anders! I thought I had read this somewhere. I'll give it a try in the spring.
Maggi Young:
From the Forum : "The technique used for dactylorhiza can be applied to certain Orchis and Ophrys species " quote from Hristo ( C. Greenwell) in 2009
Method described in Ian's Bulb Log
http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2015Sep161442400879BULB_LOG_3715.pdf
Videos parts 1 2 and 3
part three of the Dactylorhiza method.
In this Bulb Log, Ian shows how many tubers can be encouraged by this method to produce as many as four extra new tubers after the initial growth has been removed. ...
https://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2016Mar161458126109BULB_LOG_1116.pdf
Ian Y:
Here is part three of the Dactylorhiza method.
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