Orchids are very eagerly cultivated, but few people try to propagate them. Meanwhile,orchid reproductionis not that difficult and we can successfully carry it out at home. We advisehow to propagate orchids at hometo get as many beautiful flowering plants as possible. Here are the most popularways to reproduce orchids , thanks to which you will quickly expand your orchid collection!
Some orchids reproduce during transplanting
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Ways to reproduce orchids
Orchids can be propagated in many waysbut only some of them can be used in amateur cultivation at home.
In home cultivation,orchids are propagated mainly vegetatively , obtaining cuttings from plants already owned - by dividing them from pseudobulbs, cutting off fragments of rooted shoots, or from side shoots, the so-called keiki.
However, it is not possible topropagate orchids from seeds(in home cultivation they practically do not set seeds) or the invitro plant reproduction method, which is used only in laboratory conditions.
The method of reproduction of orchidsmust be chosen according to the type of orchid we want to reproduce. For example, sympodial orchids are propagated by dividing the shoots, while monopodial orchids, which do not form rhizomes or pseudobulbs, are propagated by apical cuttings or outgrowths. This is discussed in more detail below.
Propagation of orchids from the stem
This is how the popularorchids of the genus Vanda and Phalaenopsis are propagated. When the shoot reaches at least 30 cm and produces a large number of aerial roots, the top of the shoot is cut 1 cm below the roots and planted in a separate pot with a substrate consisting of shredded pine bark mixed with peat and sand. We do not prune the aerial roots. On the lower part of the shoot, from the angle of the first or second highest leaf, a new shoot will break out with time.
Note!
Remember to always add a little substrate from the mother plant to the new substrate to which you transplant cut-off rooted shoots. In order to survive, orchids require intercourse with mycorrhizal fungi, which will not be found in fresh soil. Therefore, it is always necessary to give some substrate under an orchid that is already cultivated.
Orchid reproduction by keiki
Orchids of the genus Dendrobium, Epidendrum and some species of Phalaenopsis and Vanda can bepropagated by separating the side shoots growing from the buds sleeping on the stemor from the shoots, i.e. keiki.
When the air roots on these shoots reach a length of at least 2.5 cm, the seedling can be cut off and planted in a pot filled with a moist substrate. The seedling should be tied to a stake and attached to the ground to keep it vertical. Then set up in diffused light and sprinkle daily keeping the air around her moist.
Orchid reproduction before division
All sympodial orchids composed of more pseudobulbs, such as plants of the genus Dendrobium and Cymbidium, are divided into parts leaving 3-5 he althy, smooth pseudobulbs with leaves in each. The division of well-developed and he althy plants is carried out when orchids are transplanted.
If the orchid has 6 pseudobulbs or two new shoots, it can be split into . During this activity, we not only get new plants, but also rejuvenate the old ones. In some species with too much leaf formation, this activity can stimulate more profuse flowering.
The rhizomes of orchids are divided with a sharp knife or prunerbetween adjacent pseudobulbs. Then we very carefully divide the plant into two parts, delicately untangling the roots.
Orchid reproduction from old pseudobulbs
Old pseudobulbs can be used to reproduce sympodial orchidsafter they have been separated from a he althy, viable part of the plant. Leafless, wrinkled pseudobulbs are planted in boxes 5x10 cm apart, in a substrate composed of moist peat and perlite. The substrate should not be watered, but only misted 1-2 times a day. After a few months, new shoots will start to grow from the sleeping eyes at the base of the pseudobulbs, which should not be transplanted into normal pots until after a year.
Orchids reproduction from the flower stem
Old Dendrobium orchids that have fallen leaves, as well as old Phalaenopsis inflorescence shoots have the ability to produce new shoots from lateral buds.The old inflorescence shoots are cut into 10-15 cm lengths, each containing several sleeping eyes.
The seedlings can be placed flat in boxes in a substrate composed of moist peat mixed with sand. The boxes are placed in a visible place, covered with glass and sprinkled daily. In such conditions, new shoots and roots begin to grow relatively quickly from sleeping buds.
After two months, when the roots are about 2.5 cm long, cut off the small plants from the seedling and plant them in separate pots.
MSc Eng. Joanna Białowąs
