Take Your Best Shot

[Roly0217]

Originally Posted by BikerDoc5968

....then if I divide, maybe someone else would like a piece of the pie!!!!! I'm becoming benevolent in my old age

Uhhhh uhhhh pick me !!!!! However it will probably look much better as a huge specimen.

[Lagoon]

Funny to see this post. I'm getting ready in the next couple of days to cut off some side growths of my B.Grand Stars. Its just all over the place, cant seem to fit this anywhere without knocking over other orchids - drives me crazy.

I don't see any problems with dividing plants aslong as they are in growth. Of course the warmer months are probably the better time.

Good luck in whichever direction you wanna go, Doc

[ronaldhanko]

How about ANOTHER opinion? Put a pot of mix right next to the present pot and under the new growth and let it continue to grow right into another pot. Cut the rhizome when it is established - perhaps next spring.

[karren]

My experience with Brassavola, species and hybrids is that they do best, i.e.bloom more often, as big plants and love to make their own root ball in the air. I think of it that they like to make their own microclimate. Is mounting this whole plant an option? In a greenhouse it should be humid enough.

[nhman]

++ Agree with Ross above. Nice growing !!

[Don Perusse]

Bigger plant, bigger show, more flowers....that's why I grow orchids for the flowers. Go with a bigger pot!

[EdinAZ]

[QUOTE=BikerDoc5968;173076]I have a Brassavola Jiminy Cricket that is growing lots of air roots outside the pot..... I know this isn't the best time of the year to make cuttings and repot but looking at these pics, what would you do if this plant was yours? To cut or not to cut the 3 pseudobulbs with all the new roots???????

I agree with Ross and some others here. Doesn't seem like the season matters, just that the plant/cuttings are in "growth mode". The only times I've had problems with re-potted plants is when they had "new" roots that were too long and too many, and I break a lot getting the job done. Then I get a year or two of no-growth sulking from the plant.

I have my Brassavolas in baskets, which they seem to really like (doing better than in pots for me). They will go longer with out "re-basketing", and the roots can run wild. Then re-potting is just dropping the old basket, plant and all, into a little larger one.

Ed

[isurus79]

No matter what you do, you will have to hack away at those beautiful new roots. Yes I said that correctly! I would trim them waaaaay back when you repot simply because roots growing in air will not do well at all in a pot. Conversely, roots growing in a pot will do equally poorly if exposed to the air instead of a media. No worries though, when you chop off those roots, it will spark a massive root regrowth and your plant should be fine. I would do this ASAP whille your plant is in a root growing 'mood.'

[Sandy4453]

The bigger, the better show it'll put on when in bloom.

[Tropic]

The Brassavola species and their hybrids make such a great show when flowering on a well grown big specimen plant that I would be personally very reluctant to reduce its size and so try to find a larger pot to transplant into without much danger to the existing root system. Give it a good soaking before any disturbance and so reduce the risk of breaking or damaging the brittle new root system that is now overhanging the present pot. It is definitely a well grown and healthy looking plant. Very well done.