Cool Dividing Tip Leaves me With a Question

[natasha]

its good to hear from you guys. i think i'll leave mine in the original condition. as much i like larger plants, i'll stick with my smaller ones as i do not have the space period...

[Cattleya17]

I know how that can be! Today i had to divide a Slc jewelbox Schherazade! it was huge! and the rhizome grew really close together and it was at least a 30 growth plant! i have only divided smaller plants and lets just say i destroyed it! i didnt know how to handle a plant that big! ive had quite a few successful divisions but this one went bad! and i only got two plant that looked gorgeous out of it! the trying to divide i snapped most of the new growths off and....... It was a Dark day! but i have two that are gonna be just fine with Multiple leads! one with 5 leads that is of one rhizome it made the leads naturally no more than one division in one pot just this amazing clump! the other plant had 3 leads one in sheath that may not bloom since it was divided but we will see

i dont like Big plants too much either!

[snow]

so what,s a person to do if a plant gets humongous?. which i had in my case. i made 3 cuts in the fall just like was suggested in this thread. in spring i transplanted 3 new plants into sh with new leads and growths. my orriginal plant is bigger then ever with leads all over the place. the main reason i tried it cause it was a precious gift from a friend, which was his own crossing. lc shooting star x hawaien wedding song.
sorry for getting longwinded cause understand what Ray is saying

[natasha]

Originally Posted by Cattleya17

I know how that can be! Today i had to divide a Slc jewelbox Schherazade! it was huge! and the rhizome grew really close together and it was at least a 30 growth plant! i have only divided smaller plants and lets just say i destroyed it! i didnt know how to handle a plant that big! ive had quite a few successful divisions but this one went bad! and i only got two plant that looked gorgeous out of it! the trying to divide i snapped most of the new growths off and....... It was a Dark day! but i have two that are gonna be just fine with Multiple leads! one with 5 leads that is of one rhizome it made the leads naturally no more than one division in one pot just this amazing clump! the other plant had 3 leads one in sheath that may not bloom since it was divided but we will see

i dont like Big plants too much either!

my sympathy with you... i also make a fatal mistake this week and killed a bunch of my seedlings. i was quiet gloomy yesterday

[Cattleya17]

Hey Snow! what is the name of that orchid?? well if you know it that is sometimes i buy an orchid and it doesnt have a name tag and then people ask and i can tell them what it is. its Gorgeous! We will see how this dividing technique goes and hopefully my dormant growths will grow haha. it is really close to repotting but doesnt need it you could say.... so maybe i will repot the lead????? who knows

[Ray]

Originally Posted by libby

Ray - Is it possible that once the back bulbs are separated, the front can spend more of its energy producing new growth since it doesn't have to support that back growth any more? Same thing with phals - if I remove a couple of old leaves, it begins a growth spurt. I don't mean to be argumentative, but this has been my observation. I guess there are different ways of looking at most anything.

Of course it's possible, but it doesn't seem logical to me that a plant would continue to "carry" growths that were not contributing anything - it would be a waste of resources.

Don't forget that all God's creatures (except people, apparently) have a driving force - above all else - to live and to carry on the gene pool. Continuing to support parts of the plant that "drain" resources doesn't fit that at all, but resurrecting a dormant eye after a rhizome break certainly does.

If, after the back-bulbs were cut free, the active part of the plant immediately started multiple leads, I might agree more with your interpretation, but it's usually a dormant eye on the back-bulbs that revives and grows.

Addressing Cattleya17's comments, I agree that single- or multiple leads is usually more of a genetic-controlled issue. What I was (apparently poorly) trying to say is that if a plant is genetically predisposed to multiple leads, but isn't doing that, THAT is an indication of a cultural issue.

Also, don't sweat the "argumentative" stuff. Seems to me that's part of the reason we all are here, so we can compare our ways of looking at things for the betterment of all! That is, by the way, why I began my earlier response with "Uh-oh. Here I go again.", so you'all could brace yourselves for my comments.

[Cattleya17]

CooL! i respect that! this really is advanced discussion! i can see how it could be a cultural issue. maybe i will have to take a more in depth look at the plant to see whats going on?
The plant at the time of division looked like this
>-----< the v's being the leads the the front one kept growing normally and the other lead has been the same since the potting of this division. so its really weird! so i am hoping that this will kinda liven thing up

[johnblagg]

Ok I understand the reasoning and why doing this would disqualify a plant from judging.But could you use keiki paste do do this without getting disqualified?

Sorry if Im off topic a bit there.

And if you wanted a multiple lead plant in general for more blooms. Would this work instead of cutting the rizhome

[Cattleya17]

well Johnblagg i know the Keiki paste works for that but i dont know about the rules of orchid judging. But i do know that i was regretting cutting the plant cuz nothing happened... but today i looked and a new growth has begun and new roots on the dormant part of the plant!!!!!!! and as it turns our this is a good thing because there is an ant nest in the plant and the bark is breaking down! So i can now repot my plant before fall and not worry about the dormant end not having any new growth and dying. i will post a pic i promise!

[johnblagg]

Damn it man ....I hate ants.

Thanks for the info on kekie past used like this I will be using that....I dont want them judged just huge and blooming like crazy.