Dividing and Re-potting Dendrobiums Grown in Epiweb?

[AlexS]

Hi,

Quick question regarding the best procedure for dividing Dendrobiums that have been grown in Epiweb chunks in pots, how can I do it without totally destroying the roots?

I have no complaints about the material in use, in fact it's probably worked a bit too well, but seeing as the roots penetrate the material, as opposed to growing around it, I'm worried about the damage I may cause dividing. In the past I've simply skirted the issue by putting the whole plants in a larger pot when they grew too big, now however, they're in 10 inch pots, filled with old pseudobulbs and 12 inch pots are going to be too big for my windowsill. I don't want to move the plants as their current position gets both early morning and late afternoon sun and the plants do really well there, so the time has come for me to face my fears and get the dividing over and done with. However, I can't even begin to imagine how I'm going to get the older pseudobulbs disentangled from both the Epiweb and the roots of the new growths without the plants suffering. Any advice, tips or tricks?

I should mention that I have divided plants before, when I used to grow in bark, so I have some experience with the basic procedure, just struggling with this specific situation.

The plants in question are all unindentified Garden Centre plants, simply labelled Dendrobium, with the exception of one that is definitely Dendrobium 'Anna Green'.

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

Best,
Alex