Question about a Millennium Magic Witchcraft Orchid

[skoobiesnax]

So...recently found out that I own one of these. Several years ago I bought a "dwarf banana" plant that I planted in potting soil and who has puzzled me over the years with really cool black flowers but nothing like a banana tree would be. I was on a plant group on FB and someone finally told me that I was puzzled because it is an orchid, not a banana tree. I have had it about 3 years now...closer to 4 I guess...and it has flowered multiple times and I honestly cannot believe it has survived being in potting soil all these years.

Anyway, I have done some reading up and plan to take it out of that pot and do the moss or bark that it should be in, hopefully it will actually grow to its normal size in the right pot and substrate...but the question I have, is can I split up the pseudobulbs and have several plants or is it a one and done plant? I notice that the couple pseudobulbs are still green, but they never get leaves again. Can you split these to propagate or do I just need to replant and leave well enough alone?

Thank you!

John

[SaraJean]

First: Welcome!
Second: That’s hilarious! Dwarf banana tree indeed
Third: Can you post a picture of it? (Might need a few more posts before you can or just use something like Flickr). It’s good to see how an orchid looks before making recommendations. Or just to make sure it is the right type of orchid that we are all talking about.
Fourth: congrats on the blooms. Obviously you found a good spot for it with great lighting which is what many people struggle with

Catasetums (your Monnierara falls under the Catasetum alliance, it’s a hybrid of several different species and genera) can grow in practically anything. Dirt is not the best choice for them but, as you have shown, it can be done. Some people have even grown them in a manure mix since they are such heavy feeders during “growth mode” spring through summer. Bark, sphagnum, a mix of both is what most people use depending on your growing conditions. Once a Catasetum type starts to go dormant for the winter and loses its leaves, those bulbs will not regrow leaves next year. Those old bulbs will send out new growths from the base. You can divide it up if there are enough old bulbs. Usually you will want to keep a minimum of two mature bulbs together before dividing (this only applies to Catasetum types). So if you have 6 healthy mature bulbs, you could potentially have 2-3 divisions. Or you can just let it be

If you haven’t read this one yet, here is a basic culture sheet from Sunset Valley Orchids Sunset Valley Orchids - Superior Hybrids for Orchid Enthusiasts.
One of the members on here Steve (Isurus79) has some excellent videos as well

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by skoobiesnax

I honestly cannot believe it has survived being in potting soil all these years.

An orchid can survive in soil. As long as the growth requirements are satisfied, then the orchid can just grow.

One of my cattleya orchids had a pretty big clump of roots in sand/soil mix. Under the soil surface.

[skoobiesnax]

I’ll post a couple. Just brought it in because we are getting down to 32° tonight

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by skoobiesnax

I’ll post a couple. Just brought it in because we are getting down to 32° tonight

Nice! You are quite right to bring it in - actually these don't want to go much below 55 deg F . You can keep it in the house for the winter, once it finishes blooming it will drop its leaves... don't water until the new growth (in the spring) is well established. You can basically ignore it while it's dormant.