training bulbs to vertical that grow horizontal?

[kvet]

Hi:


There was a thread on this forum a few months ago that discussed training orchids to grow a specific way, and I believe it concluded to leave well enough alone, however, I wasn't able to find it, hence this post.

I purchased the attached orchid last year, repotted late spring, and it has produced two new bulbs for me, one of which appears to have a flower sheath!!

Both bulbs are parallel to the ground, rather than sticking up, like the older ones on the plant. Should I gently prop these towards vertical, or leave them be?


Thank you for your time.

[estación seca]

It depends on how flexible they are. I wouldn't want to break off the growths.

Often this kind of growth happens when a plant grows on a windowsill with light coming from the side rather than from above. I turn my plants regularly to try and prevent this but it still happens.

[kvet]

I'll leave it alone and try to remember to rotate the plants more often.

[WaterWitchin]

Ha! Good luck with training....

[ArronOB]

I use a wire device made from a coat hanger. One end has a loop and the other a long spike which goes down into the medium. The loop of wire sits about 150mm above the surface of the pot. As the plant grows, I gently encourage the pseudobulbs or leaves to grow into the loop, while they are young and flexible.

I adjust the size of the loop as the plant grows and there are more pseudobulb/leaves to train.

It works, in terms of keeping the leaves vertical, but the results are sometimes not pretty. I have to do it because I have so little growing space.

[Orchidtinkerer]

here is a video showing the wire arronOB describes.

DIY Round Wire Stake for Cattleyas - YouTube

The bulbs can be moved slightly if one pays attention. They are flexible like pasta sticks. If you apply too much pressure instantly the pasta stick will snap but if you use an elastic band and gently increase pressure you can bend it further without it snapping, if you soak the pasta stick and leave the elastic the stick will bend more and more. It's the same with plants, more so with flower stalks than bulbs as bulbs have roots attached and they don't like being moved and stretched as much so an incorrect movement of the bulb can cause root fractures you might not see below so just feel the resistance and don't ever stretch a bulb too fast too hard.

[SouthPark]

Also, maybe for younger orchids that haven't got their leaves splayed everywhere ------- each individual lead or bulb that develops ------ can be manipulated from a fairly early stage - eg. using twisty ties or something to gently/looseley bind the new growth to a stake or skewer as it grows ---- to gradually re-direct them more or less into a vertical orientation. That is - work on them while they're young hehehe

[kvet]

Originally Posted by WaterWitchin

Ha! Good luck with training....

I taught my sourdough starter to sit and rollover, so, shouldn't be too tough to get a plant to grow where I want it to, right?

[Diane56Victor]

The v ideo posted sounds like Bumblebees orchid channel. She's a good grower.

Ed from Ed's Orchids YT channel wires wayward plant too but he winds something like bonsai wire around each individual growth.
Tidy up your Cattleyas - YouTube