How to divide Oncidium Sharry Baby?

[Dr. Dave 4u]

I hope this is the right forum to post in?
Anyway, my most vigorous orchid has been my Sharry Baby Onc.
It is just past flowering having given me two nice spikes and great fragrance.
But I believe it has just about grown out of the pot and the new growth as you can see in the pictures is on the tight side up against the rim of the pot. Its so huge now I have trouble where to put it in my limited space. I wish to make two out of one!
So first question is it ok and safe to divide now?
There is about 8 plump full (pseudo?) bulbs very tightly packed.
Second question, how do I approach it? Sterilize my tools of course, put cinnamon on the cut areas? Once out of the pot will it be easy to see where to separate them? I've read about a rhizome? Is that where I cut it?
Any and all help appreciated...thanks!

[Roberta]

I think your plants for the plant are fine. I see new growth, so this would be a good time for dividing and potting. If you can get new growth on both pieces, that would be ideal. There may or may not be an apparent "natural" division point, you'll just have to see. I suspect that it will. But other than trying for "action" on both pieces, just give it your best shot. You can use cinnamon on the cut, but probably isn't necessary. The rhizome is the structure that the pseudobulbs grow from so you'll be cutting that.

[Keysguy]

Oncidiums shouldn't need to be "cut" with a tool to divide. I always sterilize my cutting tools before dividing a plant but before I use it I go out of my way to figure out if I can do it "good enough" with just my hands. Tools are great but also probably the single most effective way to introduce disease (even when you think it's clean) so just eliminate the risk if you can.

Find a spot where there is a little wobble, get a good grip with both hands and pull down and away with both hands at the same time.

Most Oncidiums will come clean but if you do see raw tissue, use a little cinnamon paste on the wounds as Roberta suggested.

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by Keysguy

figure out if I can do it "good enough" with just my hands.

True. Sort of like splitting a 'hand' of bananas into separate bananas.

[dbarron]

Just reminding you that producing two spikes isn't much of a display. I wouldn't divide it, I'd just put it in a larger diameter pot to make more of a showpiece. It's your orchid though.

[Orchidtinkerer]

the oncidium sharry baby is a huge plant.
My biggest orchid in fact. A lot of people don't know how big they get so although it seems huge for an oncidium it is just about medium sized.
Diving it now would set it back years. All it needs is a bigger pot. They get big, you can't avoid it by keep splitting it too soon, it is too soon for this plant.