Different means of propagation

[HiOrcDen]

So it is my understanding that an orchid can propagate indefinitely.

My impression is that the roots of any orchid will reach a certain maximum depth. However the plant can spread horizontally on an ongoing basis.

So then, is it correct to say this is what one might use a broad and relatively shallow container, something like a bulb pan, to develop a 'specimen' of an indefinitely spreading orchid?

Will the first orchid that started propagating further growth eventually die at some point?

Is the other growth propagated in the bulb pan a part of the original orchid, or would they be considered new plants?

And again, does the original ever die?

Finally, do the various forms of propagation by splitting/separation result in growth which is faster, or slower than developing a 'specimen', if you will forgive the term, in something like a bulb pan?

And is a 'bulb pan' the best term for what is used to grow a 'specimen', or are there more effective types of pots by different names?

[Ray]

There are too many variations to use one, single "rule" to describe almost anything in orchids.

Root depth depends on the type of plant and is quite adaptable. I have seen Oncidium Sharry Baby, for example, thrive and bloom while mounted (depth=0), in a 4" pot (depth=3"), or in a florists cooler bucket adapted for semi-hydroponics (depth 24").

There is also the growth habit of the plant. Some tend to spread horizontally, while others "climb". Phrag. longifolium is a horizontal spreader, while Phrag. besseae, which grows on hillsides, is a climber (much to the chagrin af folks trying to grow it in a pot). Among cattleya-types, there's just as much, if not more variation.

There's also the extent of spreading, which is a function of the rhizome length. Paph. rothschildianum forms dense cluster of growths, while Mexipedium xerophyticum is a broad spreader.

Yes, older growths do eventually die, but how soon that happens is largely controlled by the quality of culture.

In my early years, for example, my paph growing was characterized by being only a notch above "replacement mode" in which the maturation of a new growth was followed sometime later by the loss of the older one. Eventually, the plant would get to carrying more than one fan at a time, but it was a slow process. Now that I understand more about their needs and can provide a better overall culture for them, old fans can hang around for many "generations", where they continue to provide resource generation and storage capacity to the colony.

I think "resources" (chemical reserves) is the bottom line, and the container, by itself, is irrelevant. See Support the Reserves.

[HiOrcDen]

---------- Post added at 05:44 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:21 AM ----------

Originally Posted by Ray

There are too many variations to use one, single "rule" to describe almost anything in orchids.

Root depth depends on the type of plant and is quite adaptable. I have seen Oncidium Sharry Baby, for example, thrive and bloom while mounted (depth=0), in a 4" pot (depth=3"), or in a florists cooler bucket adapted for semi-hydroponics (depth 24").

There is also the growth habit of the plant. Some tend to spread horizontally, while others "climb". Phrag. longifolium is a horizontal spreader, while Phrag. besseae, which grows on hillsides, is a climber (much to the chagrin af folks trying to grow it in a pot). Among cattleya-types, there's just as much, if not more variation.

There's also the extent of spreading, which is a function of the rhizome length. Paph. rothschildianum forms dense cluster of growths, while Mexipedium xerophyticum is a broad spreader.

Yes, older growths do eventually die, but how soon that happens is largely controlled by the quality of culture.

In my early years, for example, my paph growing was characterized by being only a notch above "replacement mode" in which the maturation of a new growth was followed sometime later by the loss of the older one. Eventually, the plant would get to carrying more than one fan at a time, but it was a slow process. Now that I understand more about their needs and can provide a better overall culture for them, old fans can hang around for many "generations", where they continue to provide resource generation and storage capacity to the colony.

I think "resources" (chemical reserves) is the bottom line, and the container, by itself, is irrelevant. See Support the Reserves.

Thank you, the Support the Reserves was excellent reading! I will be looking to purchase the Kelpak soon.

What exactly is Plant IV? I googled and it seems to be a system for auto-watering... yet it has a gimmick like an IV Drip, and I'm wondering how that might soak the whole orchid medium... is it semi-hydroponic?

As far as Orchids which have a very vertical growth habit, climbing up hillsides, how does one attempt to duplicate this in horticulture? I am very curious...

[Louis_W]

To add to what ray said, here are a few quick thoughts

Orchids do not have a maximum root depth. A well grown orchid can grow in many different styles of.container as long as it's needs are met. Each species needs can be quite different.

Orchids have no lifespan. They can live forever, if they are not killed by improper care, physical destruction, disease or pests etc. A few of the early Orchids collected in the Victorian Era are still alive, although many of them have become virused over the years. They live by growing new parts and allowing old parts to die

Most orchids can be devided up when they get large enough.each piece is called a 'division' and is considered the same plant. When plants get awards the are given an individual name which carries down through all.the plants that are divided off of it.

Specimens are grown by learning how to best grow each species, then doing it consistently for many years. Time and dedication are the recipe, and while specific containers may be helpful, a bulb pan is not a universally beneficial potting style.

[Arizona Jeanie]

HiOrcDen,
You might be interested in this giant Cymbidium orchid, obviously not in a bulb pan. Scroll down the thread for the photo.
Huntington Library Orchid Show 2023

[Ray]

Originally Posted by HiOrcDen

What exactly is Plant IV?

In this context, I use "plant IV" as analogy to the intravenous (IV) injections of fluids, glucose, and electrolytes a football player may get at halftime, giving him more "resources" to draw upon to play better in the second half of the game.

Kelpak contains a great many of the same chemical resources that a plant makes for itself, but by being from an external source, it doesn't have to expend any of its own energy to make them, giving it a significant "leg up" in its growing and blooming efforts.

[HiOrcDen]

Originally Posted by Arizona Jeanie

HiOrcDen,
You might be interested in this giant Cymbidium orchid, obviously not in a bulb pan. Scroll down the thread for the photo.
Huntington Library Orchid Show 2023 - Orchid Board - Most Complete Orchid Forum on the web !

OMG, that Cymbidium is truly mind boggling! Amazing that such a specimen can be produced. I imagine it took at least several years, correct?

I do see how the pot is both broad and deep, especially deep.

I can only dream of producing a specimen such as this, many years down the line.

Thanks for sharing this!

---------- Post added at 01:41 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:35 AM ----------

Originally Posted by Ray

In this context, I use "plant IV" as analogy to the intravenous (IV) injections of fluids, glucose, and electrolytes a football player may get at halftime, giving him more "resources" to draw upon to play better in the second half of the game.

Kelpak contains a great many of the same chemical resources that a plant makes for itself, but by being from an external source, it doesn't have to expend any of its own energy to make them, giving it a significant "leg up" in its growing and blooming efforts.

Oh I see. That makes perfect sense as an analogy. Many training and athletic enhancements, as you say, such as hgh or creatine, supplement what the body already produces for performance and development.

Also, years ago, when I was researching life extension, I read that Neurontin, the medication, can maintain the important dopamine levels which begin to drop sharply in middle age.

I convinced my shrink to offer it as an anti-anxiety agent, and it really contributes to my alertness and memory!

Ray, maybe you could elucidate how brain supplements, vs athletic supplements, might analogize with orchid culture?!

[Ray]

Originally Posted by HiOrcDen

Ray, maybe you could elucidate how brain supplements, vs athletic supplements, might analogize with orchid culture?!

As I'm not a doctor, how in the world am I to do that?

I think you're trying to read too much into this. The analogy is "supplemented via an external source", not what the supplements might be.