How to grow dense plants w many spikes like they have in shows?

[Orchid Whisperer]

Originally Posted by Roxanna

Maybe there is more than a plant in the same pot. I have heard that one method is to cut the rhysome into many divisions of at least three pseudobulbs, encouraging many new growths and, of course, many flower spikes.

I'm no expert on judging, but I have heard that more than one plant in a pot is discouraged, possibly disqualifying for judging?

[Optimist]

red and blue light together encourages plants to flower. Blue light alone will cause more vegetative growth. Perfect everything else is good too.

---------- Post added at 04:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:04 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Orchid Whisperer

I'm no expert on judging, but I have heard that more than one plant in a pot is discouraged, possibly disqualifying for judging?

I heard that too. Not sure where. You might make a great display, but it can't be judged by AOS or whomever.

[fishmom]

Orchid Whisperer is correct, according to an experienced judge in my OS. If you sever the rhizome, you create two plants (or more) and they must be judged separately.

It is also possible to just nick the top of the rhizome without completely cutting it, which may spur new growths but which maintains the integrity of the single plant. I haven't done this, but a fellow member has done it successfully with catts.

[kkdcalgary]

Welp. I figured 'time and skill and perfection' was going to be the answer. I did wonder about whether some of them were multi plant, but it sounds like no. Definitely interesting about the overhead vs window light point. I did have a Den. aggregatum that had 4-5 new leads and I could see how in time that could lead to a rounded plant mass perhaps? Do growers stunt flowering on purpose somehow so the plants 'save up energy' for a really prolific year or do they just bloom like crazy every year like that?? Thanks for the input everyone!

[estación seca]

Ambient growing conditions are the most important factor, then time. In a near-perfect greenhouse environment a huge ball of a mounted plant flowers like that every year. It's nearly impossible to maintain such conditions in a humanhouse.

With plants that tend to fill pots in an outward fashion, a grower who knows the plant well can predict in which year the plant will be magnificently overflowing its container in full bloom. The grower can plan, several years in advance, when to try for a CCM. One year later, that plant in that pot will look like a scraggly, overgrown mess.