Hey y'all,
I received a few free/cheap orchids and I was curious about identification and care of them.
1) large mature orchid currently blooming - ID Help
- also wondering when it makes sense to move it into a new pot or split into multiple pots. It looks like it could be divided into 3 separate sections.
2) short orchid - ID help
- I got this for $2 because it's slowing detaching from its base and has lost its support/stability. Should I detach it and replant in new orchid potting soil?
3) Tall orchid - ID help
- at its base is a fallen stem that no longer is supported but it is in pretty healthy condition. can I cut it at the base and replant in orchid potting mixture a few nodes deep and expect it to take root? Should I use rooting hormone?
I'm attaching photos to identify each plant with their specific question.
The one silhouetted against the lawn is probably an Oncidium hybrid.
The tallest one is a Dendrobium, most likely a Den. phalaenopsis hybrid.
The three need somewhat different care, but nothing difficult. I would not divide any of them for several more years. They might be ready to repot now depending on whether the medium is breaking down. You can read about all of them here on Orchid Board; use the Search feature in the upper maroon menu.
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The Dendrobium has a stalk that has broken off, do you think it will re-root in a new medium if I plant it a few nodes deep? Maybe use rooting hormone?
Thanks
It won't re-root. They only root from rhizomes, and sometimes form plantlets from meristems on the pseudobulb opposite the leaf. The meristem can form an inflorescence or a plantlet. A plantlet from above the base is called a keiki by orchidists.
You can set the broken stem horizontally on a bed of barely damp sphagnum moss in a plastic container large enough to hold it. There is a good chance plantlets will form at some of the nodes. When they have roots a few inches long the cane can be cut up into sections and the plantlets planted in pots in your usual orchid medium.
__________________ May the bridges I've burned light my way.
When you take photos, have the bright light behind the camera. That means turning around and having the window, or the outside, behind you so the plant isn't a dark silhouette against a bright window or lawn.
Now that bethmarie commented on number two, I think it could be a Phragmipedium, a strap-leafed Paphiopedilum or an Oncidium.
__________________ May the bridges I've burned light my way.