Forcing multiple leads

[ArronOB]

Hi. I have about 50 small cattleyas and catt hybrids growing in a shade house.

I bought these as very small plants without any regard to the fact that they would one day get bigger but the space I have available for them will not.

Most of these plants currently have small new growths.

Most plants are putting out only one new growth from any maturing pseudobulb. About 10 are putting out 2. One has 3. I reckon that the ones with multiple simultaneous new growths will be easier to manage because they will give me a denser plant - I don’t want plants with only a single lead which rapidly climbs out of the pot. So is there a way to force them to start multiple leads, rather then just one.

I should point out that i realise the growth potential of any plant is limited. I’m not trying to grow more plant, just find a way to keep them more compact and manageable.


Cheers
Arron

[Nexogen]

[Subrosa]

Cutting completely hrough the rhizome without removing the plant will stimulate new leads.

[Nexogen]

Right now I completely cut a rhizome to a cattleya and I inserted in the cut a plastic strip with the intention of interrupting the communication between the pseudo bulbs. Practically I created two plants.
As a precautionary measure you must first disinfect the cutter and the plastic piece.

[Fairorchids]

What you are describing is a common situation.

There is no way to force a plant to make multiple new growths from the front lead.

If you give the plants good cultural conditions, confirmed by their producing healthy new growths and blooming well, and they still only do one new growth from each lead, this is all they want to do. Unless they have superior flower qualities, I tend to get rid of such plants (give them away, or sell them).

If it is a plant you want to keep, you can force a division by cutting the rhizome. Make sure that the front lead has minimum 4 mature pseudobulbs (doing only 3 tends to set the plant back). The isolated back bulbs should now produce a new growth from one of the dormant 'eyes'.

To get a collection of plants, that reliably produce multiple leads (at least every other year), you have 2 choices:

A. Buy 4-6 seedlings of the same thing and grow them up to blooming size. Then select for the plants with best flower quality AND showing willingness to divide. (NOTE: in some lines of breeding, there is a general reluctance to divide).

B. Only buy plants, where you can see that it is readily dividing. When you come across a near blooming size plant, that already has 2-4 individual leads, you are looking at a candidate.

Lastly, please keep in mind that the fact that a plant is blooming, does not necessarily mean that it is mature. Many Cattleyas can bloom on pseudobulbs, that are anywhere from 65-100% of maximum size. However, they do not start to set extra leads till they are fully mature (= 90-100% of max size).

[Nexogen]

I know this method is currently used, I just wanted to show him a method.
There are actually four pseudobulbs and a new lead, but they can not be seen in the photo.

[ArronOB]

ok, thanks for the replies.ill wait till they are more mature and then experiment.

Anything that refuses to respond and remains a long straggly single-leader I think I will probably plant on a tree in the yard and let nature take its course.

[Ray]

Folks who apply KelpMax to their plants on a regular basis observe enhanced branching in sympodial plants. I have seen paphs go from a single growth to as many as eight in a year, and had an old, bedraggled Cattleya Ned Nash go from one growth front to four in about a nine-month period.

I was recently discussing this with the technical folks that manufacture the stuff, and they confirmed that to be the case with many plants - although they have no experience with orchids.

(For some reason, my browser wouldn't let me see anything but the original post, so I communicated this to Aaron via PM.)

I am running an experiment right now with some Chamaerops humilis (dwarf Mediterranean fan palm) plants. They can form clumps if left unpruned, so I'm seeing if I can force that. All of the plants are potted the same and fed and watered the same, but half are getting KelpMax. I'm about a month in now, and while the bases of the test plants are a bit larger, that could be nothing more than having grown more roots, as I'd expect. The leaves are naturally longitudinally pleated, so can collapse to reduce exposed surface area to restrict water loss when they are dry for extended periods, and while the untreated plants do that, those getting KelpMax stay open - again, I'd guess due to a stronger root system, even this soon.

[Maryanne]

At our orchid society meetings, we once had a retired professor (gosh I miss him) who advised that cutting the rhizome all the way through not only induces more eyes to grow on the older section, but makes it two plants - And he warned, that if you wanted to show the plant(s), then it would be disqualified for higher awards.

To get around that 2 plants masquerading as one thing, he advised cutting the rhizome just half way through from the top side. Apply cinnamon or whatever makes you feel better about that surgery.

Yes, I have done this a number of times. I have a mounted Laelia anceps (gosh, I dote on her) on which I did that operation more than 8 years ago, dusted with cinnamon powder, and it has grown immensely. (It gets seaweed extract, chicken manure, epsom salts, etc. ) And I've done the same to other Catt type plants. It works. Then you later can divide the two sections if you wish.

Just a suggestion ~
Happy growing
Maryanne

[isurus79]

I've had pretty good luck with getting multiple leads to sprout by popping off a new lead that is very early in its growth phase. Losing such an early growth isn't taxing for the plant and healthy plants often (not always) will make up for the loss with two (or more) new leads. This assumes the plant is strong enough for multiple leads, though.