This Orchid (Myr. grandiflora) is getting too big-OR- He's not fat, just big boned!!

[DirtyCoconuts]

this is an unusual problem to have...but this orchid has had an unusual growth spurt....a great problem but i am still stumped

I have it mounted on a twisted piece of oak that is about 4.5' in total length. the plant is probably 12 years old and i got a division when i got her so it is a very mature colony.


this growth went through the bark (tore it right open) and is about 2-2.5 times the size of the next largest growth which was last years biggest and itself is larger than the rest.


Macro, catts, and flowers by J Solo, on Flickr



here is my hand for reference. i have 10-10.25" spread from pinkie to thumb.



Macro, catts, and flowers by J Solo, on Flickr


my concern is that in a year, if this trend continues, he will be way too big for the current mount and be quite difficult to remount with a 4' log in the middle.


what should i do?

leave it and assume it will not grow at this clip but will level off?
remount it now to a larger pole (i am not sure how to handle anything much larger to be honest)
try to split it now (i don't know if i can cleanly do so) and get the huge new pieces in/on a tree to just do their own thing ( i am fine with this as long as i have some still able to be moved.


thoughts? thanks

[isurus79]

Did the light decrease? I think blasting it with more light should prevent that large of a growth.

[DirtyCoconuts]

hmmm, it might have actually.

I moved it under a large break of ficus and it was mounted on it's own under a small live oak...it gets more late day light the last two years but less overall....great idea, sir....i'll move it back out of the shade.

[SouthPark]

It definitely needs to be moved ------ because if it falls down, it could put somebody in hospital hehehe

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by DirtyCoconuts

hmmm, it might have actually.

I moved it under a large break of ficus and it was mounted on it's own under a small live oak...it gets more late day light the last two years but less overall....great idea, sir....i'll move it back out of the shade.

Ya, looks a little "stretchy!" lol

[cattmad]

Can I correct you on one thing first. The plant you have is Dendrobium. speciosum var grandiflora.
It is native to Australia where I live and grows from The northern tip of Australia down to the southern state Victoria.
It flourishes outdoors and likes ful light and will even grow and flower in full sun if it has been conditioned to the environment.
It is as tough as nails and loves warm to temperate areas. Your photo indicates it is fully matured so your conditions are very suitable.
I could not ascertain from the photo's old growths if you have flowered it, but add if it doesn't flower it would be lack of adequate light.
You will have to come to an arrangement as to what you can do when it outgrows the medium it is growing on. If you can attach it to another base it would be ideal as with most species they prefer to be left undisturbed. They can be grown very successfully in pots which is another alternative.
I hope this has been of some help.
Cattmad.

[isurus79]

They certainly look similar!

[DirtyCoconuts]

Hi. I appreciate the advice but this is not a Dendrobium and it is not a speciosum.

I have had this plant for more than a decade. It makes pink and orange, alien looking flowers on spikes that are longer than 10’. It is quite different from the Den speciosum

I think this advice about light from you and Isurus is very much on point. I got three spikes from this plant last year but it still just might want more

---------- Post added at 08:45 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:01 AM ----------

Originally Posted by cattmad

Can I correct you on one thing first. The plant you have is Dendrobium. speciosum var grandiflora.
It is native to Australia where I live and grows from The northern tip of Australia down to the southern state Victoria.
It flourishes outdoors and likes ful light and will even grow and flower in full sun if it has been conditioned to the environment.
It is as tough as nails and loves warm to temperate areas. Your photo indicates it is fully matured so your conditions are very suitable.
I could not ascertain from the photo's old growths if you have flowered it, but add if it doesn't flower it would be lack of adequate light.
You will have to come to an arrangement as to what you can do when it outgrows the medium it is growing on. If you can attach it to another base it would be ideal as with most species they prefer to be left undisturbed. They can be grown very successfully in pots which is another alternative.
I hope this has been of some help.
Cattmad.

here is this plant a few months ago...the canes and leaves do look like the speciosum but way larger and that is where the similarities stop.

Rescue operations and stuff by J Solo, on Flickr

Rescue operations and stuff by J Solo, on Flickr

[WaterWitchin]

Why can't you just tie it to a tree and let it grow? I don't know how to grow this way... just asking a question.

[DirtyCoconuts]

Originally Posted by WaterWitchin

Why can't you just tie it to a tree and let it grow? I don't know how to grow this way... just asking a question.

that is option 3 sort of-

the answer is that i don't like to let go of my plants, I am a bit of a hoarder in that regard.

I only mount things to permanent objects if i have another division i can keep. I love to put down roots (literally and figuratively) but i also have some fear of losing all my plants (probably a hurricane thing, lame) and so i want to be able to move them and such.

I am getting better about it like i now have vandas mounted on the lath house that will stay there forever....i have thought about removing some of their keikis down the line (shhhh)

so, what i might do is divide this one and put the bigger part into the trees to take off. I have not put any orchids in my mulberry tree yet so this might be the first