I can help, since I have just gone through the process a few months ago, and have since read and think I know what I should and shd not have done:
1st as someone said earlier up here, you shd have atleast 3 to 4 per division - so, about 7-8 pbs
- then, preferably div. in spring, when in growth mode
- then, preferably have young bulbs on the way to keep the growth momentum post-divide
- and then the actual process of dividing:
- take the plant carefully out of the pot, and make a neat cut with a clean sharp knife between the bulbs to be divided, place a small sheet of plastic with your preferred germicidal (listerine, cinnamon powder, or physan-20) in the space between the cut, and put the plant and fir bark medium back into the same pot, and continue with usual care. Let the cut harden, and the 2 divisions get used to living separately in the same pot for a few weeks to a month, till you see new growth, a small new root or leaf [this is a step I did not do, and my plants seem to be still in trauma - not sure where I read this, but most places do not tell you to do this, and unfortunatley I read about this process only after I had done my deed, but now I think it seems to make very good sense, and is probably a critical part of the process.]
- once the divided plant seems to have adjusted to its cut, take the plant out of the pot again and separate the roots, cutting through a few if needed, trim roots, cut off dead roots, powder root ends with germicidal, and soak in a weakened rooting solution, pot each half over fresh fir bark (or chosen medium).
- the plants may still display some trauma/adjustment problems for a few months, even a year, I believe.
- any additional dead pseudobulbs can be separated at this time or when making the first cut, bagged with moist sphag moss (see sphag and bag method elsewhere on this site), which should produce its own shoot within 6-8 weeks - I have got 2 sprouting as we speak!
other tips -
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