How Big is Too Big?

[Alsani]

I am getting ready to repot a couple of plants. The plants are relatively large and I was planning on separating them as best I can, however, my wife prefers to keep them as specimen plants (she really just doesn't want me overhandling them, fearing I will kill them. )

Anyway, I have a nicely growing cattleya that is getting too big for its 8-inch pot. There are at least half a dozen new pbulbs growing. I figure I will just transfer it into the next larger size but I do worry about having too much medium. Also, I haven't seen the roots on this plant so I don't know how compacted the current root system is. Any advice?

The second plant is a Sharry Baby growing in a slatted basket. As you can see from the pictures it seems to be growing upwards out of the basket. In fact, one side of the basket is fairly empty. 1) How do I remove it from the basket? Is this a good idea? The root system does seem to be fairly well intertwined. 2) Can I keep this as a single plant and repot in a larger/different container? Or is it better to separate into a couple of plants? Will it keep growing upwards or can I coerce it into growing outwards again.

Thanks all.

[My Green Pets]

Those plants are both beautiful. Congratulations on getting them so big and healthy.

I can't speak for the cattleya, but the oncidium does have an upward growing habit (the better to climb those trees with, haha). If you repot it all together you will have a very lopsided plant, as you'd want to tilt the whole thing so that the newest roots would find the medium.

That said, you could experiment with having more medium on one side of the pot and trying to get all the roots more or less in contact with it. The thing is gonna get so huge though, that no matter what you do, it's gonna try to climb all over the place.

Specimen-sized plants are really amazing to behold, and a Sharry Baby with spikes coming out in all directions and hundreds of those fragrant flowers would be no exception. But even if you broke the thing into thirds, it'd be huge again in no time, and then you'd have three!

[Fairorchids]

The Catt seems to be growing in all directions, but bulbs are spaced fairly tightly. You should look for a pot that gives you at least 1.1/2" additional space in all directions.

For the Oncid, it looks 'ready to be dividided' to me. Once you do, each piece should have one side with only older bulbs. Repot that side tightly against the pot, and give it a good 2" on the growth side.

Even if you do sacrifice some roots, plants this size should bounce back quickly.

[tucker85]

I'm on your wife's side on this question. Dividing orchids often sets them back a few years and sometimes they refuse to bloom for a year. Personally, I wouldn't do anything to the Sherry Baby. When I plant into a wood basket, it's basically going to stay there forever or until the basket falls apart. The orchid will usually grow outside the basket and eventually cover the outside of the basket or it may keep growing upward. Another alternative is to place that basket inside a larger basket and add mix around it.
I like the way your growing that cattleya. Those azalea pots are excellent because they're short and the addition of holes really helps. Here again, I would soak that pot in water and then remove the entire rootball and place it in a larger pot of the same type, although a large clay azalea pot or a large basket would work too, and fill in around the plant with more mix. Dividing the plant, cleaning off old mix or cutting off roots will just stress the plant and set it back some. If you really want to divide the cattleya, I would take about 5 pseudo-bulbs, including some new growth, and cut that off and pot it and then take the rest of the plant and put it into a large pot or basket. But I would only do that if it's absolutely necessary. Otherwise I would just repot the entire plant. Those are just my personal opinions. Good luck.

---------- Post added at 05:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:12 PM ----------

By the way, Green Barn Orchid Supply is in Delray Beach, not too far from you. It's a little hard to find so if decide to go, take your GPS. They have very large baskets if you decide to set your basket into a larger basket. You could even take your orchid along and ask their advice.

[Alsani]

Originally Posted by CambriaWhat

Those plants are both beautiful. Congratulations on getting them so big and healthy....

Thank you for the compliments Cambria, although I can't take all the credit as they were given to me by a friend. However, must of the latest growth has been in my care.

Originally Posted by Fairorchids

For the Oncid, it looks 'ready to be dividided' to me. Once you do, each piece should have one side with only older bulbs. Repot that side tightly against the pot, and give it a good 2" on the growth side.

Even if you do sacrifice some roots, plants this size should bounce back quickly.

I am nervous about breaking the oncid up just now (need more practice in repotting). It seems quite compact and, as CambriaWhat noted, the newer pbulbs are growing more upward than outward. Not sure how I would divide or if the pbulbs would really grow to one side. Is it possible to cut back the bottom of the plant in order to settle it better into additional potting material to make it grow outwards?

Originally Posted by tucker85

I'm on your wife's side on this question....

That's the side I take on most discussions. Just easier that way.

The cattleya seems to be an easier decision. Will probably just drop it into a larger pot. I have heard of people using large lava rock to fill in large baskets so that they don't retain too much moisture, would that be a good idea here?

Will think about the Sharry Baby a little more. I like the idea of leaving it intact but I get anxious seeing it grow up out of the basket. Tucker, I do know the Green Barn, I actually get most (all) of my supplies there! Very nice people to talk to. Good suggestion about bringing the plants in and asking for their advice. They actually suggested the same for any plants, last time I was there.

Well, some great input to think about. Thanks all.

[cbuchman]

Cattleys, in particular, really do better when they get to specimen size. I agree with Tucker that they will suffer a set back if divided.

For the Onc. you can take off old back bulbs. But remmeber that the pblubs are where the plant stores its nutrients that will support future growth. so you want to remove back pbulbs if they are shriveled or damaged.

One "trick" with large plants is to use an upside net pot in the center. This encourages the media in the center of the pot to dry out more rapidly and thus helps reduce rot . It also helps to support the plant while you are filling int he medium around it

Good Luck!

[dounoharm]

I think all the above comments are very good ideas! you have some beautiful plants, and they will both make excellent specimens! good luck!

[Laserbeak]

You should repot with enough room for 1 - 2 years of growth. Of course that probably doesn't help you that much since you don't know how fast your plant is going to grow.

[Laserbeak]

Sorry I don't think I read your post very well the first time around. The decision do divide a plant can be difficult. If it is growing outwards symmetrically in roughly a circle, then definitely leave it together as a specimen plant. If it's growing in a straight line, there's not much to do other than divide it. You can put the divisions together in the same pot though if you want to.

In in-between cases it's really up to you. Spend some time sizing up the plant and thinking what you can do with it. If there's an area that's not growing, you might want to cut it off but leave it in place so it might start producing new growths since the hormones from the growing area won't' be able get to that part anymore since you cut them apart.

HTH

[Alsani]

Laserbeak,

You really hit on some of the options that I am struggling with. (I haven't done anything with either plant yet.)

For the cattleya, I will most likely just repot it for now. It does seem to have quite a few new bulbs growing all around. Although I do wonder how such large plants present since all the new bulbs, and therefore flowers, would be on the outside. I would like to consider (eventually) splitting it in order to remove some of the older growth and then repot together, but then I ask would this increase the likelihood of new shoots/bulbs forming on the back bulbs? If so, I wouldn't want to plant the divisions back to back in fear of crowding. Similarly, if I split the plant and potted the divisions separately, do I provide room for potential growth off the backbulbs or just focus on the new growth? Maybe I am overthinking it.

The Sharry Baby has other problems. Just noticed some yellowed leaves and, upon further digging, some soft, rotted bulbs (erwinia possibly?). Pulled all the rotted stuff I could see and sprayed with Physan 20. However, may have to pull this plant apart if I didn't eradicate it all since it is hard to get inside the plant to see what is damaged.

Will continue to consider my options. Thanks for the additional input, some great thoughts to consider.