repotting large Brs. Edvah Loo 'Nishida'
 

Hi there,
First I would like to say "Thank you". The orchid board members have given me so much good advice. I re-read old posts when I have a problem and my orchids are so very grateful!
I'm hoping to get some advice for my mother's day orchid. It is a very large Brs. Edvah Loo 'Nishida'. I have a 15 inch bowl from HD hoping to simply drop it in as I have done before for other large oncidium/oncidium hybrids. It is too big for the 15 inch bowl (I would have to remove 2 or 3 clumps). Would this orchid be a good candidate for a large tree fern pot (I saw a 12 inch pot at Quarter Acre Orchid) where the orchid could grow onto the pot itself or should I look for a monster bowl? I would prefer to not rip it up-but it appears to be growing up in the middle also. I am including pics.
TIA, Mrs. Sky

i think a 'haircut' is in order....just trim the side clumps off and repot them in smaller pots, and let the main plant go in a larger pot.....gl

Wow - that's fabulous! I can understand not wanting to divide - but remember, it's probably going to grow like a weed anyway, so even with dividing it, you'll have some pretty big plants in no time again. And, 'dividing' doesn't have to mean breaking down into small pieces - you can just take a small division or two, like Nora suggested, leaving the bulk of the plant in tact.

And you can then always try the tree fern pot for the large division. I think if you don't want to divide it, it's gonna need a really big pot, tree fern or otherwise.

I don't know. I hesitate to divide this plant but instead drop it into a larger pot leaving about 2 inches of room around the outside. Orchids this large are rare because we tend to cut them back or divide them due to imited space in our homes. I say let it get bigger for another season or two. Take it to a show when it is in bloom. Take it into the shower once a week and let it drink. Just turn it over to drain the water out of the crowns. I just hate the thought of dividing something this grand. Whatever you decide....ok. I just love them large and stunning. Colmanara jungle monarch in a 12 inch pot and getting bigger. It was unusual this year only two flower spikes. I think I neglected it too much this winter. But it has 8 new growths coming up around the outer edges. Also a few in the center. I'll grow it as large as practical.

I have no trouble growing one of these but the damn thing won't flower.
It has been suggested I need more light - anyone have any other suggestions?

Baz

I agree, it would be a shame to divide such a beautiful large plant! A larger pot like it already has (wide and shallow) would work very nice. In France such large bowls do exist, they are used for funeral arrangements.

Wow, thank you for all of the feedback.
Once my family leaves, I'll put more effort into finding it a good pot.

I agree with some of the others that dividing such a beautiful specimen would be a shame. If you do divide it, it will take years to get that large again. There are large azalea pots avaiable that would be good for a plant that size. They're shallower than normal pots and bulb pan pots are even shallower. Good luck and congratulations on growing such a spectacular orchid.