Question about compots..

[Lady Tottington]

I apologize for my ignorance, but I have seen compots for sale at a couple places and I guess my question is when the plants get to a certain size are they meant to be divided into smaller divisions or left to grow in a happy family pot so there can be lots more blooms?

Thanks for your helpfulness ; )

[WhiteRabbit]

a compot - community pot - consists of many tiny seedlings - so when the are large enough they should be potted individually.

[shadytrake]

Second to what Rabbit said and adding...once the orchid is blooming and ready to be in a show, it should be only one orchid plant in the pot.

I learned this when mine was pulled for AOS judging...apparently my Better Gro Baggie may have had two plants. I was advised by the Judges that I should check and remove the 2nd plant at next repot and before next judging (next year bloom cycle) as there should really only be one plant in the pot.

Learn something new everyday.

[Lady Tottington]

Thanks for clearing that up for me, that helps!

So they can tell that a specimen plant is all from one single plant?

How to tell? I always assumed that some of the dendrobiums were planted from a compot, or even my little Onc. Twinkle looks like it was from a compot, because it seems hard to believe that it is all from one little plant?

[WhiteRabbit]

I'm not sure what you're asking ? you can tell when it's out of the pot - sympodial orchids, like Dens and Onc, grow along a rhizome. One rhizome - one plant And mature plants can get many new growths in a year, so as they mature, they can rapidly increase in size.

[Lady Tottington]

Thanks White Rabbit... I guess what I mean is that I have a Milt. that looks like there are a ton of pseudo bulbs, and a Little Twinkle that has at least 6 pseudo bulbs, both plants I got via ebay, and I'm just wondering if they were originally compots that never got divided, or if they are actually one plant, that is just relatively mature? Does that make sense?

[Royal]

Each seedling will grow into a mature multi-growth specimen over time, like an Iris.

[Lady Tottington]

Got it!! Thank you! : )))))