Separating community pots - Orchid Board

Blndbunny · #1 11-25-2015, 11:38 AM

Hey everyone

I picked up a couple of community pots a few months ago. I recently moved them into my greenhouse (moved into my home with the greenhouse). When should I separate these plants?

orchidsarefun · #2 11-25-2015, 12:38 PM

It depends what you have. Paphs should have about a 4 in leafspan. I separate phals with about an 8 in as they like it cosy
and the roots are easily untangled. Zygos I do at about 4in as they have wild roots. So- easy roots, leave later.

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Blndbunny · #3 11-25-2015, 01:19 PM

I have one pot that is a cattleya and the other is an odontioda

orchidsarefun · #4 11-25-2015, 01:54 PM

Well your catts will have roots that are easily separated/untangled so could probably be left longer. Your odonts have fibrous, thin roots so should be individually potted sooner. Look it's not impossible to untangle, just a big hassle. For example it took me over an hour to untangle miltoniopsis roots and that was about 25 of them in a compot

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Blndbunny · #5 11-25-2015, 02:20 PM

Ok well I'm gonna let them get a bit bigger and stronger before I separate them

Fairorchids · #6 12-01-2015, 06:28 AM

Check what they are growing in, i bought 5 compots (Vandas) from a well known grower, and left them alone for 8-10 weeks as I was busy.

When I finally separated them, I discovered that they were in ProMix. Under my conditions and in that 'mix', they had lost 80% of the roots!

Blndbunny · #7 12-01-2015, 09:21 AM

Thank you so much for that warning. I didn't even think of that, I've reported everything else I've purchased from that vendor because I didn't like what/ how they were potted.

bil · #8 12-01-2015, 01:08 PM

I auto re-pot EVERYTHING.

If I hadn't I would have lost several plants. It's possible I haven't had as good a bloom if they were in bloom sometimes, but I buy for next year, always

Fairorchids · #9 12-02-2015, 01:00 PM

For comparison, I got a compot of Paphs from another HI nursery. It was in pure spaghnum, and recently deflasked.

I left it untouched for 10 months, then they were a great shape for splitting up.

bil · #10 12-02-2015, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fairorchids

For comparison, I got a compot of Paphs from another HI nursery. It was in pure spaghnum, and recently deflasked.

I left it untouched for 10 months, then they were a great shape for splitting up.

There are good vendors, but so far for me the bad ones (that includes a lot of the 'buy to die' garden centres) are a worryingly high percentage.