How to divide SH potted plants

[Junebug]

My Oncidiums have taken VERY WELL to SH. So well, in fact, that they've gotten too large. Repotting is not longer practical. How do you divide large plants that have their roots tightly wrapped around SH pellets? Hopefully this thread will generate some helpful answers.

[Ray]

1. Get a very strong knife that you are willing to sacrifice (or resharpen).
2. Stick the tip into the medium in the middle of the pot near where you want to divide the plant.
3. Thrust it very hard straight down into the root mass.
4. When you can no longer push it in, pry the blade toward the outside, using the tip of the blade as a pivot point. That should open up things a bit, so you can repeat the process a few more times to separate the pieces.
5. Stick the divisions into new pots, fill in with more LECA, and away you go.

Some put cinnamon on the cut rhizome, others use dry LECA and don't water for a few days to let the cut ends dry, but I just stick them back in the general population and don't seem to have any issues.

[Junebug]

Originally Posted by Ray

1. Get a very strong knife that you are willing to sacrifice (or resharpen).
2. Stick the tip into the medium in the middle of the pot near where you want to divide the plant.
3. Thrust it very hard straight down into the root mass.
4. When you can no longer push it in, pry the blade toward the outside, using the tip of the blade as a pivot point. That should open up things a bit, so you can repeat the process a few more times to separate the pieces.
5. Stick the divisions into new pots, fill in with more LECA, and away you go.

Some put cinnamon on the cut rhizome, others use dry LECA and don't water for a few days to let the cut ends dry, but I just stick them back in the general population and don't seem to have any issues.

Would this method work on Oncidicums as well? They're such boogers to separate. Doing it this way would surely destroy some psuodobulbs. Have you divided Oncidiums?

[Ray]

Of course!

If you do it right, there is no need to destroy any pseudobulbs. it just takes some planning on where you insert the blade.