Air layering an 11 foot tall renanopsis?

[mjHuntingtonBeach]

Originally posted in the propagation folder, I thought I'd post here too.

I have a renanopsis Lion's Splendor that I've had for over 10 years. It's now too tall to manage, and a lot of the leaves between the top and root base have gotten burned or died so only the leaves in the top 2-3 feet are healthy.

There are new growths down at the base, but those will take years to flower. So what I'm thinking is trying to air layer say 3 feet from the top and if roots form, cut just below that and I'll have a nice manageable plant around 2 feet up from pot level. But there are no roots forming except waayyyy down at the bottom. I don't expect naturally forming roots at that level before the plant is 24 feet tall lol.

So any thoughts as to how to do this, and how successful might it be? I'd like to shorten it to just below where the flower spike is coming out. The picture was from last October, the spike is gone now.

I've also attached pictures, including one several years ago when it was more manageable.

[smweaver]

I just found this post. Did you have any success with (or even attempt) your air-layering experiment?

[mjHuntingtonBeach]

My experiment with air laying is a work in progress. I contacted Dr. Motes at Motes Orchids in Florida for his advice. He suggested that renanthera and crosses were more likely to send roots out from lengths of the stem where the leaves were removed. So, I reached up high and pulled a number of leaves from around 3 feet short of the top. That was near the time of my original post. I figured there was nothing to lose since I couldn't bring that plant indoors at that height anyway. So far, I see a couple of bumps at nodes which I think may turn into roots but not until next year. I also removed yellowing/unhappy leaves at various points along the stem and lower down I AM seeing root formation. So I have faith, we'll see how it goes. I'm hoping that early summer next year I'll be able to cut off the top and repot, and then cut the remaining stem just below where I see other roots growing - I might get three new plants in addition to the growth at the base.

[mjHuntingtonBeach]

Here are some pictures as of today. Seems like a success at the bottom of the plant, the middle of the plant is trying hard, and the top of the plant where I want to cut and repot is only showing tiny signs that maybe I'll have a success.

[estación seca]

You're pretty humid there, but consider wrapping the areas with Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides) to make a more humid microclimate, and spraying that with water regularly. I would also put some rooting hormone on those areas. I like First Ray's Kelpak.

[smweaver]

I'll be interested to see if the advice you received from Motes was worth the effort. Fingers crossed.

[mjHuntingtonBeach]

Just thought I'd add some updated pictures - even though I pulled off some dying leaves to encourage rooting closer to the growing tip, my Lion's Splendor has still decided to put out an impressive spray of flowers. Should last until January if last year was any indication. But this years flowers are well above my head, with the inflo popping out at 8 feet above ground. it has put on another foot and a half of growth, so next year's inflo will be at 9 feet or so. I really really really hope I get some root growth about 3 feet from the top so I can cut this one down to size next year.

[mjHuntingtonBeach]

Yes, I was daubing the stem with rooting hormone weekly for at least a couple of months. Didn't seem to help. I was going to put some plastic around the stem with moist sphagnum in it, but I was going to be traveling for several weeks so I figured that was just a recipe for rot and destruction. Looking at the lower stem without leaves, roots have been forming so I'm pretty sure moss, either sphagnum or spanish, isn't necessary. It's just a waiting game.....

[smweaver]

Well, hopefully, given enough time (orchids not being, in general, the quickest to respond to any new treatment or technique), that top 3-foot piece will cooperate. Best of luck!