Should I split two seedlings during repotting?
 

I am repotting cattleya seedling as an emergency measure. Found snails on it.:(
It turned out to be two seedlings in one pot. Should I keep them together or put each in its pot?

Thank you in advance for sharing your opinion and experience!

Sorry if that has been previously discussed and I missed it.

If they are easy to separate, you could give each its own pot. (Sometimes in the flask or compot the babies are so entangled that they get potted as one and as they mature they are clearly separate) You got a freebie. If they are not easy to disintagle, won't hurt to leave them together. If these were seed-grown (not mericlones) if they stay together you could end up with distinclty different flowers from the same pot, always intriguing.

I don't think repotting eliminates snails. I wouldn't do it solely for that reason. I know others here disagree.

If they are bush snails (the little "flying saucers") repotting may reduce them, but I agree it won't eliminate them. Search the OB for "coffee" - several people have provided some very good information on using it to eliminate bush snails (snail baits don't interest them therefore don't kill them)

I will try to take several measures to get rid of snails. Repotting is just one of them. I really appreciate your opinion and will use it as a guidance next time. I unfortunately completed repotting by now.:(

---------- Post added at 03:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:30 PM ----------

Yes, they are little “flying saucers” and more white cone-like tiny ones. Thank you, will use search-word “coffee”.

Several people weighed in on the "coffee" approach. Look for post by rbarata - very detailed. I recall Estación Seca also had some detailed notes.

I might agree... or not:lol: It depends on the snail size.
I'm assuming, as the plants are seedlings, that the snails are those small ones.

If that's the case, water two or three times with an expresso (coffee) diluted in half a liter of water.

Yes, snails are small. Thank you for your advice. Will do coffee drench.

I order lots of seedlings because I like to gain experience and acquire a lot inexpensively :) Getting multiples in one pot happens all the time. I have separated seedlings before but when they’re no bigger than my index finger, they tend to die on me. So I’ve stopped separating multiple seedlings in one pot.

If they are two seedlings of the same size, they find ways to make it work. I especially don’t separate if it’s a bigger and a smaller one. Little tiny ones smaller than the size of one finger segment live just fine with their bigger friends.

At some point they will mature and I can do the separating then if I feel like it. I haven’t decided yet. I just don’t want to risk their health at this stage. Here’s some examples of big ones and small ones that are sharing a pot. I do want to separate that Blc. Hawaiian Leopard at some point. But if they bloom the same way then I don’t really see why I should.

https://i.imgur.com/0ld3SCb.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/dLSWgrJ.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/uhx1IsU.jpeg

Co-bedding of preemie multiples in the same Nicu incubator has shown to be highly beneficial for the infants. Stands to reason that smaller plants would derive some benefit from being in groups or alongside a larger sibling, so long as excess crowding and resource competition is avoided.