The Best Time to Divide Orchids and the Differences Between Dividing Snake Plant, Spider Plant, Clivia, and Cymbidium sinense

What is orchid division? Simply put, it means separating orchid plantlets by hand. Division must be done properly; mistakes in division can harm the orchid and, in serious cases, lead to infection with pathogens and death. So for different orchid varieties, such as snake plant, spider plant, clivia, and Cymbidium sinense, what are the differences in the timing of division? When is the best time to divide them?

When should snake plant be divided?

Snake plant is a foliage plant with very strong vitality. Its greatest feature is that it can purify the air, and its ability to absorb formaldehyde is extremely strong. Placing a few pots of snake plant in a newly renovated home can absorb harmful gases indoors. Flower lovers who have grown snake plant all know that this plant will overgrow its pot after being grown for a long time, and at this point it needs repotting or propagation by division.

Division time: Generally speaking, snake plant should be repotted once every two years, or propagated by division.

Division method: Cut the overly dense leaf clusters into several clusters. Each cluster should have not only leaves, but also a section of rhizome and suckers, and then be planted separately in pots.

Detailed steps:

1. The cutting tool used for division must be sterilized and dried;

2. The cut surfaces of snake plant must be fully dried;

3. Plant in semi-dry soil, and do not water within one week after planting, otherwise it will rot.

When should spider plant be divided?

Spider plant, known as the “flower of the air” and a room “purifier,” is deeply loved by people for its beautiful leaf shape, and is a common plant for beautifying the home environment and resisting smog.

For potted spider plant, in terms of management, in order to achieve lush stems and leaves, it should be divided, have its soil changed, and be repotted once every March. If the pot is relatively deep and the base fertilizer is relatively sufficient, it can be divided and repotted once every 2 years.

When dividing spider plant, you can cut off the clustered stems and leaves of the stolons (this is a young new plant, with leaves above and roots below), and directly plant it into a flowerpot for cultivation. Newly planted plants should be placed in a shaded area and avoid direct sunlight.

When should clivia be divided?

Generally, when a clivia seedling grows one leaf and is about 2-3 cm tall, it can be divided. If divided too early, the seedlings have weak resistance and cannot withstand the disturbance of division, and are easily damaged during transplanting, reducing the survival rate of the seedlings. But they also cannot be divided too late, as dividing too late will affect the growth of clivia seedlings.

Division can generally be carried out indoors all year round, but there are differences among different regions. In areas south of the Yangtze River basin, it is generally carried out around Qingming Festival, at a temperature generally of 15~22°C. For autumn division, choose between White Dew and Autumn Equinox, when the fruit is basically ripe, to prepare for flowering the next year. In northern regions, the division time is later than in the south, and can be carried out according to temperature conditions.

Division method: You can use the method of cutting buds or breaking buds by hand. Cutting buds for division is mostly used for buds at the base of the stem, where the connection between the daughter plant and the mother plant is large and it is difficult to make the bud carry roots by hand breaking. Use a knife to cut off the required rhizome together with the bud, which can increase the survival rate of the bud. Hand-breaking buds is mostly used for lateral buds on the stem or buds between leaves, because these two kinds of buds are both on the outer side of the stem. During operation, hold the mother plant's pseudobulb with one hand and pinch the base of the bud with the other hand, and gently break it off. Pay special attention that some roots must be retained on the new plant, as only then is it easy to survive.

The wound after breaking must be disinfected by applying plant ash, charcoal powder, or gentian violet, and dried for 4-5 hours until the wound is dry before potting. Note that the nutrient soil near the wound should be mixed with some river sand, and watering should not be too heavy, as this helps the wound recover as quickly as possible and prevents rotting.

When should Cymbidium sinense be divided?

Cymbidium sinense has many elegant names, such as Baosui Orchid and Rusui Orchid. Its leaves are strap-shaped, very thin, dark green, and somewhat leathery, so it is called Cymbidium sinense. After October, its flower scape will emerge from the pseudobulb. The color of Cymbidium sinense flowers varies greatly, often dark purple or purple-brown with a light-colored lip, and there are also yellow-green, peach-red, or white ones. Its flowers have a rich fragrance, but it is an elegant kind of “richness.” The flowering period is from October to March of the following year.

Generally speaking, division of Cymbidium sinense is best carried out in spring and autumn, and it is best to avoid the flowering period.

As long as the pseudobulbs are plump and mature, each plantlet has 3 roots, and the plantlets are disease-free, they can all be separated and cultivated as single plants. Moreover, if a mature large plant that has not yet flowered is separated and planted alone, it often sprouts 2 new shoots. If cultivated and managed properly, the new plantlets will be only 1/10 shorter and smaller than the old plant. If a clump of orchids has 3-4 plantlets, and the new plantlets have no roots and the pseudobulbs are not mature, while the old plant has many roots, at least one old and one new plant should be separated together as a connected pair.

5 Major Precautions for Orchid Division

1. One-year-old seedlings cannot be divided. Forcible division creates large wounds and makes them susceptible to pathogen infection. At the same time, the pseudobulbs are tender, the degree of epidermal hardening is low, and the ability to adapt to a new environment is weak, so division makes it difficult for the seedlings to survive.

2. Division should have old, middle-aged, and young generations of plantlets connected together. A clump of 5 plantlets is best. Dividing in this way gives the orchid a strong ability to adapt to a new environment, and no plant loss will occur. Division of precious orchids should basically follow this requirement.

3. For orchid division, look at the condition of the roots. If there are many orchid roots, it can be divided; if there are few orchid roots, divide cautiously. When dividing, note that all divided orchid plantlets should have roots.

4. When dividing orchids, you may encounter situations such as sprouting leaf buds and flower buds. Observe carefully whether leaf buds or flower buds have grown on the pseudobulbs. If leaf buds or flower buds are present, division can still be carried out, but the basic requirement is not to damage the leaf buds or flower buds.

5. After division, the connected vein point of the orchid is easily contaminated because of the wound and can cause disease. You can apply a paste of wheat flour, or use the head of a match to cauterize and cover it, so that the wound hardens and seals as quickly as possible.