How to Sprout Old Pseudobulbs of Orchids? Step-by-Step Guide with Pictures

Sprouting old orchid pseudobulbs is a shortcut for ordinary orchid growers to “save money” while cultivating fine varieties, and it is worth trying and studying. The old orchid pseudobulb demonstrated in this article is an old orchid corm with roots but no leaves. Although different situations call for different ways of handling old pseudobulbs, the general approach is the same. This article introduces the process of sprouting old pseudobulbs.

1. Old pseudobulbs: any kind of old pseudobulb will do, but it should mainly be fresh and plump, and free of disease.

2. The growing medium used for sprouting old pseudobulbs: I use sphagnum moss, but any kind of moss will do, as long as it is clean and free of pests and disease. If you cannot find moss, clean coarse material will also work.

3. Sealed plastic bags: any kind of plastic bag will do, preferably colorless. I use the ziplock bags the tea seller gave me; they can be reused many times. If you cannot find any, ordinary household convenience bags work just the same; just tie the opening shut!

4. Wrapping the old pseudobulb: moisten the moss (just slightly damp is enough; do not use too much water), and wrap the old pseudobulb well.

5. Bagging: after putting it in the bag, seal the bag opening. The next step is to place it in a warm, sunny spot and let it sprout on its own. During the process, open the bag every few days to let in some air. Once it sprouts, burn a few small holes with a cigarette butt to let it breathe, and at the same time shake out the excess moisture, so as to avoid rotting the sprout!

6. Results: after more than half a month, some pseudobulbs begin to sprout.

7. Other situations

If the old pseudobulb is still connected to other orchid plants, then just twist the old pseudobulb a little without separating it from the other orchid plants. After twisting, cover the orchid leaves with newspaper and other items, and sun the roots and pseudobulbs together in the sunlight to stimulate them. Of course, do not do this in summer. Then use the usual steps for planting orchids to plant the orchid well, and from then on manage it normally together with the other orchids. Generally speaking, an old pseudobulb like this can still produce shoots, and can basically be grown strong and large.

However, for an old pseudobulb to be coaxed into sprouting, there is a precondition: it mainly depends on whether this old pseudobulb still has the ability to sprout. If this old pseudobulb is already shriveled and blackened, then even if you had the greatest skill in the world at coaxing old pseudobulbs, it would still be very hard to coax it into sprouting. Just throw it away and be done with it! Hehe.

In the process of coaxing an old pseudobulb, by all means do not be impatient, and do not keep digging open the growing medium, because this easily damages the newly emerged orchid sprout. By all means do not keep it too wet, because if it is too wet, the old pseudobulb easily rots. By all means do not fertilize, because if you fertilize, the old pseudobulb and the new sprout easily rot.

8. Potting up and later management

After the old pseudobulb sprouts, generally, once its new sprout has opened its leaf gap and new roots have grown out, transplant it into another orchid pot. If you do not transplant it, the old pseudobulb itself does not have much nutrition, which will affect the continued growth of the new sprout. But if you transplant too early, because the new sprout is really too weak, it will cause harm to the new sprout, making the new sprout stall and die back.

For transplanting, use coarse growing medium to fill 1/2 of the orchid pot, then mix fine-grained mountain soil with small-grained expanded clay pellets. Plant the newly emerged young plant and grow it leanly, until this young plant becomes a strong plant and sends out new sprouts. Only then can it be considered that the old pseudobulb has been successfully coaxed out.