How to make old pseudobulbs sprout new shoots? A few practical methods

→ Make old pseudobulbs sprout new shoots!

http://www.dfac.cc/showtopic-119-445728-0-0-1.htm

"Make Old Pseudobulbs Sprout New Shoots!"

---Chen★Sheng!

Orchid growers often run into the situation where, after the foliage has died back, not a single leaf remains, or there are so many leafless pseudobulbs that they uselessly take up pot space. As long as the pseudobulbs are intact, it does not matter whether they have roots or not; all of them can be made to regenerate.

The method is as follows: wrap the pseudobulbs with sphagnum moss that has been soaked and then squeezed dry, place them in a transparent plastic bag and seal it, and before noon simply set them in the sun to sunbathe; in about a month new shoots will grow, and generally in about 2 months new roots appear. Note: when the sphagnum moss dries out, soak it, squeeze it dry, and wrap it again; once the new shoots have grown past the pseudobulbs, let the new shoots see light, and burn a few

holes in the plastic bag to allow ventilation (it is best if there are only a few tiny fine droplets of mist inside the bag). Once the new roots have grown to 2 or 3 cm, use a pot for normal care. I have used this method to force out quite a few rootless pseudobulbs, and it works every time.

The key to this method is that the squeezed-dry sphagnum moss has the right moisture level, so roots and shoots will absolutely not rot; sealing them in a plastic bag and exposing them to the sun raises the temperature and speeds up sprouting; after the new shoots emerge, letting them see light and breathe both enhances photosynthesis and prevents the new shoots from disease due to excessive temperature and humidity.