A Method for the Secondary Use of Single Pseudobulbs of Orchids

UtilizationOrchidsReproducing from pseudobulbs is one means of propagation for obtaining new orchid plants. In recent years, the author has used single pseudobulbs that had already sprouted new shoots for a second replanting, prompting them to send up new shoots, turning waste into treasure and greatly increasingorchidpropagation speed.

In spring, when dividing or repotting Da Shuai Su, Feng Wei Su, Long Yan Su and otherCymbidium ensifoliumand someCymbidium goeringiivarieties, select single pseudobulbs that are leafless but rooted, or unrooted but plump and well-filled, and plant them in the usual way; they can send up new shoots that same year, with a shooting rate of around 85%.

From late March to mid-April, twist or cut off the viable pseudobulbs that had already produced new shoots the previous year (some shriveled, shrunken ones are useless), plant the new shoots in one pot, wash the pseudobulbs clean, then soak them for 20-30 minutes in a 1000-fold dilution of thiophanate; rinse with clean water and let dry. Then soak them in 0.005%-0.01% (50-100ppm) gibberellin for 2-3 minutes, remove, and plant again after the water has dried. Depending on how many pseudobulbs there are, choose clay pots of different diameters and plant several or several dozen densely in one pot. Under normal management and care, by summer and autumn around 30% of new shoots and seedlings can break through the soil. At this point begin using a solution of 0.1% urea and monopotassium phosphate in equal halves, spraying once a month to promote new root growth and help the shoots grow strong; the pot surface should be kept slightly drier and the position slightly shadier than for normal mature orchids. Although most are two-leaf small to medium seedlings that year, after two or three winters and springs, clumps of small colonies linked across several generations will develop into full pots of elegant, noble, graceful and unrestrained vigorous seedlings.