How to repot orchids and prune old pseudobulbs

Brother Hua repotted his orchid and threw away the old pseudobulbs he cut off; a passing older man picked them up, said thank you 3 times, and hurried home

These days, growing orchids has become a trend. In the orchid market, the dazzling array of orchids makes you want them all. If you are not an expert, you really cannot tell what is what. That is because, in the eyes of connoisseurs, a favorite orchid must be comprehensively evaluated from many aspects; it is not done on a whim, buying it just because it looks pleasing. That is how beginners like us do it.

Liking orchids does not mean understanding orchids. Orchids that suit the general trend are also the bonsai that many people pursue. But if you want to say you understand orchids, you still have to consult a master properly. For those of us who love growing orchids, as long as our orchids grow well with lush branches and leaves, you can say it is a success. Other experience still needs to be learned well.

And that is exactly what people who do not understand orchids do. Zhang Minghua is one of them, and also a good buddy of mine. In October during National Day the year before last, he saw that the two pots of Cymbidium goeringii he was caring for had already outgrown their pots. To keep the orchids from continuing to grow in such a cramped space, he decided to buy pots to divide the orchids so they would have more room to grow healthily. So he called a few of us to help him out, do the odd jobs, and gather some fresh mountain soil, humus soil, red brick granules, and so on, getting ready to repot.

When repotting the Cymbidium goeringii, the moment we turned the pot soil over was truly a pleasant surprise: the roots had already filled the flowerpot, and many old pseudobulbs had appeared. Before we could figure it out, Brother Hua took the scissors and started trimming the roots with a snip-snip, casually cutting off the old pseudobulbs with dead leaves as well, about seven or eight of them.

Then we divided the plants and potted them. To avoid confusion, Brother Hua told me to throw away the useless old pseudobulbs. Just then, Uncle Qiu happened to pass by and see it. He quickly told me not to throw them away, saying he wanted to try them himself. Without a second thought, I gave them all to him. Uncle Qiu was very polite and courteous; he quickly said thank you 3 times and then hurried off.

Only later did we learn that Uncle Qiu is an orchid-growing expert who has a thorough grasp of orchid varieties and growing habits. The old pseudobulbs we were about to throw away could also grow good seedlings under his care and management. If we had not seen it with our own eyes, we would still have been half doubtful! That was in March of this year. While we were having fun at his home, he casually brought up this matter and even brought out the old pseudobulb orchid plants we had thrown away that year to show us. They were indeed extraordinary, with lush branches and leaves, even better than Brother Hua's orchids. For that reason, we had to learn from him.