They are called orchids, lady's slipper, Stendelwurz or Pleione and thrive as terrestrial orchids. When they show off their opulent flowers in the bed, on the balcony and on the windowsill, the desire for more specimens is obvious. These instructions explain in detail how vegetative propagation succeeds.
There are several ways to propagate terrestrial orchids
Propagation by division - cutting not always necessary
Terrestrial orchid species develop different strategies to root themselves in the ground. While orchids form several tubers as outlasting organs, hardy lady's slipper orchids establish themselves with a richly branched root network. In order to breed more specimens by division, a cut is not always necessary. That is how it goes:
- Bend the excavated Frauenschuh eyrie back and forth with your hands until the pieces come loose
- Use a sharp knife to cut the rhizomes of Stendelwurm into 5-10 cm long segments
- Halve the bulbs of orchids with a sharp cutting tool
It is important to note that each section has at least 2 to 3 eyes to sprout again at the new location. Only well-rooted, adult terrestrial orchids are suitable for this form of vegetative propagation. If you expose a young plant to this type of stress within the first few years, a total failure is to be expected.
The best time is in spring
The best chance of success for propagating terrestrial orchids is in early spring, when the hibernation is coming to an end and the new shoots have not yet started. Alternatively, an appointment at the end of the flowering period is possible.
Multiply Pleione with onions - Here's how
Since the beautiful Pleione orchids only produce annual pseudobulbs, the division cannot succeed here. It's a good thing that the Tibetan orchid has given us tiny brooding bulbs. These bulbils thrive directly on the mother tubers in summer. Cut these off with a freshly sharpened, sanitized knife.
Planted in a pot with a mix of Seramis and garden soil, you can take care of the tiny plants for 2 years. Only then will your pupils be strong enough to plant them out.
tips
Compared to vegetative propagation by division, the sowing of orchid seeds proves to be time-consuming and complicated for the hobby gardener. The seed only germinates in combination with special symbiosis fungi and has high failure rates even under ideal conditions. Where the symbiosis fungus is not used, an alternative is in-vitro propagation, which takes place under special laboratory conditions.