Multiplying outdoor orchids is not as complicated as beginners think, and with the right steps, it can be accomplished. You can effortlessly do this with four orchid parts: keikis, pseudobulbs, back bulbs, and stem cuttings.
In this article, we have explained orchid multiplication for each of them step by step; now, you should so, stick to the end, and you will learn the right steps.
Contents
How Multiplying Outdoor Orchids With Keikis?
To multiply outdoor orchids with keikis, first, identify the mature ones. A keiki should have around three inches long roots and some leaves. Cut it an inch down the spike and plant it in a new pot. Cover the roots and follow care measures to encourage the keiki to flourish.
1. Identify a Mature Keiki
Phalaenopsis, dendrobium, and other orchids can produce keiki on the spikes. It looks like a young orchid plant with leaves and roots. On Phalaenopsis, you can spot them along the nodes. On dendrobiums, they appear at the base of the stem.
A keiki should be mature. It should have some leaves and around one to three-inch long roots. If this little plant is one that has no roots or leaves, give it time to develop them. You can also feed a nitrogen-rich fertilizer dose to speed up its growth.
2. Prepare a Small Pot
Fill a small pot or plastic bag with sphagnum moss or bark in this step. After this, water it a little to allow the potting mix to settle down. Don’t over-saturate it because keikis don’t like a soggy medium, so make sure that you adjust the place just right.
3. Cut the Keiki Carefully
Take sharp scissors and carefully cut the keiki one to two inches down the spike. Ensure you don’t hurt its roots, or it won’t grow properly. After trimming, the mother orchid will become prone to fungal attacks. Therefore, sprinkle some cinnamon powder on the wound.
4. Plant the Keiki
Lastly, put the keiki in the pot and add more potting mix to cover its roots. After this, follow orchid care to help this baby plant grow into a blooming orchid. For this step, you should try to spray water regularly, and weekly, or biweekly you must fertilize the plant, as you do so, ensure no outdoor plant or structure casts shade on it. Lastly, repot the keiki into a bigger pot when it starts growing.
How to Multiply Outdoor Orchids With Pseudobulbs?
To multiply orchids with pseudobulbs, remove the plant from its pot and select a group of three to four pseudobulbs that should be actively growing. Remove them using scissors or a knife and plant them in a new pot. Then, add water in controlled amounts until you see new growth.
1. Unpot the Orchid With Care
Begin the procedure by giving a small dose of water to loosen the potting medium. Then, grasp the stem and gently pull it out, but now, be aware that you don’t use any force, as the stems and roots are delicate. Carefully put the orchid on a dry towel.
You should try to examine the base of the orchid stem and look for its primary rhizome. One or several leads, which are also rhizomes, may be attached to it. Pseudobulbs are connected to them, and when you pick this one, know that is one that will establish properly.
2. Remove Pseudobulbs
Take a sharp scissor and look for a group of three to four healthy pseudobulbs. Note that you should leave the ones close to the main rhizome, as you don’t want it to feel stressed. The pseudobulbs you choose should be actively growing, or the orchid multiplication won’t happen.
Carefully cut the bulbs without hurting the roots, because this is the one that will begin to develop, in the long run. Then, treat the surface with fungicide powder to protect the orchid from pathogens.
3. Pot the Pseudobulbs
Get a terra-cotta or plastic pot that is big enough to accommodate these pseudobulbs. Clean it and fill it with a well-drained medium. Bark mix is suitable for pseudobulb multiplication this is because the media is a great one for it to thrive.
After potting, put the pot in a well-ventilated area and water appropriately. We suggest spraying water for the first few weeks instead of pouring. The reason is that the over-watered medium can cause complications for the newly-potted pseudobulbs.
You can start watering from a bowl or when you see new development. Also, only fertilize the pots once you see new root growth. Adding nutrients before rooting will change the pH of the medium and cause nutrient toxicity.
How to Multiply Outdoor Orchids With Back Bulbs?
To multiply orchids with back bulbs, choose the firm ones with eyes on them. Make a V-shaped notch and wait for the new growth to sprout from these eyes. After this, remove the back bulb and shift it to a new pot or plastic bag.
1. Identify Back Bulbs
Sympodial orchids, like dendrobium, or even some cattleya orchihds, have back bulbs mostly outside the pot, as they have yet to grow from them. Furthermore, they will also feel dry and a little rough when you hold them.
2. Cut the Back Bulbs
Before cutting back bulbs, check whether they are firm or mushy because these are sick ones that you must keep away from as they wouldn’t establish proper grounds to grow. Healthy back bulbs have a better chance of sprouting new growth. Also, there should be viable nodes or eyes on them because they are the growth points.
After selecting which bulbs to use, make a V-shaped cut on their rhizome. Be aware that you do not grab the stem in the process; after some time, new growth will develop from the eyes. You can now remove the back bulb.
3. Pot up Back Bulbs
Fill a plastic bag or pot with two inches of sphagnum moss and plant the back bulbs. Ensure one-fourth of the bulbs get buried in the moss. Then, lightly sprinkle the medium and take the pot or plastic bag to an area where there is plenty of bright and indirect.
For this, you may also think about the notion, are orchids parasites? Well, they do not harm any tree, so no they are not. But growing orchids become complicated if you have limited outdoor space. The taller plants can cast shade on the pots.
If the pot with back bulbs does not get sufficient light, new orchids won’t grow from them. So, carefully select an outdoor site for placing the pot and giving the right conditions.
How to Multiply Outdoor Orchids From Stem Cuttings?
To multiply orchids from stem cuttings, choose a spike and count the nodes from the top. Cut the stem below the third one. After this, plant the stem cutting in a sphagnum moss-filled pot and add some water. Follow the standard care to speed up the growth.
1. Select Stem With More Nodes
What do you do with an orchid after the blooms fall off can be a worrying thought in mind, and together with this, you may also wonder, do you water an orchid after the flowers fall off? These are undoubtedly critical queries, but you should focus on multiplying outdoor orchids after the flowers shed.
Examine the stem and check whether any flower or bud is growing. If not, then look for nodes. There should be a few of them, and with this healthy stem, you can promote and accomplish new growth.
It is because a stem cutting that has three nodes can tolerate stress or unsuitable growing conditions better. Moreover, it should also have two to three leaves and roots emerging from it. This growth will play a crucial part in the success of orchid multiplication.
2. Cut the Stem With Sharp Scissors
You can do orchid stem cutting in this step, and first, you should try to count the nodes from the top. They look like bumps, so you must now mark the third one and take the scissors one or two inches below it. Make a quick cut and put the stem on a dry towel.
Next, add some commercial rooting agent to a vase or bowl, and dip the stem base. It will stimulate root growth, which will help the cutting fasten up its growth.
3. Plant the Stem Cutting in a Pot
Put the stem in a sphagnum moss-filled pot and cover its base. Moreover, properly spread the aerial roots using your fingers or a pencil. After this, add some water to encourage the stem to start growing.
You should then focus on maintaining ideal outdoor conditions for the cutting. It will turn into a mature orchid within a year. If the stem faces issues, its growth will slow down and might take two to three years to bloom. But, can you root an orchid stem in water?” You can root an orchid stem in water, but the procedure could be more straightforward.
However, you must also know how to grow orchids without soil, and that is to cut an orchid stem and wrap its base with sphagnum moss. Plant the stem in a low-water absorbing substrate, and put the substrate in a water-filled tank. Let the stem in water culture for two days and then dry for five days.
In addition, change the water weekly, monitor algae growth, feed hydroponic nutrients on time, and do other care. It’s much more effort than multiplying orchids outdoors in potting soil or the mix. So, we suggest you propagate the orchid stem in a soil medium.
Moreover, we recommend prioritizing stems when you decide to multiply orchids. It is because stem propagation is easier than other methods. Furthermore, propagating orchids from aerial roots, back bulbs, and pseudo bulbs have less chance of success than stem cutting.
Conclusion
Multiplying orchids outdoors is fun, so you can do this with four parts: keiki, pseudobulb, back bulb, and stem. Here’s the summary of the multiplication steps of these orchid parts to revise everything:
- If you wish to grow them with keiki, you can choose a mature baby orchid with roots, cut it an inch below the spike, and plant it in a new pot.
- Grow them with pseudobulb as you unpot the orchid, select a group of three or four actively growing pseudobulbs, cut them, and plant them in a pot.
- Select a back bulb with eyes, make a V-shaped notch, and plant them in a new pot when roots or leaves start to sprout from the eyes as you grow them wit back bulbs.
- For stem multiplication, you should choose a spike with four or more nodes, cut the stem after the third node, dip it in a rooting hormone, and plant it in a new pot.
There is now no need to search “how to grow orchids from cuttings with pictures,” as you would stick to the steps we have discussed, and you will have a new orchid.
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