Dividing vs. Keeping a Plant Together

[Nancy]

I recently bought a cattleytonia. It has been a very robust grower and is growing over the side of the pot in both directions. I was advised that when it is finished blooming, I should divide it to get rid of the dead portion in the middle. I would love to keep this plant together. Is there any way to repot it into one pot after cleaning it up? I don't know if this is ever done but it seems lie a good way to grow a full plant even though this plant has not branched. It's been a straight line all the way. Any feedback will be gratefully appreciated.

[kmarch]

Nancy,

Different growers have different opinions as to whether to divide or not to divide. I am firmly in the "do not divide" camp (unless there is a compelling reason like the health of the plant). Cattleyatonias are fairly compact plants and clump fairly well so even when grown into good specimen size plants, they are still a managable size.

I like to leave a plant (not divide) for 2 main reasons:
1) Bigger plants seem to grow more vigorously and bloom better. Almost every cattleya alliance plant i've had, once it gets to a certain size it seems stronger and it seems to bloom bigger/better. When a plant gets to this size i say it's reached "critical mass." That's not a real term, just one i picked up at my orchid society.
2) Bigger plants make better displays. Whether you're just enjoying your plants at home or whether you're showing them, it's always nice to have lots of flowers. Bigger cattlytonias, perhaps putting out more than one new growth at a time will also put out multiple flower spikes. More growths = more flower spikes = more flowers.

Instead of dividing you could just repot your cattleytonia into a larger pot that is big enough for the whole plant to fit. Do a search on this forum and you'll find some good cattleya repotting advice.

Now I have a bit of a concern about "the dead portion in the middle." Cattleytonia growths are what we call "persistent" meaning they dont' die after they're finished. they'll stay on a plant for years. If you have clearly dead growths in the middle of your cattleytonia, there may be an underlying problem. Truly dead growths will be brown, shriveled and dry. If the plant is relatively young, sometimes the tiny growths produced when the plant was still a seedling will die off. this is normal an nothign to worry about.

There are some orchids that will die off in the middle. Cymbidiums are one of these. I think it would be unlikely to mistake a cattleytonia for a cymbidium though because they look really really different. Cymbidiums have tight round pseudobulbs and long grassy leaves.

[Nancy]

Thanks Kmarch. At the greenhouse where I bought it I was told that when I repot it the plant will probably fall into two pieces automatically. If this does occur, can I just take off the small rootless backbulbs if I find any and then just plant it as if it never fell apart?. I just want to cover all contingencies should this happen.

[kmarch]

Nancy, if the plant does fall apart when you repot, you could pot the pieces up separately or you could leave both pieces in the same pot, which ever you prefer.

Do not remove the rootless back bulbs unless they are dry/brown or mushy. Backbulbs serve as energy reserves for the rest of the plant and benefit the plant even if they have no roots.

when you unpot the orchid, examine the areas that look dead, feel the rhizome to see if it is firm or if it is broken, mushy, or crumbling. Firm and crisp is healthy. Also examine the roots. White-ish, cream-coloured, greenish, and firm and crisp is all good and healthy. Leave those roots be. Grey, dark brown, black, mushy, not firm, these are all signs of a dead root. You can remove these.

Apologies if i've told you things you already know. Let us know if you have more questions.

[Nancy]

I always benefit from what you have to say. There are a few backbulbs that are dry and brown and I'll be removing these. It seems to me it must be very difficult to grow a plant that will become a specimen covered in flowers. I would love to be able to do that. I imagine it would be best to start with a seedling and then to practice perfect culture. I was hoping I could somehow do it with this plant. I'll let you know what I end up doing. Thanks for the advice, as always.

[kmarch]

Originally Posted by Nancy

It seems to me it must be very difficult to grow a plant that will become a specimen covered in flowers. I would love to be able to do that.

It's not difficult, it just requires patience. I grew a cattleya from about 7 pseudobulbs up to about 45 pseudobulbs in only about 5 years. It was a vigorous plant and quickly branched. If you can grow one good healthy growth on your cattleyatonia, you can get your plant up to a good specimen size. It'll just take a few years.

Enjoy!

[Nancy]

I think I will end up dividing the plant anyway. One half of it has growths that are growing straight up very nicely. The other half has growths growing every which way and will be a challenge to pot. Both parts are in bloom presently, so I still have time to think about it. What was your plant that grew so grand and large?

[patticake]

Thanks, Nancy & kmarch, for a great thread. I've learned alot today!

[Nancy]

The cattleytonia is currently potted in tree fern. I water it every day and it is growing a lot of roots and a new growth. Would it be best to pot it in more tree fern since it does so well in that medium, or should I just transplant it into bark, which may hold water better in the long run. Any opinions?

[kmarch]

Originally Posted by Nancy

What was your plant that grew so grand and large?

Guarisophleya Burgundy Delight 'Mem Harriet March'

[Nancy]

Was this plant named after a cherished relative of yours? Is this a minicatt or a big monster of a catt? I'd love to see a picture of it if possible.

[kmarch]

Originally Posted by Nancy

Was this plant named after a cherished relative of yours?

Yes, my mother. In 2004 I received a Certificate of Cultural Merit (CCM) of 81 points from the AOS so I got ot give it a cultivar name.

Originally Posted by Nancy

Is this a minicatt or a big monster of a catt? I'd love to see a picture of it if possible.

Neither actually. It was more of an intermediate size cattleya. I have a picture of me with the plant taken just before the show at which I received the CCM. I'll try to get ti scanned and post it.

[Nancy]

Thank you Kmarch. I love to see pictures of well grown plants and It's wonderful that you got to name her. I always need inspiration and something to shoot for. I bet it meaant a lot to her.

[jerrymeola]

Being a commercial grower I probably would have given you the same advice as the person from whom you bought it.

To me all Cattleya die in the center. They are rhizomes and grow in one direction only. Your two directions could also indicate two plants in the pot, which is why it may fall in half when re-potting.

I limit the number of plants I put two to a pot. Too often one dominates and kills off the other.

I just re potted 500 Cattleya and cut off 90 % of the roots. Some are flowering already in 6 weeks (and it is winter) and I expect most to flower this summer. Old weak roots to not sustain good growth and while the plant may live it losses the robust growth that makes a specimen plant. A bad root can not do any good for a plant and a root 2-3 years old is almost dead to the plant. Only the new green tip roots are really valuable.

when I was a hobbyist I would up-pot plants one size larger to my regret. Now I often downsize to smaller pots while removing all the old growth.

I am not saying your should do this to your plant but want to show you a different philosophy.

[kmarch]

Jerry makes an important point that we often forget here on the forum and one I often neglect to mention. Sometimes when you repot you may not necessarily move up a pot size. If the root mass has decreased through removing dead roots, you may even find you move down a pot size or two. When repotting my Paphs I almost always keep them in the same size pot.

[Nancy]

I think it's strange when you get the bowling pin effect. There's one backbulb that multiplies through the different years of growth and then you end up with a plant that has a lot of active growth, but it's all in the front of the plant. I guess it's better to divide the plant rather than to have to figure out how to fit the wide front into a pot. If you have any ideas, please let me know. As always, thank you much, Gentlemen.

[kmarch]

Nancy,

Whne you repot, positon the plant in the pot so that the old bulbs are agains the edge fo the pot and the leads (places where the new growths come) are pointing towards the centre.

As you've seen there are various opinions on dividing or not. "Better" or "not better" depends on your circumstances. In your situation, I wouldn't divide, I'd just get a bigger pot, but then again I like big plants with lots of flowers.

It's hard to give advice without seeing your plant. This advice is beign given in the abstract because I dont'know for sure if they apply to your situation.

[Nancy]

I'm going to try to keep it together. It has one flower and a new growth coming. I will have to repot it next year. I've taken the pictures to send, the problem is that I need a computer to send them on. I am using my work computer and I need to find someone who will not only let me use their computer but will also explain to me how to post pictures. It's frustrating not to be able to post pictures. Sorry I can only describe problems for now. Thanks for the advice again, as always.