They are called orchids, lady's slippers, stendelwort or pleione and thrive as terrestrial orchids. When they boast of 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 works.
How can I propagate a terrestrial orchid?
To propagate terrestrial orchids, divide the plant in spring by carefully separating tubers, rhizomes or root networks or cut off bulbs from Pleione orchids and cultivate them in suitable substrate.
Propagation by division – cutting is not always necessary
Species of terrestrial orchids develop different strategies for rooting themselves in the soil. While orchids form several tubers as survival organs, winter-hardy lady's slipper orchids establish themselves with a richly branched network of roots. In order to breed additional specimens through division, cutting is not always necessary. This is how it works:
- Bend the excavated horst of Frauenschuh back and forth with your hands until the pieces come off
- Cut the rhizomes of Stendelwurz into 5-10 cm long segments with a sharp knife
- Cut the orchid bulbs in half with a sharp cutting tool
It is important to note that each section has at least 2 to 3 eyes in order to sprout again in 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 level of stress within its first few years, total failure can be expected.
Best time is in spring
The best chances of success for propagating terrestrial orchids are in early spring, when winter dormancy is coming to an end and new growth has not yet begun. Alternatively, an appointment at the end of the flowering period is an option.
Propagate Pleion with onions - Here's how it works
As the beautiful Pleione orchids only produce annual pseudobulbs, division cannot be successful here. How good that the Tibetan orchid gifts us with tiny bulbs. These bulbils thrive directly on the mother tubers in summer. Cut these off with a freshly sharpened, disinfected knife.
Placed in a pot with a mix of Seramis (€24.00 on Amazon) and garden soil, care for the tiny ones for over 2 years. Only then will your pupils be strong enough to plant them out.
Tip
Compared to vegetative propagation through division, sowing orchid seeds proves to be time-consuming and complicated for the hobby gardener. The seeds only germinate in combination with special symbiotic fungi and have high failure rates even under ideal conditions. Where the symbiotic fungus is avoided, an alternative option is in-vitro propagation, which takes place under special laboratory conditions.
