There are a variety of methods available to grow young orchids on your own that can be implemented on your home windowsill. Vegetative propagation with offshoots scores points with young plants that have exactly the magnificent attributes of their mother plant. This overview gives you a practical explanation of how to do this with seedlings, cuttings and sinkers.
How do you propagate orchids through cuttings?
Orchids can be propagated using various types of cuttings: Kindel are separated and planted near the trunk or bulbs; For cuttings, rooted or unrooted shoots are used; Lowering plants are used to root young, flexible shoots or tendrils without separating them from the mother plant.
This is how Kindel make it big as young orchids
Children are offshoots of an orchid that develop in close proximity to the trunk or bulbs. These seedlings have all the characteristics of their mother plant. In order to grow these tiny plants into magnificent orchids, you first need to be patient, because you shouldn't cut off the offspring too early. How to do it right:
- A child is mature with at least 2 leaves and 2 to 3 aerial roots
- Ideally unpot the orchid for easy separation
- First untangle any intertwined aerial roots with your fingers to identify the best interface
- Separate the child from the mother plant with a disinfected, sharp knife or scalpel
Since orchid seedlings have particularly sensitive roots, please use a mix of moist sphagnum and peat for planting in the first phase. If you don't use peat due to ecological concerns, place Kindel in a mixture of moss and coconut fibers, moistened with lime-free water.
Separating and planting cuttings correctly – This is how it works
Using unrooted cuttings to propagate orchids is rarely practiced. An exception is the climbing vanilla orchid, which is primarily replicated this way. Monopodial orchids, such as the Vanda orchid, produce rooted cuttings from their main axis that - similar to Kindel - are viable from a certain size. Separating and planting these offshoots is not difficult.
- In the middle of the vegetation phase, remove non-flowering head cuttings with a length of 15 cm
- Only remove rooted stem cuttings when 2 leaves and 2-3 aerial roots are growing on them
- Fill small pots with fine-grained orchid substrate, coconut and wood fibers or vermiculite, peat and moss
Two-thirds of unrooted cuttings are defoliated and placed in the potting soil. When planting rooted cuttings, please make sure that they do not go deeper into the substrate than the first pair of leaves. Instead of watering, immerse the pots in filtered, lukewarm rainwater and allow the moisture to drain well so that waterlogging does not form.
Care for seedlings and cuttings properly – this is what you should pay attention to
Although seedlings and cuttings are obtained in different ways, they pull together when it comes to care. Bright lighting conditions, warm temperatures and high humidity are required. This is how growth and root formation progress quickly:
- Place the growing pot in a heated indoor greenhouse (€58.00 on Amazon) or under a transparent hood
- If using a plastic bag, use 2-3 wooden sticks as spacers
- Place in a bright, not full sun location at temperatures around 25 degrees Celsius
- If the substrate dries, dip the pot briefly into lukewarm, lime-free water
- Air the mini greenhouse or cover briefly several times a day without causing cold drafts
The creation of a tropical, humid rainforest climate in the immediate vicinity of the offshoots contributes significantly to the development of additional roots and new leaves. Until then, please do not give any fertilizer. Only after a fresh shoot can the cover be removed and the administration of highly diluted orchid fertilizer begin. It usually takes 2 to 3 years for children and cuttings to bloom for the first time.
Propagation the uncomplicated way - How to do it with lowering tools
If an orchid species tends to climb and tend, like the terrestrial vanilla, it gives the gardener the option of propagating with planters. These are non-flowering, flexible shoots or tendrils that you encourage to form an independent root system using the following technique:
- Pull a young, he althy shoot to the ground in early summer
- Mark the spot to place a pot with airy, loose, moist potting soil
- Plant the middle part of the tendril 2-3 cm deep, but do not separate it from the mother plant yet
- Tie the shoot tip to a wooden stick
While the orchid continues to supply the sinker with nutrients, a new root system sprouts from the buried shoot. The process is accelerated if you lightly scratch the bark with a razor blade. If there is a fresh leaf on the fixed shoot tip, the rooting is proceeding as desired. Once the cultivation pot is completely rooted, you can remove the lowering plant and care for it like an adult orchid.
Tip
Seedlings always transform into a younger version of their mother plant - with one exception. If a blue orchid brings Kindel to life, it will only produce blue flowers if it is a Vanda coerulea. Blue Phalaenopsis owe their color to a horticultural trick that only lasts for one flowering period. Their seedlings ultimately produce a white flower dress.
