The orchids They can multiply sexually and asexually, and knowing each technique well is key to expanding your collection safely. Here you'll find the most reliable methods, when to use them, essential materials, and the care you need afterward to ensure your new specimens thrive.
Or how to increase your orchid collection without having to pay
By Tomás MartÃnez and Asun Durá
- How to propagate orchids from bulbs step by step
- How to propagate orchids from cuttings
- How to propagate orchids by Keikis or flower stems
- Asexual reproduction
- Sexual reproduction
- In vitro micropropagation and seed germination
- Essential care after reproduction
- Common problems and solutions
How to propagate orchids from bulbs step by step
In orchids with sympodial growth, the so-called pseudobulbs allow you to divide the mother plant. Apply this technique when you see new shoots on the go, as recovery is faster.
– Sterilize knife or scissors with alcohol or call and prepare a pot with aerated substrate of Cortex, perlite and charcoal.
– Extract the plant and separate sections with at least three pseudobulbs assets by division. Remove rotten roots and apply cinnamon powder in the cuts.
– Place each portion without compacting the substrate, water lightly and keep high humidity environmental, avoiding flooding.
How to propagate orchids from cuttings
In orchids such as Dendrobium nobile, sugarcane cuttings They work well: cut segments with 2-3 nodes, disinfect, and place them in a tray with damp moss. Cover with a mini-greenhouse to preserve moisture and ventilate daily to avoid mold.
En Phalaenopsis can be used nodal cuttings of the flower stem after flowering: cut above and below a node, disinfect, apply paste cytokinins if the segment is arranged and supported on slightly damp sphagnum. The light should be bright without direct sunlight.
How to propagate orchids by Keikis or flower stems
Some genres form keiki on the stem or flower stalk. Don't rush to separate them: wait until they are at least three leaves y three roots 3 cm as a general rule. Cut with a sterile tool, sprinkle cinnamon on the wound, and plant in a well-aerated potting mix. Maintain high humidity and moderate watering until growth stabilizes.
Asexual reproduction
La vegetative propagation It is the most used in domestic cultivation because it produces clones identical to the parent plant. In addition to division and keikis, some sympodials allow cutting rhizomes with active buds, always ensuring one rooted shoot per section. It works when the plant is growing, uses clean cuts, and protects wounds.
Key tips: disinfect tools, avoid handling in extreme cold, use aerated substrates and reduce watering during the first week to promote the emission of estate new.
Sexual reproduction
Orchid flowers are usually hermaphroditic and employ pollinators to carry the flowers. pollinia to the stigma. The structure of the columna integrates male and female parts, and the label It guides insects and birds to the fertile zone. Coevolution has generated very specific associations, where pollen travels in masses and is not dispersed by wind.
Fascinating botanical fact: certain species have very long nectar spurs that are only reached by moths with matching proboscises, demonstrating a specialization extreme between plant and pollinator.
Fertilization forms a capsule with thousands or millions of seeds tiny, almost without reserves. In nature, germination depends on a compatible mycorrhiza, with fungi related to the complex rhizoctonia, which provide sugars and vitamins until the seedling photosynthesizes on its own.
In vitro micropropagation and seed germination
La in vitro micropropagation allows you to clone them from explants meristematic plants under sterile conditions. This is the professional method for producing large quantities of plants with uniform floral characteristics. It requires gelled nutrient media, strict control of contamination and multiplication, rooting and acclimatization phases.
Sowing seeds can be done in two ways: symbiotic (with fungus) or asymbiotic (in rich, fungus-free media). At home, some hobbyists achieve asymbiotic germination using sterile jars, agar, and sugars, obtaining protocorms that eventually form leaves and roots.
Essential care after reproduction
After dividing, cutting or separating keikis, it offers light bright without direct sun, stable and high temperature moisture Environmental. A gentle fan prevents mold. Water when the bark looks almost dry and avoid puddles, using low-pressure water. salinity.
Fertilize during growth with low and frequent doses, alternating a balanced fertilizer with one high in nitrogen at the beginning and another with more potassium To strengthen roots and shoots. Renews aged bark that decomposes and compacts.
Choose transparent pots in Phalaenopsis to monitor roots; in sympodials, use containers somewhat wider than the root ball, prioritizing the sewer system about size.
Common problems and solutions
- Decay Root problems: limp leaves and brown roots indicate overwatering or compacted substrate. Solution: Restore roots, replace with new bark, and adjust watering.
- Pests Such as mealybugs, aphids, spider mites, or thrips: remove them manually and apply potassium soap or horticultural oil; in severe infestations, use specific insecticides for orchids, respecting dosage and ventilation.
- Mushrooms and bacteria: watery spots or rot. Isolates the plant, removes affected tissue, disinfects cuts and improves blood circulation. aire. Label fungicides or bactericides may be necessary.
- Stress Post-division: Reduce light for a couple of weeks, increase humidity, and avoid repeated transplants. Patience and a stable environment will speed up the process. rooting.
Mastering division by pseudobulbs, keiki, cuttings, and sowing seeds, along with well-understood pollination, allows for successful orchid propagation. With aerated substrates, measured watering, good light, and consistently clean tools, each technique becomes predictable and very rewarding.
