Quote:
Originally Posted by Jananas Bananas
Oh YAY! I was hoping one of our orchid experts would chime in here (I'm the first to admit I don't know anything about them - I just love the way they look!!!:  )! I've read your posts - I know you know what you are talking about. That's OK. I love its look and am glad it is growing and doing something!!!! I really like the way the new branch and leaves are curling around. It looks different than the other leaves. I can separate it from this stem without hurting the main vine can't I Yug? It has it's own roots. I don't want to do it at the expense of my main vine. Or should I wait until it is larger? This is not outside yet, so it only has a small stake to hang on. Please let me know what you think. Thanks an bunch!
~JaNan |
'Expert' may be overly generous,
but experienced is more accurate. I don't cut sections away from the main vine unless there are at least three nodes with leaves and roots, and I want them at least 1 1/2 ft long (longer is better). Don't just bury the end in potting mix, make sure that the lowest roots will be in some contact with the moisture in the mix. This stimulates them to elongate, and put out small root hairs that will pull the moisture in. Unless the mix is VERY open, the roots will never penetrate it (not necessarily a bad thing), but will grow and circle around the inside of the pot so they are still in contact with the top layer of the potting mix. As long as they have some moisture contact, this is sufficient. I don't use potting soil for vanilla, I prefer something more like the pre-mixed cymbidium potting media - retains some moisture, but is still partially open. By 'open' I mean that it will absorb a small amount of moisture while allowing good air penetration, and most water passes through.
(sorry it took so long to respond, but the site was flaky, and so was my www connection)