We recently had the pleasure of welcoming Jim and Ellie, Orchid Experts, to Alitex HQ in Hampshire, UK. We spent the day learning about the different types of orchids, how to care for them, treating against pests, watering habits, how to split orchids, how to repot them, and what compost to use.
Orchids grow well in a greenhouse as it is much easier to control their environment. Each species is different but generally, they like a temperature of 18⁰C, bright indirect light (so shading is needed), and high humidity.
How to split an over-grown orchid
Whilst at Alitex, Ellie showed us how to split an orchid that had got too big for its pot. This is a great technique to learn as this enables you to either grow your orchid collection or gift them to friends and family.
Step 1 –
The most important part of splitting an orchid is finding the right sized pot. Orchids thrive in compact conditions so if you think the pot may be a little on the small size then it’s probably the correct size. This prevents the compost from being too wet for too long which can often lead to root rot.
Step 2 –
Carefully, using a knife or scissors and cut the over-grown orchid from its pot. Don’t worry if you cut a few roots from the plant in the process as we will be removing some of these later.
Step 3 –
Now split your orchid into different sections using your knife. There is no ideal size but try to include some new green growth (you can see this is the video above). Now you’ve split your orchid you can now remove some of the old roots.
Step 4 –
Now pot up your newly split orchid and just use rainwater for the first 2 weeks. By using just rainwater this encourages the roots to look for nutrients before you start using an orchid feed.
Make sure to keep an eye on the Alitex UK events page for future webinars.
English (UK) 
Dansk