How to cut my orchid

Wow, we would love to fill our whole house with these beautiful houseplants. With proper care, you can enjoy this colourful houseplant for years. When the Orchid is thriving, it is possible to take cuttings, but you need the necessary knowledge and it is not guaranteed to be successful. Taking cuttings from an Orchid isn't easy, but that doesn't mean it's impossible!

Different ways to propagate an Orchid

There are many different types of Orchids and so you can't cut every Orchid the same way. The biggest difference in cuttings is whether you cut with or without a keiki. Now you're probably thinking; a keiki, what is that! The keiki is actually the baby Orchid, this plant grows from the sleeping eye of the mother Orchid. Not all Orchids develop keikis so the way of taking cuttings is different.

Cuttings with Keiki

Orchids that grow with keikis are the Phalaenopis and the Vanda. A keiki is actually a flower but it happens that the flower does not bloom and then the stem develops into a new small plant. It may also be that your Orchid has stems but no keiki grows. There is a way to stimulate the Orchid to develop a keiki anyway, you do this by using one of the dormant eyes. Using tweezers you can very carefully remove the membrane from the dormant eye, the tip that remains is the keiki and will develop itself. Make sure you always use clean hands and tools when touching the Orchid.
It can take up to 7 to 9 months before a keiki is big enough to remove it from the mother plant. You can only remove the keiki when its own roots are about 6cm long. Absolutely do not remove the keiki from the mother orchid too early, the longer the keiki is attached to the mother orchid the stronger it will become and the greater its chance of survival. If you are confident that your keiki is strong enough then it can be cut off to a few centimetres below the eye. Then dab some cinnamon on the wounds of the keiki and the mother plant, this will make the wound heal better. Then put the keiki in a pot with a mixture of coconut fibre and tree bark and it will slowly but surely develop further!

Cuttings without Keiki

There are also Orchids that do not develop keikis at all because they grow in a different way. These are the Cattleya, Bulbophyllum and Dendrobium Orchids. In these varieties, rhizomes grow, which are thickened stems that grow horizontally under the ground and come up to grow a new Orchid. You can cut these rhizomes to grow a new Orchid. Again, you need patience, the rhizomes will come up by themselves. If they don't, there is no possibility of propagation. If you see a rhizome coming up, separate it from the mother orchid and cut it in half. You can only cut off the rhizome when it has developed 3 to 4 new cuttings. Make sure your hands and tools are always clean to prevent infections. After cutting the rhizome, it is advisable to dab some cinnamon on the wounds. This will make the wound heal better. Then you put the little Orchid in a pot with a mixture of coconut fibre and tree bark and it will slowly develop!