Question

orchids   QUESTION: I have just started growing orchids. I bought about 20 of them at a house sale they are all blooming just wonderful. At the ends of some of the plants, new plants are starting and there are roots growing at the bottom of The new growth. Can I break of these new pieces and start new plants?  Thank you so much!.....Lynne
attached is the 1st one that has bloomed

ANSWER: Lynne, thank you for sharing this with me.  The dendrobium orchid pictured is truly lovely.  Any that grow new plants at the nodes (ie joints) on the flower spike can have those new plants (called keikis) removed where they join the flower spike.  I prefer to give these a little twist at that junction and they should readily come off.  If not, you can remove them by using a clean razor blade. You can pot them up in the smallest pot into which the roots will fit. Each keiki should be firmly anchored in its pot so it cannot wiggle as the roots need to anchor themselves and cannot do that if they shift position as the pot is moved.  Use a fairly fine orchid potting mix to get these started in the pot and place the pots in a humid environment.

If all the plants are dendrobium orchids, all you will need to be concerned about is the right growing conditions for that type of orchid.  If you have other types of orchids, be aware that they may need other types of growing conditions.  If you know, or can find out, how and where the previous owner grew them, that would be helpful so you can try to duplicate the conditions. The one pictured has been superbly grown.  If there are any name tags in the pots, that is a plus as it, sometimes, is helpful in tracing the parentage back to the original species.

Let me know, as you move forward with your new hobby, of any further questions you may have.

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baby orchids   QUESTION: Thank you so much for the compliment on the orchids. The woman that I bought them from had them hanging outside in a tree. I asked her what to do she told me :if it does not rain for a week give them some water, hang them in a tree, (I have them on shepherds hooks due east,sun till about 11 am) I have feed them once a month for the last 6 months. Can I handle the split ones the same way "outside"
Again thank you so much for all you help in this.
I really do appreciate it!
Lynne

Answer
Lynne, Since the keikis have been exposed to the same conditions as the parent while on the parent plant, I think you can grow them under this same condition in their pots. Because they are in much smaller pots, however, they may dry out much more quickly, so you may need to porvide a bit more shade and water them somewhat more often.  Let me know how this works out for you.