I am hosting the orchid meeting next month in my home. The subject
will be potting orchids. Most of the members are new to orchids and
intimidated by the thought of transplanting and dividing. I plan on a
hands on session.

I have a good assortment of potting mediums that I will have prepared
to display and use, tools, tags, clips, and stakes, and misc other
supplies and tools for the members to use. I have some test plants for
transplanting and dividing. Seedlings and drop ons are the fastest.
But I would like to take the time to divide a couple of orchids to give
them an opportunity to inspect roots, select different mixes, and get
their hands dirty.


The meeting generally lasts 2 hours, and I am seeking suggestions for
what orchiids to use to benefit the members the most. I hope to make
it fun and interesting.

Nancy G.

How bout a crowded Phal as everybody has one.

Jack

Grab a Catt that is spilling out of the pot, and is ready for division. Pull
it out of the pot and look for the natural divide (there will be one).
Either cut or pull it apart, treat the wound with some cinnamon, trim the
roots and pot it up. Also, encourage them to bring plants that they think
need repotting. They will gain more knowledge working on their own plants
than yours.

I've done this with our society a number of times. The members love it. If
you have enough people, consider breaking into work groups with a leader for
each one. Five or six people to a group is ideal; no one can hide, LOL!

HTH

Diana

how about approaching a local nursery and asking them to donate a few
out of bloom plants? one of my local places sells them for ten bucks,
but then i don't know what they do with them if they don't sell. i
somehow doubt they're going back to the orchid growers. maybe a local
place would give you a handful to experiment on in exchange for a plug
for the store during the demo.

(and yes--people *love* to bring in their own plants in the hopes
someone else will repot them. :)

--j_a

On 29 Mar 2006 10:37:09 -0800, jankey [at] erols.com wrote:

>how about approaching a local nursery and asking them to donate a few
>out of bloom plants? one of my local places sells them for ten bucks,
>but then i don't know what they do with them if they don't sell. i
>somehow doubt they're going back to the orchid growers. maybe a local
>place would give you a handful to experiment on in exchange for a plug
>for the store during the demo.
>
>(and yes--people *love* to bring in their own plants in the hopes
>someone else will repot them. :)
>
>--j_a

Suggest if they have plants that are identified and they have visitors
who are label readers that they bury a complete label in the new pot.
Then when the exposed one goes for a walk, they don't have a NOID they
just have to repot.

It is one tip guaranteed to cause discussion. Also talk about ways to
prop plants. If you have plastic pots you can heat a hanger or use a
small sodering iron to make a pair of small holes then run a bamboo
(Bar-B-Q) skewer across the pot to help support the plant.

Good luck. The last time I did the demo - I used a single edge razor
to demo - and promptly cut my thumb the first plant.

Nancy: Having done WAY too many classes on this subject:

People do love to bring their own plants, but it makes it much harder on
you. Chances are, they won't bring the right pots to repot into; some will
be monsters 5+ years past due for repotting; etc., etc.

Don't forget sterilization. The single-edge razorblades are good, for small
plants, but my fingers aren't strong enough to get through the bigger ones
with them. Also sterilizing if they want to re-use their pots.

Phals are easy. You should include one, since so many people have them, but
if you want to fascinate your audience, grab a big Catt or Dendrobium to
demonstrate with. Kenni

"Nancy G." <MNancyG [at] gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1143564936.645350.130090 [at] e56g2000cwe.googlegroups.com...
>I am hosting the orchid meeting next month in my home. The subject
> will be potting orchids. Most of the members are new to orchids and
> intimidated by the thought of transplanting and dividing. I plan on a
> hands on session.
>
> I have a good assortment of potting mediums that I will have prepared
> to display and use, tools, tags, clips, and stakes, and misc other
> supplies and tools for the members to use. I have some test plants for
> transplanting and dividing. Seedlings and drop ons are the fastest.
> But I would like to take the time to divide a couple of orchids to give
> them an opportunity to inspect roots, select different mixes, and get
> their hands dirty.
>
>
> The meeting generally lasts 2 hours, and I am seeking suggestions for
> what orchiids to use to benefit the members the most. I hope to make
> it fun and interesting.
>
> Nancy G.
>