When to Propagate Nun's Orchids?
Nun's orchid, known botanically as Phaius tankervilliae, is a terrestrial orchid species that features large, pleated leaves and attractive clusters of purple, brown and white blossoms. Nun's orchids are hardy plants that can be grown indoors or outdoors with very simple care. In the late winter or early spring, after the orchid has stopped blooming, the plant can be propagated by dividing the pseudobulbs or rooting the whole or divided inflorescence. Does this Spark an idea?
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Divide Pseudobulbs
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Dividing the pseudobulbs is a quick and simple way to propagate Nun's orchids. Lay the orchid on its side and gently remove its container. Rinse the root system under room temperature running water to wash off the growing medium. Use a sharp, sterile gardening knife to cut cleanly between each of the orchid's egg-shaped pseudobulbs; make sure that each pseudobulb has a few strong, healthy roots. Repot the pseudobulbs in individual well-draining planting containers. Use a sterile potting soil as the growing medium for your terrestrial Nun's orchid; the bark-based commercial orchid potting mix found in garden centers and nurseries is intended for use with epiphytic orchid species.
Root Inflorescence
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Nun's orchids can also be propagated by rooting their flower clusters, also known as inflorescences. Fill a shallow planting tray with damp horticultural sand. Cut an inflorescence from the orchid with a pair of sharpened and sterilized pruning shears and place it on the surface of the sand. Move the tray to a bathroom, or other high-humidity location, where it can receive indirect sunlight for at least two hours each day. Mist the sand, as needed, to keep it moist. New growth will emerge from the nodes of the inflorescence in two to three months.
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Root Divided Inflorescence
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When propagating a Nun's orchid, the inflorescences can also be divided and brushed with a rooting hormone to help them grow. Place moistened sphagnum peat moss in a shallow planting tray. Remove the inflorescence from the orchid and cut between the nodes to divide it. Apply a rooting hormone product to the cut at the bottom of each inflorescence section. Place the inflorescence sections, treated side down, on the surface of the moistened sphagnum moss. The sections will form roots in one to two months.
Nun's Orchid Care
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Nun's orchids can grown outdoors in gardens or home landscapes in warm climates such as United States Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 through 11. Outside of their hardiness zones, Nun's orchids can be cultivated indoors as houseplants. Plant or position your Nun's orchids in partial sun locations that receive indirect or filtered sunlight for four to five hours each day. Water the orchids regularly to maintain moist, but well-drained soil. Fertilize your Nun's orchids with a half-strength solution of an 18-18-18 orchid fertilizer every three weeks.
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