Blc Shinfong Little Sun 'Young-Min Golden Boy is Flowering!

[denvervet]

I got this orchid almost 3 years ago on my birthday at Lowe's. I asked the store Mgr. for a "birthday discount" and he gave me 50% off, it was in bloom. It has bloomed for me the last two years, this year it may get as many as 5 flowers. The flowers are bright orange, like people use in game hunting. It gets morning sun behind a sheer curtain as the sun is very hot here in Denver. It is in large bark and a plastic pot which I cut air holes in the side of. I water it 2 X a week and its always completely dry when I water it. I use Miracle Grow Orchid Food about 2 X a month full strength. I would like to split this plant after blooming but not sure I know anyone to share a plant with. Oh, I also mist this orchid 2 X a week when I water it. Would growers on here split this or just let it be? Does splitting it have any advantages? I really need to get some Cattleya's now that I have had such good luck with this one!

[tucker85]

Very pretty! I am not a fan of dividing cattleyas. As cattleyas get larger they become stronger and produce more flowers. I would let it keep growing.

[denvervet]

I did not know that about Cattleya's, I won't split it. Thank you.

[WhiteRabbit]

Gorgeous! Birthday discount??!! Sweet!

I love the "compact" Catt hybrids too! The ones I have have all been very willing bloomers!

Generally, bigger orchids are more robust all around, including more flowers, and a lot of the Catt hybrids can bloom 2 or more times a year on bigger plants. I generally only divide when the plant becomes unmanageable (or too big to put in a good spot) or someone wants a division. It's a personal preference - some people being anxious to divide, others, like myself and tucker, preferring to let plants get as big as we can manage

[galgoa]

Strongly agree with above opinions!

If you still want to divide it, few tip for you:
- need at least 8 pseudobulbs, you will get 2 plants with 4 pbs after dividing
- divide it in the rest period (cut it in the middle of 'rhizom')
- wait one year period before repot them

I know, this is a slow method for dividing, but this is the only one what I recommend you. It is on the safe side...

[No-Pro-mwa]

Yep I vote leave it also. It's beautiful.

[Paul]

It really is a personal choice. For those who have the space, not dividing the plant has the advantages mentioned above. However, if you are space challenged, then letting the plant get huge is not necessarily desirable. I rarely allow a plant to get beyond the 6" pot stage -- and often not even beyond the 4-5" pot size. I have a wide variety of plants ... something that would be impossible if I let them get as large as folks like Jeff do. But I live in an apt so space is at a premium. In addition to allowing me to keep a wider selection of plants, dividing plants when they get "big" presents another benefit beyond the smaller footprint -- doing so provides me with fodder for trades for other plants I want.

[plumania]

Nice flower. And I love the idea of Birthday discount. Buyer and seller both will feel good.

[Leafmite]

Love the orange color! Very nice!

[Optimist]

From what I have heard/read, the strength of an orchid, and thus its ability to fight for life is in the number of leaves or pseudopods it has. That is why I am not a phal fan, if the one crown goes bad, the entire plant dies. With a cat or oncidium, if a bulb goes bad, you cut it off and treat it, and you have more bulbs left. A large plant with many leads is much more healthy than a single lead plant. Also a large plant is more valuable than a bunch of small plants.

Orange is my favorite color. I don't know why or how I ended up with so many pink orchids.