How to divide this mounted monster Schom. tibicinis
 

Well this huge guy (tibicinis) is growing on my tree - and tbh I have no clue how even to approach dividing because the bulbs don’t even seem to come from a rhizome. FYI the larger bulbs are the size of my forearm. I’ll try to get a closer picture on a ladder - but the bulbs all are squished together and beyond cutting through some I don’t know how to “split” it

https://i.imgur.com/XKaEPmW.jpg

It is a beauty! I would have left it the way it is, by the way.

Good luck ;-)

I mostly want to divide because it's growing "up" the tree. I just want to take off maybe some of the bottom portion since those are old bulbs, and it's not getting any new bulbs at the bottom.

I would leave it as is if it was growing symmetrically

Well, there definitely is a rhizome in there. You'll find it when you get eyeball to eyeball with it. Thinking about attacking it from a ladder makes me dizzy... How to divide? VERY carefully, with somebody to hold the ladder for you. A serrated knife can be handy.

Do you want to divide it to get divisions, or do you just want to remove old bulbs?

I think I've posted this story before but the year Glen Decker announced he was selling his business he gave a demonstration by dividing a giant Schom. with a Sawzall and throwing divisions out to the audience at his last open house.

1- you almost cannot hurt that plant
2- dont divide it- the shows you will get once it starts back growing will be epic!!!! and it will spike down from there too!

I think I would just leave it as is. But to each their own. Diving it shouldn't be much of a problem.
First off I would get it down from the tree. With a sharp knife cut through the roots and close to the bark as possible. Once you cut the roots around the outer edges of the plant it should be as simple as a firm yank to pull the plant off the tree. If it breaks, no problem since you want to make some divisions. Once it's down you should have an easier time of getting to the stems that connect the individual bulbs from the back side. Ideally I think you would want to time this with the development of new growth so that once remounted it will get new roots soon. Here in Costa Rica that time would be right now, not sure if it's the same where you are.

You use a rock drill to bore a hole to the center.
Insert one stick of dynamite.
Light the fuse and take cover.

:rofl: