How To Propagate A Jewel Orchid?

Jewel Orchids, unusually for the orchid family, are relatively easy to care for and will reward you with their beautiful leaves and pretty flowers.

If you are looking into how to propagate a jewel orchid, we’ve got you covered! Read on for some great hints and tips.

How To Propagate A Jewel Orchid?

Jewel orchids are relatively easy to propagate; they are very keen to grow, and to keep growing.

These plants are much easier to grow and split and regrow than many other types of orchid. They can still be tricky, but in general you will fare better propagating a jewel orchid than one of its fussier cousins!

There are a couple of ways to propagate these easy going orchids; each has their advantages, so you can decide which works best for you.

You can propagate jewel orchids either from cuttings – taking a section of the plant and potting it – or division – removing a section of root and planting this.

For cuttings:

1. Take a piece of healthy plant, approximately 10cm long.
2. Plant it straight away into moist sphagnum moss or potting mix.
3. Roots will take hold very quickly, and after this you should repot your jewel orchid.
4. Use a specialized potting mix containing perlite, peat moss and orchid compost.

For division:

1. Carefully remove the established plant from its pot and shake off excess soil.
2. Using sharp, clean secateurs or a knife, remove sections of stem which contain roots.
3. Place the sections into fresh potting soil and water in well.
4. The plant should take hold quickly and show new growth within a couple of weeks.
5. Once it is well established and growing well, you can choose to repot it into a larger pot – or you can leave it well alone until it has well and truly grown.

This is a good video showing you how you can propagate your jewel orchid with the best results:

Are Jewel Orchids Easy To Propagate?

Unlike many other orchids, jewel orchids are actually quite easy to propagate, grow and care for. They are much less fussy than some of their cousins!

In the wild, this pretty plant spreads by sending out its long stems to root into the leaf litter.

These long runners are known as rhizomes, and it is the way that jewel orchids reproduce in their natural habitats.

To grow them at home, all you need to do is simply plant one of these stems in an appropriate potting medium.

These roots don’t need any fuss – no dipping into hormone rooting powder or agonizing for weeks about whether roots will ever show.

Simply plant them, and the roots will soon grow into a whole new jewel orchid that you can either give as a gift or use to increase your own indoor jungle!

You can either plant your stems straight into soil or start them off in water first – whichever way you choose your orchid will reward you with strong, healthy growth.

Can You Root A Jewel Orchid In Water?

Most plants like to be rooted straight into soil, and many need to addition of rooting compounds to encourage growth.

However, jewel orchids are very good at regrowing from cuttings, as this is how they reproduce in the wild.

This means that you can start your jewel orchid in pretty much any medium, including plain water!

All you need to do is take a sharp, clean knife, cut off a piece of healthy stem and place the end of it into a jar of water.

Place it in a north facing window – as these plants don’t need a lot of light – and give it a few weeks. You should start to see roots appearing within a week or two.

Once the roots are established, plant the stem in a pot with the appropriate jewel orchid potting mix and watch it grow!

Keep it in a low lit room, which maintains a steady temperature over 70 degrees F, and limit watering to once a week, and this clever little plant should be just fine.

How Do You Propagate Jewel Orchid Macodes Petola?

Macodes Petola, also known as “Lightning Jewel Orchid”, is one of the more rare types of jewel orchid.

It is prized for its famous foliage – the veins of the velvety leaves resemble dramatic lightning strikes.

Although this type of jewel orchid is one of the more slow growing ones, you can still propagate it with relative ease.

Macodes Petola is considered more rare than other types of jewel orchid because it is more tricky to grow, and more unforgiving of mistakes, than its fellows.

There are two methods – either taking cuttings, or dividing the rhizome (also known as roots).

Rhizome cuttings:

• This method is only possible if you have a “mother” plant that has sent out runners to start a whole new plant.
• Identify the “baby” and ensure that it is strong and healthy before you remove it.
• Using a clean, sharp knife or pair of secateurs, snip the new plant away from the main one.
• Plant it directly into sphagnum moss or your orchid potting mix, and water it in well.
• The plant should be growing and flourishing within a few weeks.

Stem cuttings:

• Take a cutting from the stem, one that you have ensured contains at least one root node.
• Place the cutting into a jar of water, so you can watch to see when roots appear.
• Alternately, you can plant it directly into sphagnum moss until its roots are established (be sure to keep the moss moist).

Propagating orchids can be a tricky thing to do, but hopefully now you have a clearer idea on how to propagate a jewel orchid.

There are many ways that you can do this, and as long as you stick to taking care of your orchid the way it wants to be cared for, you will have a lovely plant to enjoy for a long time to come.