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Orchid care
Maddison7489
Posts: 4
in Plants
Hi
can anyone help with me with some orchid knowledge and exactly what I should do with the attached picture of an orchid.
I bought this orchid about 3 years ago and it continuously flowers all year round. It's very pretty and I have never cut it back. Looking at it now it has a lot of stem and I am wondering whether I need to cut it back? I don't really want to cut it incase it stops flowering but am worried I am going to have more stem than I can mange? Any suggestions or help would be mostly appreciated.
0
Posts
That stem will eventually stop flowering. Then cut it back to a few inches. As regards watering/feeding, you are obviously doing it right. You could always gently curl the stem around to form a circle, and then tie in place.
Thanks for the advice, I will try gently circling it round as would look nice.
when it stop flowering do I cut it a few inches up from the begining and let it re grow again? Always a little when cutting as my others have never re flowered
Sometimes with phalaenopsis, you can find a small green bud on the flowering stem to cut back to. A new flowering shoot will come from that.
Hi Maddison,
It's really impressive that your orchid has been flowering for so long! Orchids need a rest after a long period of blooming. When the flowers eventually wilt and drop off I would recommend cutting back the stem quote a lot so that your orchid can focus its energy on its roots for the next flower.
I found this guide really useful: www.interflora.co.uk/content/orchids/
This isn't my post, but I found the above link from adamdur really helpful. I have 4 orchids which I have just repotted into larger pots. They had all finished flowering bar one. I wish I had read this interflora article before I repotted them. The watering and pruning were especially helpful. Thanks adam.
I have about 20, never had one flower all year, usually about 4 months. When the flowers have finnished, stem goes brown, dry, I cut it at the base. Water with rain water, let it soak thru and drain,, feed weekly in the summer, every few weeks in winter, only when flowering or budding, Mist in winter, they go outside in summer, out of direct sunlight. If they stop flowering, they get put somewhere cooler for a few weeks, then brought into warmer room, not near a radiator, in the winter ones in flower are in the lounge window, behind net curtain, south facing, in summer moved to conservatory some are years old, the only re-potting I do, is remove the old bark, and renew, they all have matching pots, and I am NOT buying another 20! I know a lot of people say to keep them in transparent pots, we went to McBeans Orchids near Lewes, they told us you should not keep them like this beause it encourages algi growth.
Mine are in transparent pots as sold with holes in the bottom and that is put into a more decor
ative outer larger pot. Mine usually flower for 4 or so months at a time. After flowering is when I either repot or trim the roots, and take out old dead roots too. I haven't been so thorough with the stems, so perhaps I should take up your routine Nanny and cut the dead stems down to the base. Thanks for the tip.
I am rather pleased with myself as I have now managed to not kill two Phaleanopsis orchids for two years now. Both have new flower stems growing away well. Mine have both gone dormant for a while, but once the flowering stems got growing again they shot up quite quickly.
Mine are in a bark chunk compost. Each week I stick them in a tub of soluble orchid food for about half an hour and take them out to drain. They then stand above the water in a plant tray that has water in it to give moisture around it. It seems to be working a friend sprays hers and has them in a gravel tray. I am now taking in the advice of all your posts on this .
'You must have some bread with it me duck!'
Its only to make them look tidy Guernsey, and yes, we cut off the dead looking roots as well, I forgot about that well done you.
My none flowering ones, are all together in a gravel tray, makes life easier, flowering ones are put into the bath together sprayed,soaked fed if need be. I have feed you dilute with water, I found the feed sprayers didnt last 5 minutes because I have so many.