Bloom Questions

by Pam
(Murrieta, CA, USA)

Once my plant is finishsed blooming, should I cut down the stalks to leaf level? Will new stalks then grow with new blooms to follow? How many times a year do they typically bloom?

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Jun 29, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		When to Cut Stalks Depends On the Orchid
by: Melissa

Hi Pam,

Thanks for your question. It is a great one.

Whether to cut the finished flower spike depends on the kind of orchid. With Phalaenopsis orchids you can do that, cut them down to just above the crown. Or if the spike is still green then you can cut it about one half inch (little over a centimeter) above a node (little bump on the spike where the flower was attached). Sometimes they will send out a new spike from the node.

I do not do this all the time but I do sometimes. I think to do it repeatedly taxes the plant a little. Some orchids like decidious cane
Dendrobiums bloom from the old canes so it would not be a good idea to cut the old cane off as you would be cutting off the place where new flower would form.

Yes, eventually new stalks or flower spikes will grow new blooms if you are providing the right environment to help your kind of orchid thrive and rebloom.

How often an orchid will bloom is very dependent on the kind of orchid.. Phalaenopsis generally will bloom once a year. But the flowers can last for up to 4 months. There are over 30,000 kinds of orchids so how often they bloom varies greatly.

Good luck,

Melissa
www.orchids-plus-more.com

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