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Old 19-03-2006, 11:10 AM posted to rec.gardens.orchids
yatmei
 
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Default New plant & orchid owner...How do I remove faded flowers

Hi. I'm completely new to orchids and have never had any experience
of plants of any sort...so would be really grateful if any of you
could help me out...and advise how and where a fading flower should
be cut.

Below are some pics of the plant. The dying flower is at the bottom
right of the plant.

http://missanonymity.users.btopenworld.com/orchid01.JPG
[img:138f18037d]http://missanonymity.users.btopenworld.com/orchid02.JPG[/img:138f18037d]
[img:138f18037d]http://missanonymity.users.btopenworld.com/orchid03.JPG[/img:138f18037d]
[img:138f18037d]http://missanonymity.users.btopenworld.com/orchid04.JPG[/img:138f18037d]

Do I simply cut at where I've circled? Can I expect there to be any
more flowers to bloom in place of the dead one once it's been cut?

I would be so so grateful for any advice. Does my plant look to be
healthy?

Thanks for all your time!

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Old 19-03-2006, 02:14 PM posted to rec.gardens.orchids
J Fortuna
 
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Default New plant & orchid owner...How do I remove faded flowers

Yatmei,

Welcome to the hobby/obsession/addiction of orchids!

What I do in similar circumstances is to break off the faded flower where
you have circled -- personally I just break it off by hand without cutting,
but you could certainly cut it as well with a clean/sterilized tool. I
noticed that there is an unopened bud at the top of the flower spike, so
that bud is likely to open into a new flower -- but if you are asking if a
new flower will appear where the old one was, then the answer is no.

In answer to your question on whether the plant is healthy. The picture of
the plant is not adequate to be able to tell from the pictu I would need
to see whether the leaves are a healthy shade of green (not too dark, for
example, which could mean too little light); how many healthy leaves there
are (not counting any that are growing yellow); if there is a yellowing leaf
is it at the bottom (where the oldest leaves are, which will with time turn
yellow from old age) or higher up (where new fresh leaves will with time
appear, and yellowing there is trouble); and ultimately (once it starts
flowering) I would remove the plant from the pot to check if the roots look
healthy (if there is a serious doubt about the overall health of the plant)
and if there are any roots that are rotten I would remove those and replace
the medium (moss or bark that it grows in).

Your orchid is a Phalaenopsis orchid. I would strongly suggest that you look
on the Web for "Phalaenopsis culture" to find out more about how these
orchids like to be grown and let us know if you have any additional
questions. One thing to keep in mind is that the easiest way to kill an
orchid is by watering too often, so be careful not to do that -- when in
doubt wait another day (if you do not know how to tell when it needs
watering, please ask here specifying what the orchid is potted in
moss/bark/or???). Also never let your orchid sit in standing water, instead
of that water it thoroughly (for example over the sink), let it drip excess
water, and only once it's no longer dripping put it back on (or near) the
window sill where it usually lives (ideally facing the plant the same way as
it faced before, so that it does not have to reorient its leaves with time
due to the different direction of the light).

Congratulations on getting a Phal! They are lots of fun, generally stay in
bloom for a long time, and are not hard to grow (in my opinion -- although
it does help to find out more about their culture to avoid common mistakes).
Orchids are different from other houseplants in what they expect, and so in
my opinion the fact that you never had a plant of any sort may be an
advantage to you, since then you are less likely to think that you already
know how to take care of this one before finding out more.

Enjoy your Phal!

Joanna

"yatmei" wrote in message
...
Hi. I'm completely new to orchids and have never had any experience
of plants of any sort...so would be really grateful if any of you
could help me out...and advise how and where a fading flower should
be cut.

Below are some pics of the plant. The dying flower is at the bottom
right of the plant.

http://missanonymity.users.btopenworld.com/orchid01.JPG
[img:138f18037d]http://missanonymity.users.btopenworld.com/orchid02.JPG[/img:138f18037d]
[img:138f18037d]http://missanonymity.users.btopenworld.com/orchid03.JPG[/img:138f18037d]
[img:138f18037d]http://missanonymity.users.btopenworld.com/orchid04.JPG[/img:138f18037d]

Do I simply cut at where I've circled? Can I expect there to be any
more flowers to bloom in place of the dead one once it's been cut?

I would be so so grateful for any advice. Does my plant look to be
healthy?

Thanks for all your time!



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Old 19-03-2006, 03:54 PM posted to rec.gardens.orchids
Steve
 
Posts: n/a
Default New plant & orchid owner...How do I remove faded flowers

yatmei wrote:
Hi. I'm completely new to orchids and have never had any experience
of plants of any sort...so would be really grateful if any of you
could help me out...and advise how and where a fading flower should
be cut.
............
.....................


Short answer: Most flowers fall off on their own when they fade a little
more. If not, just pull them off.

Steve
PS Only the first picture link worked. I fixed the others so I could
see them. For other readers who didn't bother to fix them, you can click
below to see them all:



http://missanonymity.users.btopenworld.com/orchid01.JPG

http://missanonymity.users.btopenworld.com/orchid02.JPG
http://missanonymity.users.btopenworld.com/orchid03.JPG
http://missanonymity.users.btopenworld.com/orchid04.JPG


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Old 20-03-2006, 12:56 AM posted to rec.gardens.orchids
Bob Walsh
 
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Default New plant & orchid owner...How do I remove faded flowers

I believe Joanna meant when it stops flowering to check the roots.

Bob



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Old 20-03-2006, 01:22 AM posted to rec.gardens.orchids
Tom Randy
 
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Default New plant & orchid owner...How do I remove faded flowers

On 2006-03-19 09:54:42 -0500, Steve said:

yatmei wrote:
Hi. I'm completely new to orchids and have never had any experience
of plants of any sort...so would be really grateful if any of you
could help me out...and advise how and where a fading flower should
be cut.
............
.....................


Short answer: Most flowers fall off on their own when they fade a
little more. If not, just pull them off.



I clip the flowers off when they begin to fade so that the plant
doesn't waste energy making seeds.




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Old 20-03-2006, 03:48 PM posted to rec.gardens.orchids
J Fortuna
 
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Default New plant & orchid owner...How do I remove faded flowers

Bob,
Ooops. Yes, you are absolutely right. Once it has stopped flowering.
Joanna

"Bob Walsh" wrote in message
...
I believe Joanna meant when it stops flowering to check the roots.

Bob





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Old 20-03-2006, 03:55 PM posted to rec.gardens.orchids
J Fortuna
 
Posts: n/a
Default New plant & orchid owner...How do I remove faded flowers


"Tom Randy" wrote in message
news:200603191923228930%Sorry@spamsucksnet...
snip
I clip the flowers off when they begin to fade so that the plant doesn't
waste energy making seeds.


Making seeds??? A flower will develop into a seed capsule only if it has
been polinated, and the chances of a windowsill Phal being polinated are
close to zero.

Joanna


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