Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Newbie advice post-flowering
My phalaenopsis has flowered beautifully for several months but the flowers
dropping off now. As a complete novice to orchids my question is this... do I prune back the plant and if so how far back and at what time of year? Have searched a few books and websites but not found the answer to this question. Thanks in anticipation Joyce |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
David Hewitt wrote:
My phalaenopsis has flowered beautifully for several months but the flowers dropping off now. As a complete novice to orchids my question is this... do I prune back the plant and if so how far back and at what time of year? And since this is the single most popular question about orchids, it is remarkable that the American Orchid Society culture sheets don't seem to address it. I checked... Do not prune the plant. You may, at your discretion, remove the spent inflorescence (flower spike), just the same as you would deadhead a geranium or a rose. Cut it off reasonably near to the foliage. Yes, you can sometimes get more flowers if you cut it higher (about the middle would probably work), but in my opinion it stresses the plant too much and just starts to look ugly after a while. I usually compromise by leaving the inflorescence on the plant until it turns completely dry and brown- but that may not look so nice. Since phalaenopsis grow upwards (monopodial - one footed), new leaves emerge from the crown of the plant. If you damage the crown you will have problems. Keep water out of it as much as possible. You may (and will) loose leaves from the bottom, usually one at a time, and usually concurrent with the growth of new leaves at the top. This is completely normal. If you start to lose more leaves than you grow, then you should start worrying. New flower spikes will emerge from the base of the plant. That is a start. You have probably already found the AOS culture sheets, here is one for Phalaenopsis: http://www.orchidweb.org/orchids/culture/phal2.pdf Rob -- Rob's Rules: http://www.msu.edu/~halgren 1) There is always room for one more orchid 2) There is always room for two more orchids 2a. See rule 1 3) When one has insufficient credit to purchase more orchids, obtain more credit LittlefrogFarm is open - e-mail me for a list ) |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
David Hewitt wrote:
My phalaenopsis has flowered beautifully for several months but the flowers dropping off now. As a complete novice to orchids my question is this... do I prune back the plant and if so how far back and at what time of year? And since this is the single most popular question about orchids, it is remarkable that the American Orchid Society culture sheets don't seem to address it. I checked... Do not prune the plant. You may, at your discretion, remove the spent inflorescence (flower spike), just the same as you would deadhead a geranium or a rose. Cut it off reasonably near to the foliage. Yes, you can sometimes get more flowers if you cut it higher (about the middle would probably work), but in my opinion it stresses the plant too much and just starts to look ugly after a while. I usually compromise by leaving the inflorescence on the plant until it turns completely dry and brown- but that may not look so nice. Since phalaenopsis grow upwards (monopodial - one footed), new leaves emerge from the crown of the plant. If you damage the crown you will have problems. Keep water out of it as much as possible. You may (and will) loose leaves from the bottom, usually one at a time, and usually concurrent with the growth of new leaves at the top. This is completely normal. If you start to lose more leaves than you grow, then you should start worrying. New flower spikes will emerge from the base of the plant. That is a start. You have probably already found the AOS culture sheets, here is one for Phalaenopsis: http://www.orchidweb.org/orchids/culture/phal2.pdf Rob -- Rob's Rules: http://www.msu.edu/~halgren 1) There is always room for one more orchid 2) There is always room for two more orchids 2a. See rule 1 3) When one has insufficient credit to purchase more orchids, obtain more credit LittlefrogFarm is open - e-mail me for a list ) |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
"Rob Halgren" wrote in message
... You may, at your discretion, remove the spent inflorescence (flower spike), just the same as you would deadhead a geranium or a rose. Cut it off reasonably near to the foliage. Yes, you can sometimes get more flowers if you cut it higher (about the middle would probably work), but in my opinion it stresses the plant too much and just starts to look ugly after a while. I usually compromise by leaving the inflorescence on the plant until it turns completely dry and brown- but that may not look so nice. In my opinion, if the Phal is healthy (i.e.: if it has lots of healthy looking leaves and lots of healthy roots, and is not loosing more of either of those than it is gaining over time), it is a good idea to try to see if it will choose to reuse the flower spike, so if I were you I would either cut the inflorescence just below where the lowest of the wilted flowers used to be or leave the flower spike alone and wait and see if it turns dry and brown or decides to reflower after all. I think for newbies (and I still consider myself one on my more humble days -- with only 3 years of experience) having an orchid in bloom is more important than for experts (such as Rob). And even though experts claim that a secondary blooming is never as impressive as a primary one, for those of us with less experience the difference is either not noticeable or unimportant. I assume that this may be your only orchid plant right now, whereas Rob has a greenhouse full of them, and thus one flower in bloom more or less makes less difference to him. Also you never know whether or not you will be successful in getting the orchid to grow a new inflorescence within the next year or so, so trying to get more flowers out of this flower spike may be very tempting. And if the Phal is healthy, a second blooming on the same spike shouldn't hurt it. However, if it does appear to be showing signs of stress, especially if it is loosing leaves and not growing enough new ones to compensate, then cut the flower spike down. An additional thought, what kind of light is your Phal getting: how close to a window is it, and which direction does the window face? A lot of newbies have the orchid plants in the middle of the room somewhere, which is acceptable while it is in bloom, but not enough light in the long run. A final thought: you might consider buying another Phal if this is your only one thus far. Two Phals are not any harder to take care of than one, and this way you can prolong the time during which you have an orchid in bloom, without relying on the first one to reflower. Best, Joanna |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
On Fri, 13 Aug 2004 13:19:19 +0000 (UTC), David Hewitt wrote:
My phalaenopsis has flowered beautifully for several months but the flowers dropping off now. As a complete novice to orchids my question is this... do I prune back the plant and if so how far back and at what time of year? Have searched a few books and websites but not found the answer to this question. Thanks in anticipation Joyce Welcome Joyce, Although I don't do well with Phals, my mentor told me that a rule of thumb would be to cut only brown or straw coloured spikes etc. Make the cut just above a node. Feel free to ask more questions, this is a great group. Cheers Wendy |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Besides, if you leave the spike, you might just get some keikis. Never
know. Cheers, Xi Wendy wrote: On Fri, 13 Aug 2004 13:19:19 +0000 (UTC), David Hewitt wrote: My phalaenopsis has flowered beautifully for several months but the flowers dropping off now. As a complete novice to orchids my question is this... do I prune back the plant and if so how far back and at what time of year? Have searched a few books and websites but not found the answer to this question. Thanks in anticipation Joyce Welcome Joyce, Although I don't do well with Phals, my mentor told me that a rule of thumb would be to cut only brown or straw coloured spikes etc. Make the cut just above a node. Feel free to ask more questions, this is a great group. Cheers Wendy |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Besides, if you leave the spike, you might just get some keikis. Never
know. Cheers, Xi Wendy wrote: On Fri, 13 Aug 2004 13:19:19 +0000 (UTC), David Hewitt wrote: My phalaenopsis has flowered beautifully for several months but the flowers dropping off now. As a complete novice to orchids my question is this... do I prune back the plant and if so how far back and at what time of year? Have searched a few books and websites but not found the answer to this question. Thanks in anticipation Joyce Welcome Joyce, Although I don't do well with Phals, my mentor told me that a rule of thumb would be to cut only brown or straw coloured spikes etc. Make the cut just above a node. Feel free to ask more questions, this is a great group. Cheers Wendy |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
Welcome, Joyce!
Joanna, with all due respect, I disagree with a few of your points. I know how tempting it is to try to get an offshoot from the original spike, but I think we'd all agree that we try, clumsily as are our attempts, to mimic the plant's natural state. In nature, no one would come along and cut back the spike to force more flowers. The plant needs a rest, and probably a repotting, after months of supporting its flowers. On the other hand, leaving the spike on the plant to do what it likes is fine with me. If it branches or forms a keiki, then so be it. If the plant is given proper culture and conditions, it should rebloom next year at roughly the same time as it did this year. (No guarantees on that - orchids do surprise us!) A better way to be sure of having flowering orchids year-round is to buy one orchid per month, in bloom. Yes, I know it's a positively Machiavellian idea, sure to addict one more unsuspecting newbie to our habit, but I think Joyce already has the bug, don't you Joyce? LOL Diana |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
Welcome, Joyce!
Joanna, with all due respect, I disagree with a few of your points. I know how tempting it is to try to get an offshoot from the original spike, but I think we'd all agree that we try, clumsily as are our attempts, to mimic the plant's natural state. In nature, no one would come along and cut back the spike to force more flowers. The plant needs a rest, and probably a repotting, after months of supporting its flowers. On the other hand, leaving the spike on the plant to do what it likes is fine with me. If it branches or forms a keiki, then so be it. If the plant is given proper culture and conditions, it should rebloom next year at roughly the same time as it did this year. (No guarantees on that - orchids do surprise us!) A better way to be sure of having flowering orchids year-round is to buy one orchid per month, in bloom. Yes, I know it's a positively Machiavellian idea, sure to addict one more unsuspecting newbie to our habit, but I think Joyce already has the bug, don't you Joyce? LOL Diana |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
Welcome, Joyce!
Joanna, with all due respect, I disagree with a few of your points. I know how tempting it is to try to get an offshoot from the original spike, but I think we'd all agree that we try, clumsily as are our attempts, to mimic the plant's natural state. In nature, no one would come along and cut back the spike to force more flowers. The plant needs a rest, and probably a repotting, after months of supporting its flowers. On the other hand, leaving the spike on the plant to do what it likes is fine with me. If it branches or forms a keiki, then so be it. If the plant is given proper culture and conditions, it should rebloom next year at roughly the same time as it did this year. (No guarantees on that - orchids do surprise us!) A better way to be sure of having flowering orchids year-round is to buy one orchid per month, in bloom. Yes, I know it's a positively Machiavellian idea, sure to addict one more unsuspecting newbie to our habit, but I think Joyce already has the bug, don't you Joyce? LOL Diana |
#11
|
|||
|
|||
J Fortuna wrote:
experience) having an orchid in bloom is more important than for experts (such as Rob). And even though experts claim that a secondary blooming is never as impressive as a primary one, for those of us with less experience the difference is either not noticeable or unimportant. I assume that this may be your only orchid plant right now, whereas Rob has a greenhouse full of them, and thus one flower in bloom more or less makes less difference to him. Also you never know whether or not you will be successful in getting Thanks for the vote of confidence Joanna... Actually the greenhouse isn't up yet, and I have yet to enjoy the luxury of having a whole greenhouse (or plant room) full of simultaneously blooming plants. That isn't for lack of plants, mind you. I think, however, that I mostly agree with you. It is easy (easier?) to defer gratification when you know that the plant will bloom again. I'm reasonably confident that if I cut the spike off of a plant that I will see another one. And when I first started growing I would have probably tried to rebloom it. Any flower is a good flower. That said, I've tried it both ways often enough to know that a secondary blooming can really stress a plant. So, whenever I'm in doubt I will cut off the whole inflorescence, knowing that this is the only way I'll see another blooming (at some far distant time, perhaps). The main problem is that a lot of the phalaenopsis you buy at the mega-mart aren't in very happy condition. The flowers may look nice, but the plant is obviously stressed (yellowed leaves, wilting, etc.). Sometimes you get hold of a vigorous plant in excellent condition, and there is absolutely no reason to avoid reblooming the spike. Over the internet, it is hard to tell which plant is being asked about, so I almost always defer to the safe "cut it off" advice. In my own collection, assuming the plant is healthy, I don't cut anything (keeps viruses away! - and I'm lazy), if they rebloom they rebloom. If not, oh well. I have also heard that you almost never get a secondary blooming if you cut the spike after Mother's day. I've heard various claims on that (Easter, Memorial day, Canada day...). And who knows what happens in the antipodes. I'm pretty sure that is bogus, at least with current breeding. And I don't think a secondary blooming is any less 'impressive', although there are usually fewer flowers. Some plants ( and owners) will push it, however, and rebloom the secondary inflorescence, and rebloom that... etc. Eventually it gets to be a very long bare stem with all sorts of twists and turns and a few flowers at the end. I find that less than pleasing. Rob -- Rob's Rules: http://www.msu.edu/~halgren 1) There is always room for one more orchid 2) There is always room for two more orchids 2a. See rule 1 3) When one has insufficient credit to purchase more orchids, obtain more credit LittlefrogFarm is open - e-mail me for a list ) |
#12
|
|||
|
|||
J Fortuna wrote:
experience) having an orchid in bloom is more important than for experts (such as Rob). And even though experts claim that a secondary blooming is never as impressive as a primary one, for those of us with less experience the difference is either not noticeable or unimportant. I assume that this may be your only orchid plant right now, whereas Rob has a greenhouse full of them, and thus one flower in bloom more or less makes less difference to him. Also you never know whether or not you will be successful in getting Thanks for the vote of confidence Joanna... Actually the greenhouse isn't up yet, and I have yet to enjoy the luxury of having a whole greenhouse (or plant room) full of simultaneously blooming plants. That isn't for lack of plants, mind you. I think, however, that I mostly agree with you. It is easy (easier?) to defer gratification when you know that the plant will bloom again. I'm reasonably confident that if I cut the spike off of a plant that I will see another one. And when I first started growing I would have probably tried to rebloom it. Any flower is a good flower. That said, I've tried it both ways often enough to know that a secondary blooming can really stress a plant. So, whenever I'm in doubt I will cut off the whole inflorescence, knowing that this is the only way I'll see another blooming (at some far distant time, perhaps). The main problem is that a lot of the phalaenopsis you buy at the mega-mart aren't in very happy condition. The flowers may look nice, but the plant is obviously stressed (yellowed leaves, wilting, etc.). Sometimes you get hold of a vigorous plant in excellent condition, and there is absolutely no reason to avoid reblooming the spike. Over the internet, it is hard to tell which plant is being asked about, so I almost always defer to the safe "cut it off" advice. In my own collection, assuming the plant is healthy, I don't cut anything (keeps viruses away! - and I'm lazy), if they rebloom they rebloom. If not, oh well. I have also heard that you almost never get a secondary blooming if you cut the spike after Mother's day. I've heard various claims on that (Easter, Memorial day, Canada day...). And who knows what happens in the antipodes. I'm pretty sure that is bogus, at least with current breeding. And I don't think a secondary blooming is any less 'impressive', although there are usually fewer flowers. Some plants ( and owners) will push it, however, and rebloom the secondary inflorescence, and rebloom that... etc. Eventually it gets to be a very long bare stem with all sorts of twists and turns and a few flowers at the end. I find that less than pleasing. Rob -- Rob's Rules: http://www.msu.edu/~halgren 1) There is always room for one more orchid 2) There is always room for two more orchids 2a. See rule 1 3) When one has insufficient credit to purchase more orchids, obtain more credit LittlefrogFarm is open - e-mail me for a list ) |
#13
|
|||
|
|||
On Mon, 16 Aug 2004 09:48:02 -0400, Rob Halgren
wrote: J Fortuna wrote: That said, I've tried it both ways often enough to know that a secondary blooming can really stress a plant. I had a large white phal in a 8 inch pot with a considerable number of leaves. Note the had. I just let it bloom until it died. This was years ago and I did not realize it was going down hill but when it quit blooming after 18 months there was no strength left to live. I have also heard that you almost never get a secondary blooming if you cut the spike after Mother's day. Rob We have had such a funky summer with cold wet spells interspersed with very hot days. My phals are re-spiking. I have never seen this before. SuE http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/albums.php |
#14
|
|||
|
|||
On Mon, 16 Aug 2004 09:48:02 -0400, Rob Halgren
wrote: J Fortuna wrote: That said, I've tried it both ways often enough to know that a secondary blooming can really stress a plant. I had a large white phal in a 8 inch pot with a considerable number of leaves. Note the had. I just let it bloom until it died. This was years ago and I did not realize it was going down hill but when it quit blooming after 18 months there was no strength left to live. I have also heard that you almost never get a secondary blooming if you cut the spike after Mother's day. Rob We have had such a funky summer with cold wet spells interspersed with very hot days. My phals are re-spiking. I have never seen this before. SuE http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/albums.php |
#15
|
|||
|
|||
On Mon, 16 Aug 2004 09:48:02 -0400, Rob Halgren
wrote: J Fortuna wrote: That said, I've tried it both ways often enough to know that a secondary blooming can really stress a plant. I had a large white phal in a 8 inch pot with a considerable number of leaves. Note the had. I just let it bloom until it died. This was years ago and I did not realize it was going down hill but when it quit blooming after 18 months there was no strength left to live. I have also heard that you almost never get a secondary blooming if you cut the spike after Mother's day. Rob We have had such a funky summer with cold wet spells interspersed with very hot days. My phals are re-spiking. I have never seen this before. SuE http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/albums.php |
Reply |
|
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Forum | |||
First lawn, first post. In need of advice.... | Lawns | |||
Advice on pruning flowering cherry please. | United Kingdom | |||
Newbie asks - How to post anonymously to newsgroups ? | Ponds | |||
Newbie advice post-flowering | Orchids | |||
Post Your Three Favorite Movies - I Post Facts About You | Gardening |