#1: Pruning
Posted on 2005-08-25 10:49:38 by deaks99
HI - I have an orchid in a pot which has stopped flowering now. The
"care instructions" say cut back to just above the eye. Where is the
eye????
The plant is small, three fleshy leaves at the base, one 12 inch stem
with no buds, then it forks into two zigzagging branches, each with
flowers (or now just the nodules where the flowers were) about every
inch.
IS the "eye" one of these nodules or is it the point where the stem
branches? If i cut it back to the point where the stem splits, there
will be nothing but a bare stem left???? where will next years growth
/ flowers come from?
thanks!!!
--
deaks99
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#2: Re: Pruning
Posted on 2005-08-25 19:31:01 by Diana Kulaga
Deaks,
It appears that you have a Phalaenopsis. Some people trim the spent flower
spike at the third or fourth node from the bottom in order to encourage more
flowers, if the spike is still viable.
Personally, I don't do that. The plant expends a great deal of energy in
order to bloom, and now it needs to recoup. I would cut the spike all the
way down to the bottom as far as you can without cutting the plant. Do this
with a sterile blade or new single edged razor blade, which you will then
discard or keep for non-plant uses.
When it is ready, the plant will produce a new spike from the base. Remember
that Phals like a night time drop in temperature of 10-15 degrees in fall to
aid in spike production.
HTH
Diana
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