Two Phalaenopsis, three long bare stalks

14 years ago

I'm an orchid rescuer. People throw them out after their blooms drop and leave them by the trash disposal, and I take in the healthy plants with long bare stalks. The first one was sick with some white cottony stuff all over that I kept washing off, but that one bloomed several times in spite of it. One hasn't bloomed for over four months, and I just got this new one that had one dried flower on it. The first one I just cut the stalk a little and it bloomed soon after.

Can someone tell me how to bring these into bloom again and how much of the stalk to cut? There are no green nodes. There's just a papery 'scar' every 4-5 inches. Do I give it fertilizer? Is there a special one for orchids? I thought it was so easy from the first one, but I guess not. This had the same conditions as the other. Thanks!

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Comments (6)

jane__ny
14 years ago
Best to just cut the spikes off all the way down. The plant will send up new spikes in the fall.

Jane
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seamommy
14 years ago
Most orchids only bloom once a year anyway, so the ones you found with bare stalks have already done their duty for this year. Water monthly with half-strength orchid bloom fertilizer and they'll bloom next Spring.
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smwboxer
14 years ago
chop away. Remove the spikes at the base, repot and wait for next fall/winter's blooms.
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Andrew Scott
14 years ago
Hello Blondelle,
I am not a moth orchid expert but I never cut the bloom stems to the base of the orchid. I cut it off at the first node that the orchid bloomed. I let it rest for a few months and then fertilize. I have one moth orchid that I removed the entire stem but that waws because it shriveled up. I will have to post pictures of the other two. One is a beutifull white moth with ENORMOUS flowers. I bought it at a Lowe's. The other is a pretty art shade variety that I got at Walmart. It was one of those that had a care tag that said to water with an ice cube. I never do that. I am always afraid that the ice will damage the tender green roots. Anyways that one I forgot to water for a week and the buds shriveled up and fell off. I will photograph it now, and then you can see what I am describing. Then I will photograph it again and show you the blossoms. I am very excited with the large white fowered moth. Two new stems grew off of the old stem and now I have a third one forming! This is the first time it has bloomed since last year when I bought it. I will say that I have 3 diffrent orchid fertilizers and 2 are bloom boosters. The other is a general all purpose fertilizer for year round orchid health. I think when it comes to any plant, there will always be conflicting opinions when it comes to there care. I just do it the way I described because I can get 3-4 months of flowering from each moth orchid. Good luck! I also rescue orchids. One of the three was a clearance orchid from Walmart that looked very sad. I got it for $5.00 and it is really pretty when it blooms.
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the_analyst
14 years ago
I only cut the flower stalks off if they turn yellow or brown. One of my phals will rebud if once or twice before I need to cut the stalks off.
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arthurm
14 years ago
Read the FAQ about cutting or not cutting
It doesnÂt matter all that much. If IÂm selling at an orchid show, I might tell some customers to cut down to a node. It depends if the customer might be a long term orchid grower or a person who wants a nice in-bloom plant. Cutting down to node certainly works. The orchid pictured had that treatment because I wanted to see the flower quality.
{{gwi:139414}}

Here is the orchid mentioned in the FAQ. It is a summer, sequential bloomer. I have had it for about seven years and every year I cut the spike off at the base after the plant has bloomed for about three months.

{{gwi:140899}}

These Tolumnia hybrids will do the same thing if you cut down to a node, They will rebloom BUT you will never get the number of flowers on the rebloom as the original spike. Still it is a Handy trait if some beast nibbles the spike and it is the first time the plant has bloomed.
{{gwi:140901}}

There is nothing to say that you do have to cut the spikes off. I do because I think the plant has put energy into blooming and maybe it needs a rest so it will produce a nice display next flowering season.
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Two Phalaenopsis, three long bare stalks

Comments (6)

jane__ny

seamommy

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