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New to Orchids: Brown Stalk

carolinadreamin_gw

14 years ago

First post here! I was given an orchid at Christmas time and it was beautiful, but after the blooms fell off, the stalk has slowly been turning brown and is now brown almost all the way down to the beautiful green leaves clustered at the bottom. Do I prune that brown stalk back? I'm sure these are stupid questions, but I don't know how to care for the orchid at all and I don't want to kill it. (I have a beautiful outdoor garden but my indoor skills are far different.) It's currently in a window, my home faces south and I have no east/west windows. (Really.) What type of environment is best for this given my climate here in Southern California? Thanks in advance!

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Comments (3)

ttkidd
14 years ago
Do you know what kind of orchid you have? Does it have a plant tag? Care instructions will vary greatly depending on what type it is.

Tyler
Sheila
14 years ago
'Beautiful green leaves clustered at the bottom' make me think phalaenopsis. You can remove the dead spike at it's base. If your plant is indeed a phal, it's an easy care indoor plant. A north facing window will give light. The plant could not tolerate afternoon sun thru a west window, but early day light would be OK. A curtain (or outdoor tree) can filter the sunlight. What kind of light exposures do you have in your kitchen? Have you ever grown African Violets? Their culture is in many ways similar to what's needed for a phal. If you google 'phalaenopsis', you'll find many, many pics to help you know if that is indeed the plant you are growing.

Welcome to the forum!

Sheila :)
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Cut it down as far as you can reach, no sense in leaving anything behind. And no need to do cinnamon either. The spike will die faster than any infection can take hold. Aside: I'm not personally a fan of cinnamon, it has anti-rooting properties and I cringe every time I hear people suggest it, especially suggesting a dusting on the roots *D'OH!* Plenty of people use it, but I don't and I haven't had any infections as a result of cuts or damage in the decade I've been growing.
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ttkidd
14 years ago
Phalaenopsis is my best guess as well.

I'm going to assume that your light down in California is somewhat more intense than it is up here in Toronto. I have no problems with putting phals in South windows so long as they're kept a few feet back and don't get any direct rays of sun for long periods of time, but your experience may differ. I'm a little surprised your spike is browning though. My phals usually keep their spikes for some time after the initial flowering and eventually branch and flower again.

If it is a phal, and the flower spike is turning brown, you can cut it off. If there are any green nodes left on the spike you can cut to just above that point and it may branch and flower agian from there. Otherwise, it should grow a new spike again next year.

Tyler

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