How far down?

[Martine]

Hi! Just how close to the base of the plant should you cut the stem when it's done blooming? Here is a picture... Should I go closer to the base? Thanks!

[kid a]

It looks a little green still so I think you should be fine for now unless you notice some rot, then cut off completely. Sometimes after the blooms wither if you cut the spike down just past the first flower it will send up another inflorescence or more blooms. Which I just found out so I haven't tried it yet.

[jerrymeola]

It is not important. Commercial growers do not cut the stem because it is not worth the cost of paying an employee to do it. It does not hurt the orchid at all. Cut it until you like the way it looks.

[Martine]

Thanks. So, if I leave it the way it is, will it bloom from the same stem? Or will the plant produce another one? Or does a plant always send up a spike from the same spot? Or does the stem need to be cut shorter for the plant to spike from a different spot? Haha! I'm new to this... Sorry if I'm a little confusing! Thanks!

[Tobi]

Hi Martine,
You can leave the stem as is. I usually cut mine back about a half an inch to an inch
from the base. It will not bloom from this spike again. It will grow a new spike after a
short temperature drop of about 10 F in the fall. The temp drop usually initiates a new
one.

[Martine]

Thanks!

[Celcat]

Originally Posted by Tobi

It will grow a new spike after a
short temperature drop of about 10 F in the fall. The temp drop usually initiates a new
one.

I will remember that! I did not know that you could control the growth a new spike. I am absolutely going to try it. Thank you for sharing

[digitalgate]

Originally Posted by Celcat

I will remember that! I did not know that you could control the growth a new spike. I am absolutely going to try it. Thank you for sharing

you could do that. or give the plant a good "rest" meaning good light and good
food. Unless it is not growing any new roots and new leaf then you lower your
fertilizer feeding. Give it more than 3 months or 6 months of gaining new
strength or you have a less than spectacular bloom.Dont "force "it . Patience
patience.. If you want new flower, Buy one. That way you get two plant
instead of one.

[Celcat]

Originally Posted by digitalgate

If you want new flower, Buy one. That way you get two plant
instead of one.

I have done that last year. I bought 12 orchids just for myself last year !! And I am not counting all the orchids have offered. Yes, I do miss the bloom and so I had a tendency to buy more. But I am reaching my limits in space and skills.
I am even invading my office now with the orchids. I have got 3 here. Out of the 24 orchids I do have, only 3 are in flowers at the same time.
We never get enough bloom, this is truly an addiction

But thank you for your tip

[sandra]

Originally Posted by digitalgate

Unless it is not growing any new roots and new leaf then you lower your
fertilizer feeding.

Digitalgate, curious to pick your brain a little, if I may? Fertilize less or more if the roots and leaf growth are good?

[LouisW]

Martine, it looks like there is a little bit of salt build-up going on in the media and on your plant. It doesn't look too bad but you may want to leach those minerals out by soaking the pot up to just above the rim in soft water. Do this for a few hours so all that crust can dissolve.

Tobi isn't it true that many phals dorebloom from the same spike if you leave it uncut(or cut it down to the highest node below the flowers). Is that just to rebloom it immediately or does that apply to next years spike as well?

[digitalgate]

Originally Posted by sandra

Digitalgate, curious to pick your brain a little, if I may? Fertilize less or more if the roots and leaf growth are good?

at your level, you should have 300 or so plant right?
I give up trying to attend to individual plant need, with 300+ orchids , I can only
fertilizer the plant with half strength irregardless the condition of the leave
and root. I can Only care for the seeding. One batch of seed pod would lead
to 100plus seedling. I have 7 to 8 batch of seed pod waiting to tranfer to pot.
Imagine trying to repot 100 plus of "teenager" orchid and a full time job to attend to. I need to hire help to tend to the plant.

[Tobi]

Originally Posted by LouisW

Tobi isn't it true that many phals dorebloom from the same spike if you leave it uncut(or cut it down to the highest node below the flowers). Is that just to rebloom it immediately or does that apply to next years spike as well?

Yes Louis, you can get another spike to form from the main one if you cut
it around the highest node below the blooms and that will produce buds and
blooms during the same blooming season. I prefer to cut mine down to the base in order to give the plant the needed energy supply it needs so that
the flowers next blooming cycle are usually bigger and more plentiful. I find
the blooms from a secondary spike are not as big or numerous as the initial
one.

[kid a]

Originally Posted by Tobi

I prefer to cut mine down to the base in order to give the plant the needed energy supply it needs so that
the flowers next blooming cycle are usually bigger and more plentiful. I find
the blooms from a secondary spike are not as big or numerous as the initial
one.

I was thinking about trying that with my regal bells x brother fortune, but it is still so young, I'm thinking maybe 2 or 3 yrs old. I'd probably be better off holding off on trying to do that this year. Do you agree Tobi?

[Tobi]

Originally Posted by kid a

I was thinking about trying that with my regal bells x brother fortune, but it is still so young, I'm thinking maybe 2 or 3 yrs old. I'd probably be better off holding off on trying to do that this year. Do you agree Tobi?

Cutting the spike back to the base is a perference that some people do while
others prefer to try and initiate another spike from the original one. I not a big
Phal grower, so cutting back to the base is just my own personal preference.
I just think aesthetically it looks better (to me) and for the reason I gave
before about getting bigger and more flowers the next blooming cycle. There
are some Phals. that are sequential bloomers in that it continues to put out
more buds from the same spike even when the older blooms eventually die off.
This is a case when I would leave the spike intact until it no longer looked
good. As I said, I'm not a big Phal grower, but there are many people here
who grow alot of Phals and might give you more information on what their
preference is and which types are sequential bloomers.

[Martine]

Thanks LouisW.

[digitalgate]

Originally Posted by kid a

I was thinking about trying that with my regal bells x brother fortune, but it is still so young, I'm thinking maybe 2 or 3 yrs old. I'd probably be better off holding off on trying to do that this year. Do you agree Tobi?

i dont think you should cut this plant. it is a sequential bloomer. It might bloom
again.