Phal. branch question

[charleyismydog]

Hi everyone. I have a question. My Phal. that I bought recently was mostly in bloom and the remaining blooms opened. Now some of the blooms have started to fall off (it's fine, I bought it at Home Depot and wasn't expecting the blooms to last forever). The only ones that are falling off are on the main stem, but the blooms on the two branches opened later and are still fresh and healthy. My question is: Once all the blooms have fallen off the main stem, can I cut that part off and just leave the branches or do I need to keep the bare part of the stem? Which is healthier for my beloved plant?

[mayres]

I don't believe removing or not removing the bloomed out portion of the stem will affect the health of your plant - just a matter of aesthetics.

[ann]

i have one planet and cannot get it to bloom can anyone help me with this, its in the bathroom faces north just light no sun

[berkeleysgr8]

Regarding the flower spike, I prefer not to cut mine until they start turning brown at the end. Some equestris will make keikis at the end and sometimes new flower growth will happen. I have a phal that I bought at Trader Joe's that has been in continuous bloom since about October... the tip of the spike keeps putting on new flowers.

Ann, you didn't give much information. What type of orchid is it? When did it last bloom? What is the condition of the plant now (Does it look healthy? Are leaves yellowing and dropping off? etc.)? More than likely you're going to need to move the orchid to a place with more light. I don't know of any orchids that will bloom with regular bathroom lights. Some orchids need a day/night temperature difference to get them to spike too.

[jay]

Hi Ann and welcome to the forum.

There are a couple of things that will help us answer your question about blooming.

1. What type of plant?

2. Where are you located. If you could go into your profile and add your location this will help other give the right advise. We live all over the world with very different growing conditions, so advise will vary from one place to the next.

You said it is in a North facing window. Depending on the type of orchid and your location this could be the reason for not re-blooming (not enough light). But we need to know the above information to be sure.

3. How long have you had this orchid?

4. What is it potted in? Last repot?

Sorry I can't answer your question yet, but we need a little more info.