dry stem >???? - Orchid Board

eyleen503 · #1 10-21-2007, 02:29 PM

Hello all,
Im new at this. Ive tried to look up info online about this, but i cant get my answer.

I bought a leopard prince orchid at home depot, it was in bloom and it lasted about 2 weeks. Its now 2 months later, and the stem where the flowers bloomed is now yellow. I trimmed the top of it, and as soon as i did that, a couple of days later is now almost all yellow and drying out. the leaves at the bottom look GREAT, I added some plant food, but I want to get my plant ready for the next bloom. ANY help or suggestions?

gmdiaz · #2 10-21-2007, 02:38 PM

I am new at this too. . .but have a lot of the HD phals. lol

Sometimes leaving an already flowered spike on the plant will lead to another budding but sometimes not. Once I see the spike drying up, I just trim it off.

I'd concentrate now on being sure that the phal's growing conditions are really good. . .to be ready for the next time it's ready to bloom.

Make sure you've got good humidity, good rain or ro water, low to bright light (not direct light for too long) and consistent weak fertilizer.

P.S. Be ready to post pics when it blooms next time! We love to see your successes.

Ross · #3 10-21-2007, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eyleen503

I bought a leopard prince orchid at home depot, it was in bloom and it lasted about 2 weeks.

Maybe you can post a picture? I don't recognize the name (it's a cross of some sort - I am guessing Phalenopsis or Dendrobium, only because those are the most common HD plants). It would help in figuring out if what you are seeing is normal or not.

gmdiaz · #4 10-21-2007, 02:42 PM

Leopard Prince is a spotted phal. . .red spots, I think. It's very pretty.

camille1585 · #5 10-21-2007, 02:43 PM

I'm relatively new to orchids too, but I think I can help. I googled leopard prince to see what type of orchid it is, and normally it's a phal. I have some of those. It's actually normal for the stem (spike) to dry out after blooming especially since you say the plant in itself is healthy. The best is too cut it off completely at the base. Some phals, like one of mine,

don't have spikes that dry right away. Instead, one of the dormant buds will develop to give a new flower stem.

So normally there's nothing to worry about. I would wait for a more experienced person to give you an answer, just to be sure. I'm sure you won't have to wait too long for that!

Ross · #6 10-21-2007, 02:46 PM

Gwen, based on your answer, I would suggest to cut entire spike off (the stem where flowers were. Not sure where Eyleen is, but if she can give her plant some winter coolness (say 60-65 degrees F) then it should spike and bloom on its own.

gmdiaz · #7 10-21-2007, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rsfrid

Gwen, based on your answer, I would suggest to cut entire spike off (the stem where flowers were. Not sure where Eyleen is, but if she can give her plant some winter coolness (say 60-65 degrees F) then it should spike and bloom on its own.

Excellent point! I try to give a good 15-20 degree temperature difference between day and night, which is pretty easy to do with a set-back thermostate if you are keeping your phals indoors.

Lagoon · #8 10-21-2007, 07:55 PM

Your next blooming period may not be til next spring or even this time next year.
I repot my phals once a year after blooming and use fertilizer @ half of 24-8-16 every 3rd watering til spring.
Phals normally go thru a bit of a rest period for a few weeks after blooming. So, don't worry if the growth seems to slow down for a while.

I never cool down my phals, the clay helps keep them nice and coolish'.

eyleen503 · #9 10-21-2007, 10:31 PM

I sure do appreciate all the responses!!!
Im going to trim the stem all the way down where it hits the leaves. my orchid has 4 rows of leaves, the one at the bottom is fairly new, but growing fast. I cant wait until it blooms again. I am able to give it the temperature difference at night, because its geting cold at night here in georgia.