Waiting for a new flower!

[JB]

I was given an orchid as a gift almost 2 years ago. It flowered beautifully and then I did the dreadful thing. Rather than cut the stem at the correct place just above the last "notch", I cut it right off.

In the last few weeks it has grown a new leaf but still no sign of a new flowering stem. Will this come?

Your help is very much appreciated.

Thanks

[Oscarman]

When it will flower again really depends on the type of orchid you have. It sounds like a Phaleanopsis orchid, and would look something like this:


A good starting point for cultural info, flowering etc. is available at:
http://orchidweb.org/aos/orchids/orchids.aspx?sec=29

If you have had it for 2 years, it probably needs to be repotted. Here is some info on that.
[url]http://www.robert-bedard.com/orchids/phal_culture.html]/url]

Good luck with you plant.

[Marty]

JB, welcome to the board.

I did that once too. Someone genius told me that that's what you're supposed to do once blooming stops. It was an orchid guy at a nursery too... What a @#$%$@#$%W# !!!

We gave a phalanopsis to my mother-in-law. I was sure that it would die as she had no idea about orchids. It turned out that the placement in her house and the freqency she watered, perfectly suited the plant.

It turned out to be the most perfect phalanopsis I've ever seen. Dark, thick green leaves, without a spec of anything. It is absolute perfection... It had a spike that kept blooms for almost a year. She kept it on, even when it had no flowers...then it would bud again and bloom, then it threw another spike and bloomed..She wanted to cut the old spike, but I told her to leave it....the old spike started to grow a new plant out of it...it was great...instead of a flower, a completely new baby plant! Since then she snipped off the small plant and she has the offspring growing.

Next time I'm there (which might be a while :wink I'll snap a picture of it.

M.

Originally Posted by JB

I was given an orchid as a gift almost 2 years ago. It flowered beautifully and then I did the dreadful thing. Rather than cut the stem at the correct place just above the last "notch", I cut it right off.

In the last few weeks it has grown a new leaf but still no sign of a new flowering stem. Will this come?

Your help is very much appreciated.

Thanks

[Ray]

I think we may have a terminology issue here that may be leading to some confusion.

If by "cutting it off all the way" you are referring to removing the entire flower spike, that is not dreadful at all, and in some situations is the preferred action. Cutting the spike off at a higher node may sometimnes force branching and reblooming, but it amy also weaken the plant terribly.

The thing to do is improve your orchid culture so the plant will respike and rebloom naturally...when it is ready!

Many phals do so in response to a 10°-15°F day/night temperature drop, which usually happens in the fall here in the northern hemisphere. If the plant has been fed well and properly, and has had enough water and light to build up reserves, it will rebloom reliably.

[Steve_Parente]

Aloha,

I agree with Ray. You can sometimes get a few flowers by cutting the spike off at a higher node, but removing the spike is better for the plant and you'll hopefully produce larger sprays of flowers.

I have found from my customers on the mainland that humidity and light seem to play the most important role in re-blooming phalaenopsis and dendrobium orchids indoors. Most of these plants love humidity and adequate light. I have a few customers in Seattle where, although it's humid outside, their homes are heated with natural gas, which creates a very dry indoor environment. In Hawaii, most orchid plants are grown in in a very humid environment (no heating in most areas) and in shade because sun exposure is very strong. A place like Seattle doesn't have nearly the of strong sun exposure, especially indoors unless grown under lights.

My Seattle customers moved their orchid plants near the kitchen (where tea kettles and boiling water send moisture into the air) or placed a pan of water near the plants, put them next to a window with more light (NOT DIRECT SUNLIGHT) and within a year their phalaenopis plants were reblooming. Not exactly a high tech growing solution, but it works!

I also recommend dilluting an orchid fertilizer to 1/4 strength and misting the foliage and roots every week or two and watering every 3-4 days as phaleanopis plants don't hold moisture as many of the dendrobiums varieties.

Steve

[Marty]

Thanks for the good tips.

Steve, I feel very sorry that you have to endur life in Hawaii and look at the ocean every day. Trust me, there is nothing like being land locked in a beautiful smog filled area !!!

Originally Posted by Steve_Parente

Aloha,

I agree with Ray. You can sometimes get a few flowers by cutting the spike off at a higher node, but removing the spike is better for the plant and you'll hopefully produce larger sprays of flowers.

I have found from my customers on the mainland that humidity and light seem to play the most important role in re-blooming phalaenopsis and dendrobium orchids indoors. Most of these plants love humidity and adequate light. I have a few customers in Seattle where, although it's humid outside, their homes are heated with natural gas, which creates a very dry indoor environment. In Hawaii, most orchid plants are grown in in a very humid environment (no heating in most areas) and in shade because sun exposure is very strong. A place like Seattle doesn't have nearly the of strong sun exposure, especially indoors unless grown under lights.

My Seattle customers moved their orchid plants near the kitchen (where tea kettles and boiling water send moisture into the air) or placed a pan of water near the plants, put them next to a window with more light (NOT DIRECT SUNLIGHT) and within a year their phalaenopis plants were reblooming. Not exactly a high tech growing solution, but it works!

I also recommend dilluting an orchid fertilizer to 1/4 strength and misting the foliage and roots every week or two and watering every 3-4 days as phaleanopis plants don't hold moisture as many of the dendrobiums varieties.

Steve

[Steve_Parente]

Yeah Marty... it can be pretty rough here.

Especially the Big Island, where (by driving 10-100 miles ) you can travel to any micro-climate (except arctic tundra) and find just about any variety of orchid. 8)

When the Orchid Society members and other orchid growing associates here put on an orchid show... it's amazing!


Steve