Dragonborn
Newly Registered
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2012 12:48 am
Location: Ohio

Orchids?

I have been gardening for years, vegetables mainly, but I seem to like orchids! But know pretty much nothing about them, I have had two orchid plants...leaves look great, but when it gets done blooming & the flowers fall off....the stem starts to go brown and dry? Am I doing something wrong or what do I do once the stem goes brown?

[img]https://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg100/amp1371/100912100234.jpg[/img]

User avatar
applestar
Mod
Posts: 30514
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

The "stem" is the flower stalk and in most cases, it's job is done once the blooms are finished, so just cut it off close to the base as you can.

Sometimes, there is a little leaf-like structure along the flower stalk and a baby plantlet will grow from that node. If this happens, provide extra humidity and keep the baby growing attached until it's own roots start elongating, then what I do is bend the stalk over and pin the baby down (with ground staple or more often than not, Chinese food takeout box bail wire or wire coat hanger) in another pot of orchid bark mixed with potting soil. Once it's rooted and growing well, I cut it off from the mother plant.

User avatar
pinksand
Greener Thumb
Posts: 869
Joined: Thu Aug 23, 2012 2:13 am
Location: Columbia, MD

I have an orchid that looks identical to yours :) Once the last bloom drops I cut the stalk back just as applestar mentioned. I've had mine for a couple of years and it seems to start a new stalk every few months after I cut back the previous stalk. It's always exciting to see a new stalk poking its head up!

cynthia_h
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 7500
Joined: Tue May 06, 2008 7:02 pm
Location: El Cerrito, CA

Just as a matter of information, this orchid is a [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phalaenopsis]phalaenopsis[/url]. Nice specimen! :)

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

(just noticed: I hit 7,000 here)



Return to “What Doesn't Fit Elsewhere”