Caring for Your Flowering Branches
Caring for flowers and plants can sometimes take a lot more effort than we realize. Flowers that we care for indoors especially need extra care and attention to blossom into the beautiful flowers that we love and enjoy. So the question is do you have to have a green thumb to care for your orchids? The short answer is no. All it really takes is a bit of research and the determination to get your flowers to bloom.
Sometimes in our efforts to learn how to care for our flowers, “accidents” happen that leave you to question your future with flowers. Before we carry on, please let me first start by saying that accidents happen, and from those accidents there is usually lesson that is learned which helps you in your future efforts. So to sum it up, don’t feel bad we’ve all been there at one point or another.
Cutting the Flowering Branch
One of the hardest parts about caring for an orchid is the maintenance. Watching your flower transform day to day can be a great experience, but what happens when it’s time to get rid of the old and welcome the new? Cutting the flowering branches is vital to ensuring that your flower will continue to rebloom. If you pay attention to your flower, you’ll notice the small “hints” it leaves behind to let you know that it is time to get rid of the dead activity. For instance, once a flowering branch has blossomed all the flowers it can, it will begin to turn brown letting you know that it is time to cut it.
Depending on the type of orchid the technique for cutting your flowering branch can vary. Many suggest that cutting the spike right above the node leaves hope for future flower growth. Others suggest that you cut the entire flowering branch. To find out more it is important to look up orchid caring tips on your specific orchid.
As we all know with plants or flowers once you cut something off, it’s gone. You can’t glue it back on and of course you can’t hope that the plant will fuse back together! So it’s important to pay attention to what it is you’re cutting.
Oops! I Cut Off the Flowering Branch…. Now What?
As I stated before, accidents happen. I also want to ensure you that cutting off the flowering branch is not the end of the world, nor is it the end of your orchid. In fact, cutting off flowering branches and dead flowers helps to rejuvenate your plant. As slow as the process may appear, everything your orchid does takes up energy. Cutting and trimming is a good way to allow your orchid the energy it needs to blossom once again. So rather than beat yourself up over it, remember that in the end it does have a great value to your orchid.
How Long Will It Take
Let’s put your worries to rest. Your blossoms will return! The time really depends on the environment in which your orchid is kept along with the type of orchid you are growing. Some orchids bloom in the winter time while others bloom in the summer. As long as you continue to properly care for your plant they will return more than likely by its next blooming season.
So you see? All is not lost and you and your orchid will live. Just be sure to give your plant the love and attention they need to survive. Most “accidents” can be fixed with time and proper care.
Do you have a mistake you made that turned out just fine? Or do you have a mistake that turned out to be really bad? Let us know by leaving a comment below! Sometimes it’s good to laugh at ourselves.
For more about growing healthy orchids, check out these 6 orchid care laws.
I bought an phaleanopsis from M&S this summer, flowers died in time and I just left it where it was. It now has numerous new buds, the first of which is about to pop open. Why is this? I also have a new flower stem coming off the original with its own buds. Should I cut it after this bloom? Is this normal to have flowers come so soon after the last bloom?
Thanks. Kate.
Yes, Phalaenopsis orchids are extremely resilient and they are able to bloom quite a lot actually. You can read more about them here: http://www.orchidcarezone.com/phalaenopsis-orchids-6-reasons-to-love/ Also watch this video about cutting them: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRTvkIpgMAU
I have three phals that I am nursing very carefully back to strong plants, I had been having some problems with one especially, the root system wanted to die so I cut off all the rottening ones, and sprayed with a mild fungicide,put some cinnamon powder and rooting powder and replanted in a medium mix of coals,coconut chips and stones, I am watching with baited breath to see the end results, I have been seeing a new leaf pushing out of the middle of each of them,and one especially has a very nice visible root, I live in the tropics and I have them in my veranda under the shade of some other larger plants where they seem to like alot, they get a constant air flow of both day and night temperatures, and I do not wet them the rain does that, all i may do sometimes (about every two weeks) is give some orchid food, I will let you know the end results, I forgot to say I had forgotten them outside and the sun burnt some of the leaves so I had to trim them off, so I have learnt from your site and by trial and error what to do now, thank God.
Thank you for letting us know how things are going. It sounds like you have your hands full! 🙂 Please let us know as your plants get stronger. I’m glad the site is helpful to you. – Mary Ann
What do you do with the old stem, not the flowering stem, but an old main stem that is wrinkled with barely a leaf.
If it is crispy when you touch it, then you can cut that off. Then just put some cinnamon on where you made the cut. – Mary Ann
Hi, I am quite new to orchids, and had four vandas (in air, not in soil) their leaves started yellowing and dying at the base, when they fall off there are tiny black spots at the base, and maybe a tiny whisp of something that looks like a web. Two are already dead, one Is half dead and one is starting to look a bit sick. I have tried h2O2 spray, cinnamon in oil, now cinnamon in alcohol (the latter may be working on the last not-too-sick plant). The crown leaves just slid out like they weren’t attached anymore, and I cut the whole crown to the last living leaves towards the bottom of the plant. Can a new stem grow out of the old one? If the roots look good can I just cut the whole stem? Also, one root basket seems to have a tiny baby orchid among the roots- how can I protect it from getting sick as well? Thanks so much!
You can nurse the plant back to health from surprisingly bad states. Here are a few posts that I hope are helpful. Can it be saved? Is my orchid sick? Dying orchids. Some other things that are hopefully helpful. Dying vanda. Rescue vanda video. We wish you the best! – Mary Ann
I accidentally cut a branch with 6 flowering orchids. Any chance those flowers will blossom if put in water? They were not opened yet….
Yes, it could. 🙂 Just make sure they are not in a cold or drafty location and out of direct sunlight. I recommend googling “Fresh cut orchid care” because the type of orchid matters in the care you provide. I hope this helps! Thank you! – Mary Ann