Orchids are plants that produce beautiful blooms but require pruning once the flowers fall off. To improve the overall health of an orchid, you can trim dead stems and roots, remove leaves, or repot the plant. The step-by-step pruning process involves trimming spikes, removing dead or damaged leaves, and cutting unhealthy roots. Use sterilized, sharp tools for clean cuts.
Mitigant pruning can be done while the orchid is still in bloom by cutting back any fading flowers to the main branch. Trimping right down to the second node should ensure immediate regrowth. Pruning orchids is important for maintaining their health and reblooming. The pruning technique for orchids varies from those of other plants, which might benefit from a more aggressive cutback.
Trimming orchid leaves is not necessary for proper growth, and any cuts in the plant are open to infection and should be avoided. Carefully cut off the orchid stem a half inch to an inch above the second bract above the orchid’s base. Place the plant near a north or east-facing window.
To prune an orchid, wait until it goes into its rest state in the late fall to avoid permanent damage. Use sterilized scissors to cut off the end of the flower spike just above the node. This simple pruning encourages new branches of flowers to grow.
The best time to prune an orchid is after the blooms have faded and dropped. For unhealthy, brown spikes, cut all the way back to the base of the plant. For double-spike orchids, cut one spike at the base of the plant. It is not recommended to cut off leaves. If your roots look silvery green and your leaves are droopy, it’s a sign that your orchid is healthy.
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I’m so glad I found your website. I already learnt a lot from you. I have a few orchids and one of them is a Rhynchostylis. I had two of them but one died very quickly after I had them. They both didn’t have the best roots, from what I could see, but I didn’t know what I could do about it. After perusal a few of your article’s, I decided to keep the one that was left, bare rooted in its pot. I can’t hang it somewhere, so that seemd the best solution. I got rid of the bark and could see that many roots were rotting and dead. So I cut them of and kept the once that felt firm and/or looked good. It’s about 1,5 week ago that I did that and today I saw new root growth! I am so happy right now. So thank you for your helpfull article’s. And now it’s time to address my Phalaenopsis with black edges along some leaves.
Just wanted to say thank you. I received an orchid for mother’s day, 2 years ago. I was very worried that I wouldn’t be able to keep it alive. As I have had failures w many in past years. I do love my house plants, I have many plants from my adult children. Although not any successful orchids. I found you while searching online for any instructions to keep this one alive. It was blooming when I received it. Plus another bloom shortly afterwards. Thanks to you, 2 years later it’s still thriving. I haven’t had anymore blooms. But the plant is living and has grown a new pair of leaves. Very small leave set. But nonetheless, has had some growth. I did cut the flowering spike off the plant. Idk if that’s why I have not had another bloom. But I’m still loving the plant. Thanks again for all the advise.
I have an orchid that has rust looking stuff on the tips of all leaves and the tips are splitting. There are places on the leaves that look like warts whitish sandy color. The aerial roots look like they are dying at the point of origin but green at the tips where they get into water at times.🤷♂️It has been in the kitchen window for three years and has done great but it has been getting late afternoon/evening sun that seems to have not bothered it in the past but it hasn’t been this hot. I have your articles liked and set to give all notifications but I don’t always see them or get them🤷♂️, the only way I see some is when I go to uTube and look for answers. How can I get information on my problems if I can contact you. I’m 77 but I still know some things about an iPad I’m just slow.🙁🙃 Thank you for all that you teach us and for trying to help. Emails won’t work because I have given up due to the spam and just general junk! I just deleted 10,000 and I have over 700 in just about a month.
Hi Dani! Thank you for sharing this article and your knowledge. I have a Phalaenopsis and wanted to share with you the pictures of the damage on the bottom leaves, but I can’t do it on the comments, so I have followed your advise and cut them both. I cleaned the scissors first, with vodka and put some cinnamon to the wounds. This seems to happen every year, to the bottom leaves. I thought it was due to the leaves touching the surface they were on, as the pot is short and they hang. Would you recommend I put my orchid on a taller pot, perhaps? I have a macrame hanging basket. Would that be better for it? The damage I had was just brown, but was creeping up slowly. It seems to always do it when the buds are forming. I thought it was a way of saving it energy, by dropping a leaf to make some buds, but I see that it is not the case, by your article. The damage I had, was dark brown, dry but not completely, and some small protruding pimples on that area, specially when you looked from underneath. I have my Phalenopsis in an empty ceramic pot and soak them once a week in water (now, room temperature rain water, before I watched your articles, cold tap water or sometimes tap water that had been sitting for a week or so in a bottle). Would you recommend buying some medium and having them in a clear pot? Anyway, thank you very much for your articles. I can’t “YT Thank” but I am subscribed and always make sure I Like your articles. Good luck with your website. You are doing great 🙂 I’d like to see your face 1 day.