Unlike other plants when you grow orchids, sooner or later you'll recognize the necessity to prune your plants. The 2 reasons you want to do this are to grow more blossoms or encourage your plant to grow by forming more leaves. The big worry, of course, is recognizing the timing of when your plant is ready for pruning and should you prune for blossom growth or leaf growth.
If your orchid plant has just completed a flowering cycle it could possibly be ready to begin another one. If you closely look at the flower spike you'll see that there nodes which are located along the length of it every three or four inches. If it looks like these nodes have a greenish color and are seemingly healthy and there is no new leaves developing then you can go for another crop of blossoms.
But if the nodes seem to be dry and have a brown or tan coloration you'll probably want to prune so that your orchid will focus on leaf growth. This is particularly the case if you see the beginnings of a new leaf.
Before you start your surgical operation you're going to need the right tools available for the job. You can select either a scalpel or sharp pair of shears. Whatever you decide on you must sterilize these instruments so you don't allow infection into the plant. You can do this by either wiping them thoroughly with alcohol or by heating them with a propane torch.
Now comes the time to make your cut. If you are planning to start another blossom cycle cut the spike at approximately one half inch above the second node from the bottom. If want your plant to focus on leaf growth chop the spike off at the base.
After you have finished the cutting get some cinnamon from the kitchen and tap a little bit on the end of the spike that you have just cut. This will help to keep disease from entering through this area.
Now it is just a matter of waiting. It may take a month or more for a new bloom spike to appear and a month or so after that before you see any flowers. If you're promoting new leaf growth it will likewise be a month or so for new leaves to be completely formed.
If your orchid plant has just completed a flowering cycle it could possibly be ready to begin another one. If you closely look at the flower spike you'll see that there nodes which are located along the length of it every three or four inches. If it looks like these nodes have a greenish color and are seemingly healthy and there is no new leaves developing then you can go for another crop of blossoms.
But if the nodes seem to be dry and have a brown or tan coloration you'll probably want to prune so that your orchid will focus on leaf growth. This is particularly the case if you see the beginnings of a new leaf.
Before you start your surgical operation you're going to need the right tools available for the job. You can select either a scalpel or sharp pair of shears. Whatever you decide on you must sterilize these instruments so you don't allow infection into the plant. You can do this by either wiping them thoroughly with alcohol or by heating them with a propane torch.
Now comes the time to make your cut. If you are planning to start another blossom cycle cut the spike at approximately one half inch above the second node from the bottom. If want your plant to focus on leaf growth chop the spike off at the base.
After you have finished the cutting get some cinnamon from the kitchen and tap a little bit on the end of the spike that you have just cut. This will help to keep disease from entering through this area.
Now it is just a matter of waiting. It may take a month or more for a new bloom spike to appear and a month or so after that before you see any flowers. If you're promoting new leaf growth it will likewise be a month or so for new leaves to be completely formed.
About the Author:
Growing and maintaining beautiful orchids is a very rewarding hobby because these plants grow some of the most exquisite flowers on the planet. If you would like more information about orchids you can visit our website at http://www.secretsoforchidcare.com. One of the factors to successfully growing orchids is determining when to prune them and you can discover more about this at this site.
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