|
Here
is just an example of
Part 2a of the 12 Part mini course on “Insider’s
Secrets on Growing and Caring
for Orchids Like a Pro”.
Cutting
Back Orchids
“Cutting
back” is a technique used to maximize the number of
blooms each orchid plant produces. It is not suitable for every species
of
orchid, and takes some practice to judge the timing and extent of the
cutting
back to be done – but once mastered it can transform the
display of blooms your
orchids produce.
In
short, the process is to wait until the last flower on a
spike has died down, then cut back the stem it was growing on.
Typically, after
a short rest period, the orchid will throw out new growth that results
ultimately in a new bloom. As well as multiplying the number of blooms
each
orchid plant produces, there is also a cosmetic aspect to cutting back
as most
flower spikes will simply wither and dry up after they have flowered.
Depending
on the exact species you are dealing with, there
are two main approaches to cutting back orchids – partial and
complete.
Partial
cut back
This
is the way to cut back some popular orchids such as
Phalaenopsis. These orchids will only bloom again from the mature
spike, so
removing it completely would be very counter-productive.
For
a partial cut back, the cut should be made a little way
above a “node” – the lumpy ridges on the
stem. Ideally, leave three nodes on
the stem before you make the cut – or cut above the topmost
node if the stem is
short. You should soon see a new side shoot growing out of the node
– and with
any luck it should produce a new bloom. Many orchid growers will only
partially
cut back a flower stem once as they find it starts to produce smaller
and
smaller blooms if you repeat the process.
If
the plant is weak, it is probably better to remove the
stem altogether to prevent further blooming, give the orchid a chance
to
recover and concentrate on building it up for the next season.
P.O.
Box 1264, Parramatta NSW 2124, Sydney, Australia
© 
All Rights Reserved
|
