How to properly prune an orchid after flowering – instructions
Knowing the orchid how to prune the orchid will help it bloom almost year-round. When breeding at home, the Phalaenopsis orchid is found most often, which wins significantly over other species that require a period of rest and recovery. Although not everyone agrees that it is necessary to speed up the flowering period of these plants, since the continuous production of offspring depletes the orchid. But or not or not an orchid for a second time, only its owner decides.
The indoor orchid is a delicate and beautiful flower that can please the eye with its bloom for a very long time if you take proper care of it. The flowering period depends on the type of plant. Some flowers flaunt as little as 2 weeks, others as long as 6 months. It is possible that when buying an orchid, the adviser will also give recommendations for care and tell you how to prune the orchid after flowering.
If it so happened that you forgot to ask the seller of an attachment how to take care of an attachment, or a lot of time has passed and you don’t remember what a professional advised you can do you can find information here. So, the flower that is ashamed, what should I do with it next? How to prune an orchid at home after flowering, we will tell in detail.
Possible trim options
To trim the orchid correctly, first carefully consider the stem. If he began to dry, then it is not necessary to cut it until he is left completely. If this will eventually happen – remove it, leaving a small stump at the base. Since you cut it green, the plant will recover for a long time, and next time the orchid will bloom no earlier than six months later.
The procedure for cutting the trunk
We will need secateurs or a secateur to trim the faded orchid. Ordinary houses are not suitable, as they too much injure a dense trunk, and with a knife with any indulgence you can damage the leaves or other stems.
It is also worth stocking up with a powder of cinnamon or activated charcoal – they need to sprinkle the remaining part of the stem.
Step 1
It is necessary to cut only those stems on which there were flowers, do not touch the rest. We disinfect the Secateur blade, wipe it with alcohol and, having withdrawn the due distance, cut the handle in one movement.
step 2
If necessary, if the “stump” remains juicy, sprinkle it with one or another powder. If there are dense elastic roots, we do not touch them, if they seem dry and dead, cut them off to rid the plant of all the superfluous.
step 3
We leave the plant without watering for a while, so that after the operation it will come to its senses. Further due diligence is done as usual throughout the remainder. We limit the flower in the receipt of moisture, light and reduce the temperature. These conditions are as close as possible to natural and familiar to our exotic beauty.
Now you know how to properly prune the orchid after flowering and the difficulties with the operation will not arise.
Follow the recommendations carefully and please the tropical plant with your flowers as often as possible!
When buds or buds appear on the stem (this happens to Phalaenopsis), you have to cut it 1.5 cm over it. The likelihood that new flowers will bloom or even “babies” will appear when a hot summer is imminent. At this point, the flower should be watered and sprayed well.
It is not necessary to cut the orchid after flowering when the stem is still completely green – the flower can bloom from new buds. Only the fading part has to be removed so that the flower does not waste any force on it.
If the stem of the flower has no buds, is completely dry and blackened, you can cut it safely at the base. So that the orchid blooms again in this case, it is better to transplant it.
How to cut orchid leaves
- Always cut off the lower leaves.
- Starting with the cropping, the leaf is cut along the center line and torn to the trunk.
- Carefully tear the halves off the stem with your hands.
- Do not water the orchid for several days so that the wounds can dry out so that the orchid does not rotten.
Do the same with dried and yellowed leaves. If the leaf is green but sluggish, the wait is worth it, it can gain elasticity. And if it started to get yellow, you have to wait until it has finally dried and cut it off. Everything can be found under the distant leaves: from young air roots to a new arrow that begins to form.
How to cut orchid roots
Can you cut the roots of an orchid? Yes, if necessary, you can cut the roots of the flower when transplanted. This must be done very carefully and carefully.
An orchid has two types of roots:
- Air – these are modified processes of the root system of a plant that serve to also absorb moisture. You should only be cut with putrefaction (the cause is too much moisture) or die (a sign of inadequate irrigation) should be cut.
- Root system – pruning is most frequently carried out during the transplant. Dead roots are removed with a sharp garden scissors and the cut with crushed charcoal is treated. The roots can dry out if insufficient irrigation or abuse of fertilizers, which leads to an estimate.
If there are not many dried root drives, the cause can have physiological reasons – natural dying (that happens from time to time). Such roots are removed when the plant is transplanted. Most of the time, this procedure is carried out after the end of the flowering period and the cropping of the stem.
You should not hurry with the curtails of the roots, some of them can sometimes be restored:
- The plant must be removed from the pot and shaken off the substrate;
- Rinse off the roots with warm water to make them softer, you can add half a teaspoon of baking powder.
- The plant can be left for 20-30 minutes in the same water, maybe some roots are brought to life;
- You just have to cut off the processes that are completely dry.
In order not to be wrong and living roots, you can carry out a kind of test. For this purpose, the orchid should be put in water for some time. Healthy roots become elastic and green. Dead shoots remain brown or gray, it makes no sense to revive them, they have to be curtailed.
Cutting the roots of an orchid must be carried out correctly, whereby a series of rules must be observed:
- The cutting tool must be sharp, injured root tissue becomes a source of bacterial infections and the plant can get sick.
- Garden shears are best suited for this;
- Before the procedure, certain tools must be treated with an antiseptic for trimming (mostly alcohol is used at home);
- The root process is removed in a healthy place;
- The cut is necessarily sprinkled with crushed charcoal (you can use activated carbon).
- If the roots are badly damaged, they can be completely removed, then it is possible to save the system.
With a complete trimming of the root system, the orchid must be inserted into the water. It is recommended to change it every day. Water is not used by the tap, it must be kept and softer.
New root processes usually do not appear earlier than after 60 days. If the roots grow (at least 5 to 6 cm), the orchid can be planted in a pot with special soil.
Transplantation Orchid
This flower does not like it when you pass into a new pot. On the contrary, it is better not to pour it within 2 days of the procedure.
If your orchid has new sprouts (if the flower is not completely cut), it is when you get stronger (the roots and grow by 5 cm) to better transplant them into other pots. How to multiply the orchid. After the flower has been transplanted, you have to take care of it as before. It is better to prevent the root rot, lend and pour for a while. Please note that new flowers can only appear in one year according to the procedure. This is normal – the plant should grow up and gain strength.
With the right care, the orchids bloom several times a year and sometimes almost continuously. If you don’t want to spread it, you can cut the stem completely after flowering. Only in this case is the flower restored for a long time.
If the stem is too long and there are many flowers on it – it is better to tie it so that it does not break.
There is a common opinion that it is very difficult to take care of an orchid. However, if you follow the simple rules, it may not be too exhausting for the system.
The soil for orchid must be bought in specialized shops. You just have to select the floor intended for orchids. Under no circumstances use the soil for your intended purpose, one floor does not have to be mixed with another – the flower can die.
It is necessary to pour the orchid plenty of, but once a week. It is better to maintain the moisture every day and simply spray the plant, as the root spoils when it is often watered. In addition, the plenty of humidity does not contribute to flowering, but more green growth. Therefore, the beauty of the orchid goes into the leaves out of frequent irrigation. In this case, the flowers either do not bloom at all or bloom quickly.
Care of the cut orchid
Before trimming, you must also incorporate the funds that press the cut place and do not allow pathogenic bacteria to penetrate inwards. Activated carbon, iodine, green, potassium perpetrator or cinnamon are used as such funds.
After the orchid has been curtailed, the cut is lubricated with a disinfection solution, or the grating powder is rubbed. In some types of orchids, the stem is hollow inside. In this case, the cut should be sealed with beeswax so that the water does not get in or pests do not penetrate. Getting rid of unrestricted residents who have settled in the stem is much more difficult than driving them out of the leaves.
The maintenance of the orchid is not only in transplanting and cutting the flower base. During the transplant in the plant, dried and rotted parts of the rhizomes are cut off, so that only roots with a green or gray look remain. But that may not be enough. It happens that the orchid has not blossomed for several years because it is overloaded with a green mass. In this case, excess leaves are cut off. And here it is particularly important to know how to cut the leaves of the orchid. The plant can destroy incorrect trimming.
Why do orchids have to be cut after flowering?
After the end of the flowering period, there is also a period of rest and sleep for orchid species such as Phalaenopsis, which bloom several times a year. Most often it falls on the segment from mid-October to late November.
At this time, plants in wild animals are restored and gain strength for further development and growth.
If pruning is not done, Phalaenopsis and some other orchid species can throw out new flower stalks on which buds or even babies will appear. This, of course, weakens the flower and can lead to its degeneration. So that this does not happen, and nutrients are accumulated and not used up for growth, it is necessary to cut off the stalk. This rule applies more to varietal orchids, and the attitude to ordinary phalaenopsis is a little easier.
Often, orchid lovers do not prune a live, but withered peduncle, which allows the flower to independently determine the time and date of flowering, and when they do this, they prune only a dried peduncle. See the photo for how they differ.
Faded but living stalk – photo
Faded, dried stalk – photo
Faded, partially dried stalk – photo
Please note that the plant does not like drafts and overheating. It blooms well when the sun’s rays fall on it, but not very hot. If you decide to put a flower on the windowsill, he must choose a place outside the battery. Then your orchid will feel very comfortable and will delight you with its splendor all year round.
Pruning an orchid after flowering only seems daunting to a novice orchid grower at first glance. In fact, these actions follow the same rules as cutting parts from other plants. When pruning plants, they try not to damage the vital parts and disinfect the resulting wound. Orchids are no exception and you don’t have to be afraid to prune them to ensure good care. It should also be remembered that pruning and repotting are always stressful for the plant and in this case it can only bloom again after six months.
cutting orchids
Caring for orchids in a pot has many nuances. It is very important for an exotic flower that the grower did the pruning at the right time and in accordance with all the rules.
If you make a cut and do not process the flower, it can lead to death from rot in the places of the cut. We’ll also look at how to update an orchid with pruning.
Orchid pruning at home
Exotic flowers sometimes need pruning, and how and when to do it is very important. Shearing begins during revival or after flowering. The main thing is to carry out all actions with sharp and disinfected secateurs.
After the correction procedure, all the resulting sections are treated with an antiseptic – wood ash or activated charcoal, which are purchased at a regular pharmacy.
All sections are treated with coal or ash.
Read more about whether it is even possible to prune an orchid here. Read this article to learn more about cropping rules.
Timed coordination
Normally, from a healthy flower, either fully formed babies or a faded flower branch are cut off:
- a well-formed baby is one in which the length of the root system is not less than 5 cm;
- A branch is considered faded when its tip begins to dry up. In this case, flower cutting begins.
rejuvenation
The florist is often faced with the question of what to do with an old orchid. An old plant needs to undergo a rejuvenation process.
To do this, you need to meet certain conditions on how to rejuvenate an orchid:
- Remove excess sheets, especially those who have lost their appearance.
- Clean the root system from the ground;
- Replace the earth with a new one.
IMPORTANT! If we rejuvenate a plant, we have to remember that all cuts on the plant have to be treated with an antiseptic.
It is best to start rejuvenating a flower in spring after the flower has stopped blooming. To do this, you need a second container with a prepared specialty in which the upper part is planted for rooting.
After rejuvenation, the tip of the plant is planted in another pot.
The tree stump should also not be thrown away, because after further care, children can appear on it that can be left on the tree stump, and then live 2-3 plants in a saucepan, or the young plants are planted in different pots. This happens at the breeder’s discretion.
Do I have to cut the stem and how does it work?
The flower branch is cut off completely when its mother’s lunch is completely dried. If not, it is cut to the first sleeping bud, from which the growth of a new flower branch or baby begins under suitable conditions.
The branch is cut off 2 cm above the waiting bud with a sterilized sharp garden shears. In this case, we have to remember that the already dried parts are removed. If the flower branch is completely dry, it will be cut out to the base.
The flower arrow is cut off when it is completely dry.
Find out more about whether you should shorten the faded stem here. This article is dedicated to the right approach.
After flowering
The main rule is that you can only form a stem that has already been faded and begins to dry. That is, it will be cut complete or until the first waiting kidney. So you find that it dries:
- The stem changes its color;
- The tip of the stem has stopped increasing its length.
It must also be remembered that some plant species have hollow stems and the sections are treated with garden bad luck to avoid the penetration of moisture. This applies in particular to those that were cut at a height of 2-3 cm above the ground.
You can find more information about whether orchids have to be trimmed after flowering. Read here how it works.
Useful videos
See a video if you should cut the stem after flowering:
The following video shows you how and when you have to cut the stem:
This video is devoted to the rejuvenation of orchids:
This video shows what happens to an orchid after rejuvenation:
Conclusion
As you can see, an exotic plant can be replaced by both renewed and the flowering of an old stem with the help of the return. So if all measures are carried out correctly, we help to extend the plant, your life and your enchanting flower.
