Orchids push out an 'abundance of fresh flowers' with easy trick to complete after blooms fade
Cutting an orchid spike will coax the decorative plant into bloom
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Once orchids lose their blooms, people often rush to the conclusion that they're ready to be binned - but nothing could be further from the truth.
According to gardening enthusiast Richard, from Sheffield Made Plants, there is an easy hack gardeners can use to coax their plants into bloom.
“There’s actually still a few more cycles of flowering to be enjoyed," noted the expert. “I’m going to show you exactly what you need to do.
“I’ve got a phalaenopsis and she’s pretty much done blooming from her two flower spikes. It's still got a couple of flowers but it’s time we kicked her on to push out a set of flowers.
Most orchids are capable of reblooming several times
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“The fact that she has these two flower spikes is important because there’s a trick you need to do to get her to rebloom successfully."
The trick is to identify where the markings are along the plant's stem. This is where the flowers typically pop out from.
Most of these markings will already be open, but those further down the spike will still likely be closed.
“This is exactly where the reblooming magic will take place,” Richard explained.
“With the right [intervention], this spike will open up and a new spike will emerge with hopefully an abundance of fresh flowers.”
To kickstart this process, you need to cut the stem just above the marking or node.
“This signals to the plant that everything above this point is done, [and instructs it] to hurry up and do something,” said Richard.
If your phalaenopsis only has one spike then it’s simply a matter of finding the highest unopen node and cutting just above there.
“A new secondary spike emerges, and once that is finished blooming, you go again,” explained the expert.
If your orchid has two spikes, however, the process differs slightly. While you will still cut the first spike above the highest unopened node, you will cut the second spike much lower.
“I don’t fully understand the science admittedly,” confessed Richard. “But cutting both spikes at the same level doesn’t spur it on to re-bloom properly.
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Cutting one spike lower than the other rebalances the plant's energy
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“The theory goes that the plant doesn’t have enough gas in the tank to support growing two new flower spikes.
“But cutting one spike lower than the other rebalances the plant’s energy, so it can focus on putting out a bunch of flowers on one spike.”
A crucial tip when cutting the stem is to clip the spike about an inch above the node, as the node risks dying out if the stem above it is too short.
Using clean and sterilised pruners is also recommended for this task to prevent the spread of diseases from one plant to another.