Hello! I’m looking for advice. This is my first orchid and the first pic is from April of 2024 and the last two are today. After all the blooms fell off I cut back the stem and now the stem is starting to brown where I cut it. I did use sanitized scissors to cut the stem. It has recently started the grow new leaves but I just wanted some opinions on what to do about the stem, do I leave it brown or do I have to trim it down more? Thank you in advance 🩷
It’s not going to hurt the plant to NOT cut it all the way to the base, but there’s no reason to keep it. It’s not going to bloom, and it can only snag on sleeves etc when you’re watering or whatever.
2 Likes Ohh okay, so you’d recommend cutting the stem all the way down?
0 LikesYup! If it had stayed green you could have left it and it MIGHT put out new growth. But now that it’s going brown (which is totally normal) it will not and you can cut it off at the base. Your plant will put out a new one when it’s ready.
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It can rebloom from this stem, but you won’t get as many. I always cut my spikes down to the base when they’ve finished blooming. it reblooms bigger every year 😎☀️
2 LikesThey mentioned that it was starting to dry out. It won’t rebloom from a browning spike. This one is dying off. Just want them to have accurate advice for their first orchid experience. If the flower spike was still green- that would be 100% correct, and I agree, I always cut mine back after the blooms fall as well.
0 Likes it can grow another from one of the lower node points on the spike — the whole spike could, and maybe will, die off before then, but i’ve seen it happen. particularly on a phal that’s stress blooming 🥴 but this one seems healthy so snip away!!
0 Likes Thank you everyone for your help! I’ll cut it down to the base 🩷
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