I have a beautiful beloved orchid plant that’s now starting to have the flowers fall off. What do I do when the flowers completely fall off? I’ve heard of cutting it back. Also, do I need to check the roots and etc or can I leave as is? It looks healthy in its clear plastic pot. I’d love for it to regrow ❤🥹
In my experience you never cut it back unless the flower spikes turn brown and die all the way down to the leaf. If they are still green they can still produce flowers.
Wow! That’s a gorgeous orchid!! Love the colors, how green and healthy the leaves are, and most of all - all the air roots!
1 like The picture is from earlier this year. This is her now. One flower left but little green buds on the stem so I will not cut it.
What kind of an orchid is it? And how long has it been in that pot?
2 likesOkay now I see the picture! It's a phalenopsis. If all of the flowers are faded, you can trim it below the lowest flower and it might send off a secondary blooming stem. The secondary stem is not guaranteed and it usually produces smaller flowers. You can also trim it all the way down at the base below the lowest node. This gives the plant time to rest and then the next flowering will be stronger. Your plant looks nice and healthy but if it's been in the pot for a while it's a good idea to repot. If you've never repotted before, I would suggest you watch a video. It's easy to do but long to explain. Just remember that all of the roots that are above the soil should remain above the soil and shriveled Roots should be trimmed off. You will be enjoying this plant for years they're very reliable.
3 likesThank you sooo much! 💖 I’ve repotted it previously from the nursery pot cause I wanted to place it in a clear pot so I can see the buried roots. The pot may be a little small though so it might benefit from a repot. I just don’t have too much experience, so was avoiding it, but yes thank you will look up videos!
0 likesIf you want to repot, after the flowers fall is the best time to do it. It is usually a good idea to repot orchids that are still in their nursery pot, since they often have things like peat plugs or shipping materials that can become a health problem for the roots. Use a mix of orchid bark and sphagnum moss. You want more moss if you need more moisture retention, more bark if you need a more airy mix. (Most growers tend to need more bark, but if it starts out with a lot of peat, add maybe 20% moss to avoid shocking it.) Soaking the roots for 20 minutes to an hour can help make them flexible for repotting. Assess their health and trim away any sick or dead roots. Live roots are firm if you press on them, dead ones are hollow, and rotting ones are squishy.
As for the flower spike, if it turns tan and crispy, you can cut it off at the base. If it's still green, you can trim it above a closed node to encourage reblooming. Open nodes were already used for blooming, and can be trimmed off. (The picture shows a closed node)
Thank you SOOO much! the images are very helpful! I wouldn’t have known about the white looking ones for example and may have ended up cutting them off or thinking something was wrong w my plant.
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It’s normal for flowers to fall off when blooming is done. Then it goes dormant until the next time, and often grows new leaves during that time. Cut the stalk just above the first node and continue to water as normal until it’s ready to put out a shoot again
1 likeThank you! Yes, I’m hoping I can continue to keep it healthy in its upcoming dormant stage and can have future blooms again! 🫶
0 likesThank you all so much!! I didn’t think I was going to get responses and got lots of helpful ones instead! Seems like I’ll have to see what happens when they finally fall off. If the stem turns brown or not. My plant also has a bud that didn’t open at the end. I doubt that will open at this point.
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I cut the spike on mine so the plant doesn't have to expend it's little energy reserves to grow just a couple more flowers (you'll see a smaller flower display next year if you don't). Just cut it off, place in a bright window and water like normal. Look for new leaves to grow and next year you'll be rewarded with a new spike (maybe even two).
2 likesThank you so much!! Okay, will do that! I’m looking forward to it blooming again. (fingers crossed!)
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