The duration of flowering orchids is different, and it depends on their type. It can be several months, and only a couple of weeks. And what to do with faded peduncles in these plants? How to prune an orchid after flowering and is it worth it to do? Or wait until the peduncle withers and disappears by itself? These and other questions will be answered in the article.
Trimming Procedure: Timing
Peduncles of an orchid, depending on its type, can serve both for one-time and for long flowering. Pruning after flowering is needed by all types of this plant, but it has its own nuances. It is important to determine at what time it is time to cut off the peduncle arrow. It should be borne in mind that some of the orchids bloom repeatedly, so an inept or inopportune procedure can harm them. The best indicator that a flower stalk can be cut is its color change. If, depending on the species, it acquires a waxy color or turns brown, or changes color from pink to purple or dries, there are no flowers or buds on it, you can cut it off. This usually happens in late autumn. It must be remembered that the arrow can never be broken off or, worse, pulled out, even if your orchid blooms only once a year.
If the arrow retains a green color, it is not worth touching it yet, because flowering can continue. How to prune an orchid’s peduncle if it has retained its color or only half withered? This will be discussed later.
Trimming tools
If you decide to cultivate orchids, you must purchase a special tool to prune them. It can be a sharp knife or a garden pruner. The correct choice of instrument for phalaenopsis is especially important, since its peduncle is cut off still green and kidney growth continues on it. Scissors compress tissues and additionally injure them, and at a sufficiently large distance from the place of trimming, so they are not suitable. In addition, in this case, an additional infection of the slice is possible.
Before trimming and after it, the tool must be treated with alcohol to prevent possible infection of plants by infections from each other. Another option for disinfection is to lower the knife or secateurs for a couple of minutes in boiling water or rinse the blade with a solution of potassium permanganate.
Choice of a place of cutting
How to prune an orchid after flowering, if the peduncle is already completely dry? In this case, it must be cut off at a height of at least two to three centimeters from the outlet. For its remainder, it will then be possible to hold and carry the plant during transplantation.
If the peduncle has retained its color, perhaps the orchid will still please you, and you should wait for the flowering. This is especially true if the plant first bloomed in the spring. Green arrows cut off if they do not change color for more than six months, and there is no flowering.
How to prune a phalaenopsis orchid
Phalaenopsis stands apart from other types of orchids, and caring for them is very different. Since these varieties bloom several times throughout the year, their arrows usually remain green, and they have sleeping buds. In this case, pruning should be done at least 1.5 centimeters above the sleeping kidney. If the distance is less, it may die. You can see below in the photo how to trim the orchid in order to save the buds.
You can, in principle, not do this at all, but then the arrows will branch strongly, because new peduncles appear from the buds. They can grow and become too heavy for the plant. Therefore, the arrows of the phalaenopsis are cut off, focusing on this fact and their own taste. Most often, two-thirds of the faded arrows are removed, and a third of the height is left to bloom the next time.
If you need to stimulate faster the next flowering, then pruning arrows can be done immediately after the plant has faded. It is not necessary to understand that the orchid needs rest, otherwise it will weaken.
If the phalaenopsis arrow begins to dry up, the plant needs a break, and it probably will not bloom in the near future. How to prune an orchid after flowering in this case? It is necessary to wait for the peduncle to dry completely and only after that cut it off, because the arrow that has not dried up to the end can still supply the plant with nutrients. After the complete removal of the peduncle, a new one will have to wait several months. But if the orchid itself set such a rhythm to flowering, then it needs a break.
Slice Processing
The place of cut must be dried by rubbing a disinfectant into it. It can be crushed coal (wood or activated) or even cinnamon. You can grease the place of cut on the orchid with brilliant green, iodine or a solution of potassium permanganate. In some plant species, the stem is hollow inside. In this case, the cut should be closed using beeswax. If it enters a hollow stem of water, the plant may rot. In addition, pests can enter. To get rid of them in this case is much more difficult than to exterminate on the leaves.
Orchid Care After Pruning
Having learned how to prune a faded orchid, and having completed all the manipulations, you need to keep in mind that this is stress for the plant, so you should handle it carefully. It is necessary to reduce feeding. You need to water the orchid after the soil dries, and in moderation. The roots of the plant in need of watering are light gray in color. As a rule, these beauties are grown in transparent containers, so the roots are clearly visible.
If the procedure was carried out in the fall, a dormant period will soon begin in the orchid. At this time, it is important to provide it with a certain temperature regime: not higher than +16 degrees at night and +24 in the afternoon. Lighting should not be too bright, scattered. The orchid should be kept away from heaters.
If pruning was carried out in the summer, it is necessary to shade the plant from direct sunlight. In the heat, you can spray it from the spray bottle with warm water, as usual, but be sure to wait a few days after removing the peduncle.
Root pruning
Orchids are usually not pruned in the usual sense of the word for a gardener, and pruning, as a rule, means removal of a peduncle. But sometimes this procedure may be necessary for the roots and leaves of the plant. How to prune orchid roots? Usually this is done when transplanting. In this case, the plant is removed from the soil, the roots are washed and cut off rotted or dried parts that are brown in color and have lost their elasticity to healthy tissue, sprinkled with slices of crushed coal.
Leaf pruning
To remove excess leaves, resort if the orchid has grown too much green mass to the detriment of flowering. It happens that the owners can not wait for the flowers for several years. This can be caused by various factors - from improper watering to choosing too large a capacity when transplanting.
An orchid may die due to improper leaf removal. It should be borne in mind that only the lower leaves should always be cut. They should in no case be cut off from the stem. The selected sheet after cutting along the middle is torn to the base with your hands, and then carefully torn from the trunk. It is optimal to leave no more than six leaves on the stem. In detail, the process of removing excess green mass of orchids is shown in the video below.
In addition, you can simply remove wilted and dry leaves. A sluggish green leaf can still recover and become resilient. But if he began to turn yellow, he will not be able to save him. These leaves are removed after final drying. Beneath them may appear aerial roots, tiny new arrows.
The orchid should not be watered and sprayed for two to three days after the leaves are removed, otherwise it may rot. In addition, the substrate must also dry well before pruning.
Finally
The article described in detail how to prune an orchid after flowering. Pruning flower stems, excess or dried leaves, roots during a transplant is an integral part of caring for orchids of any kind, and you should not be afraid of it. It is only necessary to remember that it is important to disinfect the places of cuts and not damage the living, healthy parts of the plant (when pruning phalaenopsis - sleeping buds). If, after this procedure, the plant is provided with the necessary care and carried out according to all the rules, the orchid will certainly thank the owners with a beautiful flowering.
After pruning, the orchid can bloom only six months later. This is normal, do not be scared. After all, any intervention in the life of a plant, such as transplanting or pruning, is always stressful for him, and he needs time to recover.