Trim the orchid after flowering: is it necessary to do how to cut off the arrow when it is dry and still green, what care at home after removal, step by step photo

If you are a happy owner of an orchid, then you know firsthand what aesthetic pleasure this plant brings in flowering form.

But, unfortunately, nothing lasts forever in this world, like orchid flowers. The time comes for parting with this indescribable beauty. What to do after the orchid has bloomed? Do I need to trim the peduncle? If so, how to do it right? We will tell about all this in our article.

Is it necessary to cut when the plant has flowered?

Do I need to prune the branch on which the flowers were when the plant bloomed? This procedure is essential. Usually, after the orchid flowers showered, its peduncle gradually begins to dry out, in this case Never leave a dried flower stalk. Remove it as it dries. Why not all at once? Because the peduncle retains elements that can still nourish the plant, weakened from a long period of flowering.

But there are situations when the peduncle remains green. Moreover, the side buds do not begin to appear, on which the buds will bloom again. even if they are not as large as on the main one, but they will be able to please the eyes of the hostess and guests. In this case, you can not trim the orchid.

Important! You can leave the plant for re-flowering only once every two to three years. The flower must be provided with a period of rest and recovery. Also pruning is mandatory for a young plant aged 2-3 years.

You can find out whether or not to trim the orchid after it has faded, in this material.

What needs to be removed?

That peduncle must be pruned in 90% of caseswe already wrote above. But so many flower growers still have discussions about pruning the stem. Here opinions differ and both opinions are correct. It all depends on the variety of orchids. To find out your variety, as well as the rules for caring for it, consult the seller of the store where you purchased the plant.

How to choose the right time for the procedure?

It is very difficult to do this if the plant is not in its natural habitat, but at home. Since each house has a different air temperature, different lighting. The differences also depend on the type of orchid: some bloom for two months, others bloom for half a year, some bloom repeatedly, while others do not.

But the choice of the moment of trimming should be reduced to some generally accepted factors. Experienced flower growers recommend paying attention to the state of the peduncle after the flowering period of the plant. A sign of the end of the flowering process is the wax color of the peduncle. If it begins to dry out, you need to get rid of this part of the plant.

Remove the plant arrow completely. Otherwise, the flower will require more time for restoration, which will entail a later flowering.

Some orchid owners say that pruning should be done strictly in the fall. (This is due to the fact that since September the plant has been diving). But we would strongly recommend focusing on the state of your orchid. We repeat: we cut only after flowering!

Consequences of trimming

This procedure, as it were, tells the plant that it is time to move on to the stage of rest and recovery. After a few months, the orchid will again begin to delight with its chic flowering. The main thing is to properly organize the stage of rest for your beauty. It must be put in its usual location and reduce the frequency of watering, and completely abandon fertilizers.

Instructions for holding and photo

Below you can see in the photo how to correctly step by step carry out the cropping procedure at home, as well as what to do with the arrow when it has faded.

To get started, prepare the necessary and most importantly - high-quality (in our case, sharpened) tools. You will need sharp scissors or a garden pruner and rubber gloves. Before starting the procedure, treat the tools with alcohol or boiling water.

It is better to take care of the new soil in advance, since after pruning, a transplant will most often be needed. The soil mixture can be purchased at the store or prepared independently. To do this, you need to take: pebbles or expanded clay (this will be a drainage layer). bark, moss and coarse sand for the main layer.

Recommendation. If you are still an inexperienced grower, it is better to buy a ready-made substrate, as you can make a mistake in its preparation.

Cut off a faded, but not yet dried shoot

How to cut off an already faded, but not yet dried arrow?

To determine the place of pruning of the peduncle, count three buds from the bottom (these buds are very easy to find, they are the same as on any tree in spring), you will need to leave them, since it is from there that a new peduncle will grow.
The exact circumcision is 1.5 - 2 centimeters above the upper third kidney. This supply is necessary so that when the peduncle begins to dry out, the newly formed buds will not dry out.
To prevent the flower stalk from drying out, you can drop wax on it with any burning candle. This will stop the drying process due to the fact that moisture will not evaporate from the plant.

If it is completely dry

Here the algorithm of actions is even simpler. Leave 1.5 - 2 centimeters of peduncle near the root, and cut the remaining sections.

Reference. The reason that the peduncle is not completely trimmed to the very base is the ingress of moisture into the rhizome of the plant, and its further decay.

Do not forget to treat the cut points with powdered activated carbon or melted wax. Do not leave open “wounds” on the culture. This will prevent the orchid from rotting.

What to do with the cut off arrow?

If the cut off arrow is still green, then in this case you can still experiment with it. Why is it said about the experiment? Because subsequent actions with a peduncle do not guarantee a one hundred percent result. But it definitely won’t get any worse, because in any case you would just throw out the cut arrow.

So, the resulting process must be placed in a container of water, in which crushed activated carbon must be present. The water level, which decreases due to evaporation, should always remain at the initially set level, for this, just update the supply of liquid in the tank in time.

There is a chance after some period of time to get a new young orchid from a sleeping kidney. This method of orchid cultivation is the most popular in practice, that is, it is most often written about in forums or in various articles. However, many experienced gardeners note that in reality such a small shoot simply does not have enough strength to fully support the life support of a young plant. The cut-off section of the peduncle dies before the root system has time to develop.

Of course, the percentage of luck in such a case is very small, but why not try it?

Home care after manipulation

What to do after you have deprived the orchid of some of its parts?

Firstly, it is worth noting that The pruning process for a plant is always stressful. Therefore, the flower will need "rehabilitation". For optimal conditions, give the orchids a rest, so to speak, at rest for four to six weeks. After this time, the care of the culture should be absolutely the same as it was during the flowering period. That is, you need to moisten the soil as it dries, and also focusing on the color of the rhizomes (when dried, they become yellowish-brown). But in no case do not allow the complete drying of the soil.

Attention! Do not forget to spray the leaves of the plant - they need a lot of moisture. And you can water and spray only with water a little warmer than room temperature, but not lower! And of course, wipe the leaves from dust.

The temperature should also be standard: during the day, do not rise above 25 degrees Celsius, and at night not fall below the mark of 16 degrees above zero.

As for feeding, it is not prohibited. But you need to fertilize the flower correctly, using ready-made complex fertilizers for this. It is safe to say that top dressing is very necessary for the "resting" plant, but in reasonable quantities. Less than during flowering. After all, this will help orchids gradually get out of a state of rest. But you need to carry out the fertilizer application procedure regularly so that this process does not become stressful and does not damage the culture. Green and strong roots will become a sign that fertilizers are being applied correctly.

Lighting should be powerful enough, but diffuse.

Pruning is the perfect time for an orchid transplant. The signal for moving the flower to the new pot should be the roots. You will see that in the old flowerpot the root system is already too crowded. When you remove the rhizomes from the planting container, inspect it completely for dried or decayed areas. Remove the roots immediately and treat the cut points with powdered charcoal.

Many flower growers recommend choosing a transparent pot - it will help when leaving at home, because you need to constantly monitor the condition of the roots, including during the pruning period. The diameter of the new flowerpot should be 1-2 centimeters larger than the old. After changing the "place of residence" continue the usual care of the plant.

Orchid in vivo is a very tenacious plant. It's just that its owners cannot observe this when growing a flower at home, because care for it always remains elevated. Our concern is related to the prevailing stereotypes that orchid is a very whimsical flower in growing a house. In fact, this culture has tremendous ability to survive in difficult conditions and such an excellent quality as recovery.

And as you can see, the process of trimming our beauty is also not complicated. The main thing is to study the instructions well and strictly follow them.