So, I received an Orchid for Mother's Day this year. This is a plant group that has never really grabbed my interest, so I don't know much about caring for them. It is one of the common ones, I think they probably purchased it at the grocery store. It had yellow blooms on it. Now all the blooms have fallen off, and there are two stalks sticking out of the plant crown. It looks silly. My question is this- do I trim the stalks off, or leave them?
Depends on what kind of orchid it is. Phals should have the stalks left, because they sometimes bloom several times from the same stalk. Most other types should have their stalks cut as close to the soil as possible.
It is a Phalaenopsis. I looked at the Orchid society web site... I did trim the stalks just a bit because they looked sort of wilted. I cut just above the next bud down, so not very much. I disinfected my pruners before making the cuts. It is in a south facing window, in a group of plants, so not in direct light. I don't really care if it blooms again, it was a weird color, but it will be cool if it does. (I do have green thumbs after all)
Sometimes phals will re-bloom on the same stalk, so don't cut any more! And yes, phals do not like direct sunlight. They do fine in shade to bright shade. If the stalks look dead, it's okay to cut them down to the soil. In fact, you should. But if they're still green, there is always the chance of more blooms. Careful about watering too. Phals are trickly. One too many waterings can kill them--that fast. But they don't like drying out equally as much. So somewhere in between is best.
Seaecho- Thanks so much for your replies. The tag that came with it says water with 3 ice cubes or 1/4 cup water weekly .... I am not that good at keeping track of watering days. I have tons of houseplants, and just use my instincts. I suppose this is one of the reasons why Orchids never interested me. I have worked in nurseries that sold them, and have been around a lot of folks that really love them, but not me. Oh well... I will do my best to nurture it. Thanks again!
I get those garage sale stickers (round) and put the date on each plant pot when I water it. I put an "F" on it for when I fertilize them. That way, I know when a plant has last been watered and fertilized. I've done this for years, and it's really helpful because I too, have too many plants to keep track of who has been watered and when.
