Orchids For Dummies by Steven A. Frowine

Author:Steven A. Frowine [Frowine, Steven A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781119854975
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 2022-02-24T00:00:00+00:00

ENCORE! ENCORE! A SECOND SHOW

One of the great features about moth orchids is their ability to produce a secondary flower spike that branches off the main one (as shown in the nearby figure). This will make your flower show go on for months!

To make this happen, after the flowers have stopped blooming on the flower spike, feel along this bare spike and notice the bumps along this stem. These knobby structures are called nodes. At the base of these nodes are resting flower buds. Your mission is to wake up one of these buds so it will produce another flower spike. Notice where the first flower opened on the stem, and go to the next node down, toward the base of the plant. Cut off the spent flower spike there. Doing so, in most cases, will stimulate the production of a secondary flower spike at this node.

Remember: Don’t bloom your moth orchids to death! Sometimes moth orchids don’t know what’s good for them. They just keep blooming to the point of exhausting all their energy. If the orchid is a robust plant, this continual bloom is okay. But if the leaves are puckered and the plant looks worn out, or if the plant is very young and not very established, you’re better off cutting off the flower spike and enjoying it in a flower arrangement. This will give the plant rest and an opportunity to put its energy into producing new roots and leaves so it will be strong enough to produce even more flowers on its next flowering.

© John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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