Tips about Pruning Orchids

Pruning can be easily accomplished with some quick and simple tips. This technique is not very difficult, but it does require some patience and a sharp eye. You will need to know when to properly cut them and how exactly you can start doing this. Let's discuss the simple pruning procedure.

How The Exact Process Begins

After they have bloomed for about a month or so, it will be time to start trimming your flowers. The reason we cut them is to encourage brand new plant growth. This will allow our flowers to continue to bloom for years. You will want to prune your flowers as soon as the heads die and fall off of the plant. While the stem of the plant no longer has a flower this is the perfect time for starting this process.

What is Involved With This Task?

Trimming the plant actually involves cutting the stem of the plant which will then give your flower a chance to start growing new leaves and then eventually into a brand new flower. That is why it is important to wait for the flower to die because your plant has given all its energy into the flower. By waiting for the bloom to fall it will now give all its energy into the new shoots that emerge from your plants.

Using The Tools That are Useful for This Job

When it comes to pruning you will want to use the proper tools for performing this simple procedure. Pruning shears are one of the best tools to use for this process and is a tool that I recommend using. You can wear gloves when trimming them, but it is not essential that you do because you are only cutting the stalk of your plants. Once you have your tools ready it's time to cut your plants.

Some Special Cutting May be Required

Not all orchid plants are cut the same, but most of them will need to be trimmed a certain length for optimum plant growth. Cutting the stalk about halfway is a good guideline to follow and will result in healthier flowers later on. Some flowers such as the Phalaenopsis types need to be cut down to the second node. You don't want to get any lower than that otherwise your plant may die. That is why when trimming them you need to make sure that you can see where you are removing before you make the cut.