Orchids are one of the plants that, since they came into fashion, continue to be in the homes of many lovers of greenery. But these don’t last forever, and you often have to learn how to prune orchids to keep them healthy. You know how to do it?
If you received an orchid, or You’ve had it for a long time and it’s starting to smooth out, maybe it needs a little pruning But how to do it? We explain it to you below.
Contents
When to prune an orchid
Before you dive into orchid pruning, it’s important that you know the right time to do it, because it’s not always at a specific time but rather your own orchid will tell you.
As you know, the flowers he throws are not eternal; They have a period. However, depending on the plant, this can be higher or lower. In other words, they can last for weeks or even a year without losing their vigor.
Therefore, the size will depend a lot on the plant. It’s not until you see the stem from which the flowers emerge beginning to shed its leaves and turn yellow that it’s time to prune.
But beware, this does not mean that you can do it completely. And it is that, sometimes, it can happen that the stem itself has another bud and this implies that, from this same one, it can bloom again there. So you have two situations:
- The stem turns completely yellow. In this case, it’s time to cut the whole stem.
- That the stem turns yellow on one side. If so, and the rest is still green and even active, you can choose to cut that part and see if it continues.
How to prune orchids step by step
We will now find out how to prune orchids. In fact, there is no mystery, but it is important to do it well so that the following year it blooms again with force (and above all so that it does not weaken or become a focus of disease).
Prepare the tools
The first step to pruning orchids, as well as any plant you need to prune, is to have the right tools on hand. In this case, since it is a small plant and whose stems are not very hard, with a pruner will be more than enough.
Yes, make sure sterilize them. It may sound silly, but if you use them dirty, or have cut other plants, diseases can be transmitted. To give you an idea, you wouldn’t stick yourself with someone else’s needle, would you? Well, in the case of plants, it’s the same thing.
To sterilize them, just pass a cloth soaked in alcohol. Pass it through the blades (on both sides) and even the handle.
you also have to make sure the scissors cut well, since the least practical thing for you is to make a dirty cut, i.e. it doesn’t cut well, you have to stress the plant to be able to cut that stem or leaves.
With the shears ready, another of the elements that We advise you to have some cinnamon powder on hand. Cooking cinnamon, yes.
It is an element that seals cuts and wounds in plants very well, preventing the entry of diseases that harm their health. Therefore, when you cut, if you add a little, it won’t hurt; on the contrary.
As accessories, we could recommend that have a large container to work the plant and that if you drop something off your floor, it shouldn’t spill into the house. As well as orchid soil and a new pot in case the one you have breaks or is no longer the right one.
Cut the yellow leaves
We start from the bottom, that is, where the orchid has its leaves. The most normal, in general, is that these remain green all year round. But some may turn yellow. Normally we say that when this happens it is because we have gone too far with the irrigation; but it can also happen because the plant begins to hibernate or because it does not have enough nutrients.
Anyway, the first thing to do is to cut this sheet. They are no longer of any use to you, and they rob you of energy.
Cut the dry stems
Now we focus on the stems, or rods, part. There are orchids that only have one, two more, three more… You have to check each one separately as they don’t all wilt at the same timebut they go in stages (and some can even be maintained over time).
If you see it is dry, cut it from the third knot. Count from where? Well, basic. Cut from there.
This does not mean that we are going to leave it like this, but the first cut is given there so that the orchid suffers less.
now you have to see how the stem is from the base to this third node. If it’s dry, or if it dries out, you can cut it at the base with no problem. But if it’s still green and thick, put some cinnamon on the cup you gave it and leave it alone. There are times when the orchid grows back there.
Take the plant out of its pot
This is something a lot of people do, but it’s part of orchid pruning. Consists of remove the plant from the pot, remove the soil in it and check the roots carefully. So that? Well, because the next step is to cut off any that look black, dry, or rotten.
This is a sanitation pruning and quite stressful on the plant, so don’t be surprised if it gets a little rough.
Replant it in new soil
Once you are done with the roots, the actual pruning will be complete and all you have to do is just put it back in the pot (or in a new larger one) and fill with new orchid soil (so it will nourish her better).
This is also possibly the most complicated part as you will need to help yourself with a stick or similar to get the soil to all corners without damaging the roots of the plant itself (and no holes left). ).
Do you know how to prune orchids? Now it’s up to you.