Orchid growing is a very delightful hobby and many people are getting into the groove of growing their orchids to be healthy and to have beautiful flowers.
One facet of orchid growing that need not be ignored is orchid pruning.
Pruning your orchid plant is not a difficult task and yet for some strange reason, a lot of novice orchid growers fear doing this.
Orchid pruning should not be a fearful task.
For some unknown reason that beginners have this unhealthy fear of grabbing a pair of clean and disinfected scissors.
This article, with the highest of hopes will help readers and beginners alike to get rid of the fear of pruning orchids.
There are three main reasons why we should do orchid pruning and this article will tackle each in clarity.
Orchid pruning is necessary and all orchid plants need to be pruned at certain stages in their growth.
Secateurs.
Well, nothing really bad will happen to your orchid plant should you decide to skip pruning them but the downhill effect is that you will not get the maximum from your plant in terms of health and flowering.
Before you start pruning your orchid plant, it is imperative that you consider the cleanliness of your chosen tool.
Always clean/disinfect your scissors/secateurs before and after each pruning.
Washing them with a mild bleach solution is a great way to do this.
Three Important Reasons Why We Prune Orchids For shape and vigour The leaves of orchid plants do not usually need pruning but if the plants is starting to become unruly it is perfectly OK that you give it a makeover with secateurs.
This also has the effect if causing a much stronger re - growth.
All that you need to do is to simply shape the plant as you desire but taking into account not to remove the flower stalks.
If the orchid plant is in a very untidy state try to improve this by doing two to three pruning sessions.
Do not cut the plant in one go.
If you are in a state of doubt, always go to back to asking yourself of your goal - is it to have a nicely shaped orchid or an orchid plant that has exquisite flowers.
Removal of Any Dead or Diseased Material It is extremely important that you remove anything dead or lifeless from your orchid plants as these can be a potent source of infection for your orchid.
The simplest way to term this is "Plant Hygiene".
This must be done all year round but with special attention given to the months of winter as orchid plants tend to grow rather vigorously during this time period.
Facilitate flowering This part of understand the essence of orchid pruning is very dependent upon the type of orchid you are growing.
Some varieties flower only once per year while others can bloom flowers multiple times in a year.
It requires patience and technical knowledge to get the best flowering from your orchids.
As a golden rule, it is advisable that you prune the dying flower stalks after flowering to about an inch from the base.
The purpose of doing this is to leave a growth point for the next set of flowers.
This is sually done when the flowers have died and the stalk is developing a color of yellow and is wilting.
So there you have it.
Understanding these 3 guidelines will surely help you overcome your fear of orchid pruning.
The process is really quite straightforward and easy if you only follow these 3 guidelines.