The flowering stage is the highlight of every orchid’s cycle, but some plants need a little assistance getting there.
As temperatures drop, orchid lovers will be anticipating a new flush of flowers, with key blooming phases taking place during winter and spring.
Patience is of the essence, but a few hacks may speed up the process and guarantee earlier flowering.
According to houseplant aficionado Orchids_withlove, pruning can do wonders for speeding up the appearance of flowers.
Pruning is a helpful way to speed up the flowering process of orchids
TIKTOK / ORCHIDS_WITHLOVE
“I had two orchids that finished blooming at the same time,” the content creator explained in a clip.
To encourage regrowth, the plant fan cut off the spike of one orchid completely, and cut the stem of the second orchid just above the node.
Within five months, the orchid that had its spike entirely removed produced new clusters of flowers.
“The one where I cut off the spike completely is blooming again, but the second one didn’t produce a new blooming spike,” she said.
“Always cut off the spike completely once an orchid has finished blooming, and you will get new blooms in just a few months.”
Though the experiment makes a case for cutting stems off completely, sometimes a trim right above the node works just as well.
The Plant Rescuer recently shared a positive account of this method on her TikTok channel, claiming: “I guarantee you will have success with orchids if you follow these tips.”
The orchid enthusiast specialises in bringing orchids back from the brink of death.
“Every single one of my phalaenopsis is blooming, or growing a flower stem,” the plant enthusiast said.
“I always buy the orchids that have lost their flowers, because I don’t want them to be thrown away.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
“I also buy them because they are cheaper, and because most of them will flower again, really quickly.”
Once the plant is brought home, the Plant Rescuer cuts the stem above the highest node and below the lowest flower on the stem.
With this trick, you can expect an orchid to continue flowering year after year and produce new shoots, she claimed.
“These lovely plants, with their bold pouched flowers, may only carry a single flower on each stem, but that flower may bloom for as long as four of five months,” explained the Royal Horticultural Society.
