Orchid Pruning – An Essential Step to Prepare Your Orchid for the Next Blooming Season

Pruning your orchids is an effective way to clean off the worn-out

, unnecessary growth from the previous season. By removing the excess growth, you can refocus your orchid's energies on growing new, healthy blooms in the future instead of wasting it trying to maintain growth that has already been spent.

Fall is undoubtedly the best time of year to take care of any orchid pruning that needs to be done. I usually aim for October, depending on how my orchids are fairing. Usually by then the flowers are dead or dying. The important thing to remember is not to wait too long. Pruning in December or January is generally too late. If you delay pruning for too long then you risk damaging the new growth for the upcoming season.

Pruning is actually very easy and, for me, kind of fun. It's like preparing a gift that I know I will receive again in a few months. Once I've handled the pruning I know that I'm on the road to anticipating beautiful blooms again.

All you really need are a good pair of garden clippers and some way to sterilize them. I recommend a bleach/water solution but you can use whatever works for you. It's important to remember that sterilization does matter when dealing with orchids as they can susceptible to many diseases when you are clipping them. This only take a few seconds and is well worth it. I also like to wipe down the table I'm working on with the sterilizer too.

So all you need to do after sanitizing is grab the clippers and clip off the parts that need to be removed. Clip off the flowers close to the stem. Look for any yellowing and clip that off too. Run your hands along the length of the orchid and feel for any parts that feel dry or hollow. Once you find the line between the dry and hollow stem and the healthy part of the stem, give it a clip down to where it feels strong again.

If it's time for you to repot, then it's a great time to clean up the roots, removing any decaying, moldy, or dead pieces. If you are repotting, make sure and give your orchid a brand new, nutrient rich home, and replace the potting media. Whether repotting or not that year, it is always a good idea to fertilize your orchid after doing any pruning as it will give it a nice burst of nutrients to help it develop the new growth.

As the fall and winter progress, just make sure and maintain the optimal environment for your orchid so that the growing process will be fruitful through the colder months.

Orchid Pruning An Essential Step to Prepare Your Orchid for the Next Blooming Season

By: Mark Alber

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