all of the flowers fell off and the leaves shriveled too. does this mean it is done for or will it grow next year? the directions say to cut the spike after the flowers fall off, is the whole stem the spike or just a certain part at the top?
2006-07-30 16:35:40 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Home & Garden ➔ Other - Home & Garden
A picture would have been great.
Depending on the type of orchid, one removes the spike from where it originates.
As to whether it is dead or not, a picture would have helped. I have several Dendrobium species that are deciduous (lose all the leaves). Also, are the pseudobulb(s) still green? Are they still firm (doesn't matter if they are fat and fleshy or are wrinkled, they must not be mushy) If so, then the plant is still alive, and with care will releaf.
As a last resort, unpot the orchid and examine the roots. At least a few should be greenish white. If they are all brown/black then it is dead. However, all is not lost. If the pseudobulb is still green, then there is hope. I have had orchids I thought were dead, put them under the greenhouse bench, and been surprised 3 months to a year later when they releafed.
2006-08-01 11:18:16 · answer #1 · answered by Jimmy J 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
cut the whole stem off and keep it in a cool damp place it will send up new shoots unless you have allowed it to dry out to much,but you can tell by feeling the base if its all soft and rotten that part is dead but any of the base that is firm when you squese it is still alive,when it start to reshoot make sure to feed it.
2006-07-30 16:42:29 · answer #2 · answered by norman 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A friend of mine grows them she just puts them outside or in the green house and in a month they bloom again i have never seen her cut off the stem because that is where the new buds grow. It blooms more than once a year.
2006-07-30 16:40:24 · answer #3 · answered by CHAEI 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋