Cut Your Orchid and Force It to Bloom More Bountifully
Very frequently you will happen to have an orchid that keeps growing year after year but that only ever brings forth a single flowering pseudobulb. If you wish to increase the number of blooming growths, you can accomplish this by a method of cutting with a knife in order to produce back shoots. With luck and a suitable type of plant (those from the Cattleyas family are best), you will eventually have a really spectacular orchid.
Proceed this way: Take an orchid plant having at least four or five back pseudobulbs. Cut the rhizome in two between the bulbs, being careful not to otherwise disturb it. That’s basically it, but here are some things to keep in mind:
- The best time to cut most orchids is during their resting phase, usually fall or winter. When they next enter into their growing stage, you may observe them sending forth two growths from one pseudobulb at the place where you cut it.
- No matter how eager you are to force more blooms, you should refrain from cutting any orchid that is not in good health. Cutting as described above will not harm a healthy plant, but could be stressful to a weak or sickly one.
- If you cut the same plant for back shoots every year, you will eventually have an orchid that is both bigger and more stunning that it would have been without the knife. This is how some of the amazing specimens are produced that you come across in orchid showings.
There is more that can be said about the art of cutting to produce more blooms, as well as the process of taking cuttings to start more plants. To learn more about these and other secrets of orchid cultivation, a good guide such as that written by Nigel Howard is highly recommended.
The most complete guide to contemporary orchid growing, beyond question, is Mr. Howard’s Orchid Care Expert, which may be downloaded from the Internet. Howard’s delightful guide will provide a full immersion in the subject. Also, visit the Orchid Secrets web site, which features a growing database of information on many facets of orchid cultivation.
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