Orchids as cut flowers

[NDW76]

Sorry if this is an overly simplistic question, but I am bit of an Orchid newbie. When I bought my Orchids I was in Thai from the seller which was translated by my wife, which I then questioned, she then asked the seller in Thai and back and forth like this. So I don't really have a lot of faith in what I was told.

So the advice I was given was to cut the flower spike off when almost all the flowers have opened and use it as cut flowers. This, I was told, would promote the Orchid to grow more flowers.

I want to confirm this before I go fatally butchering any Orchids.

[RosieC]

I believe most people leave the flowers on the plant.

If you cut at a certain point it MAY promote new flowers BUT doing that is considered bad for the plant health as it forces it to flower when it may not be ready to. Stems can live as cut flowers, but I don't believe they live as long as when they are on the plant.

Personally I always enjoy them still on the plant and that's what I would advise doing.

[Vilija]

Hello,

I am very new to all Orchid business too but I got my Orchid on 24th of March (4 months on Thursday!) and it is still blooming and new spike started to grow a week ago. If it will keep growing as quick as it is now I believe new spike will bloom before old spikes loose all the blossoms. I can't imagine cut flower to stay fresh for 4 months though.

But in the end of the day it is up to you if you want to cut it.

Good luck

[cricketerry]

Nathan, you don't say what type of orchid you are refering to but I would only remove a good flowering spike if it was on a very young plant that could not sustain it.

In general leave the flowers on the plant and remove the spike when the flowers have finished.

[WhiteRabbit]

Some types of orchid flowers last a long time as cut flowers, some don't do well at all that way. But all flowers last longer on the plant than after being cut.