Thoughts on cutting a Phalaenopsis spike

[Val]

Given a healthy Phalaenopsis hybrid, grown under natural light, that has finished blooming, one has 3 options regarding the flowerless spike:
1. Let it be. The plant will decide what's best for it. (After all, in nature nobody cuts any spike.) If the spike goes completely dry, one can cut it at the base, for aesthetic reasons.
2. Cut the spike above the highest green node, to give the plant the chance to rebloom from a side spike. The plant will decide if it will take this opportunity or not.
3. Cut the spike at the base, to "force" the plant to grow a new spike. (Again: this is about a healthy plant, with plenty of roots and leaves, grown under natural light.)

Option 2 can lead to sequential blooming on the old spike, increasing the average blooming time, but the flowers are likely to be fewer and smaller. Option 3 can lead to more and larger flowers, but after a longer time, because it takes longer for new spike to grow and bloom. Sometimes it can be difficult to choose.

Now, I have noticed that a new spike initiated in fall and blooming somewhere in winter will be shorter and will bear fewer/smaller flowers anyway (as opposed to a summer spike). Therefore, I would go for option 2 if the plant finishes blooming in summer/fall, in order to "postpone" any new spike for a brighter season.
On the other hand, if the orchid finishes blooming in winter/spring, I would go for option 3 in order to increase the chances of having a new spike growing in the best light.

Does this make sense to you?

[Phalguy]

Because it takes a lot of energy to the plant to grow a spike and bloom, I always go with number 1.
I have tried number 2 before and it worked but my plant ended up in the garbage after a few month...

[Zoi2]

I've never heard of your "option 3", that cutting the spike at the base will force a new spike. Have you ever done this? I usually just cut the spikes after the blooms fade.
Joann

[Val]

Originally Posted by Zoi2

I've never heard of your "option 3", that cutting the spike at the base will force a new spike.

I'm talking about a Phal that has finished blooming. If I cut the old flowerless spike, the plant will grow a new one sooner or later. If it's a strong healthy plant, I believe it should do it sooner rather than later.

I'm a beginner with 6 month experience. I've been learning a lot, and I wrote this post as a kind of "term paper", trying to confront my curent level of understanding with the more experienced growers.

[quiltergal]

Cutting a spike off doesn't force it to bloom. It allows the plant to go into a vegetative growth cycle which IMO is very important to the health of the plant. The healthier the plant the more likely it is to bloom.

[BobInBonita]

I grow orchids because the flowers make me happy.

The fastest way to more flowers is just letting it be. It will bloom sooner from a side spike.

I don't compete or show my orchids, so the size of the individual bloom isn't important to me, but seeing flowers is.

As the spike dries, I cut off the brown part.

I have phal that bloomed successively from the original spike for almost two years.

I think it comes down to what is important to you as a grower.

[Call_Me_Bob]

i agree with bob, but i feel sometimes the blooms look better, and are presented nicer if they come on their own spike, as opposed to an auxilary spike....

sometimes i will cut the spike though, because i grow under lights, and it can just be annoying, lol!

[Anee]

Hihi just thought I'd bring this thread up again instead of making a new one.

I'm experimenting with to Phals at the moment regarding rebloom. One is ready to start dropping flowers, I'm not going to do any slicing, I will leave the stems be. The other has been cut about a week ago. I did it at the base, about an inch away from where the stem pops out. The cuts aren't too close to the first nodes, though. Should I cut lower or is it irrelevant?

[tucker85]

I think it's irrelevant. An inch from the base is fine.

[en3rmax]

I tend to cut the spike at the base of the plant and then take care of the plant and see what it does.

A fair few of my orchids seem to spike at the same time every year, one plant will spike in april then i cut the spike in december and wait to see what it does in april.