Should I cut orchid spikes after bud blast

[Hellya1]

I recently received an orchid in a poor state and annoyingly had to repot it while it was still in bloom. One leaf at the bottom turned yellow and fell off and it has suffered bud blast and some bloom blast. Should I cut the spikes that have suffered the bud blast?

[rbarata]

Welcome to the board, Hellya1.

Some orchids do not bloom twice from the same spike.
In your case, your orchid is a Phalaenopsis and, depending on the hybrid/species, it may.
While it's still green never cut the spike...it may bloom again.
If it's dry, cut it by the base.

[jkofferdahl]

First, repotting a Phal in bloom isn't going to overly disturb it. However, when a Phal is shipped/moved around a lot it's not surprising to get some blast. It doesn't mean much.

Phals will generally do one of three things. First, they may bloom, then the spike dies off. Second, they bloom, and following the blooming the spike may branch at a node to create a secondary stem; in this case the new flowers maybe visibly smaller than the original. Third, the stem may appear to go dormant for a while and then re-ignite a grow and bloom cycle; I've seen Phals in this category keep blooming for several years.

Much of how they bloom is genetic, but environment can also factor in. The type you have is most likely in either the first or second category. Since the plant arrived in poor condition, were it mine I'd cut the two bare spikes and leave only the one which is flowering.

[estación seca]

Welcome to the Orchid Board!

[Fairorchids]

Removing the blooming spike will force the plant to direct energy towards growing stronger. However, sometimes this strategy backfires, if it instead produces another spike.

[SaraJean]

Also, most phals lose the lower leaves as they age. As long as the roots looked good when you repotted it and it’s receiving good care, that isn’t too much of a concern.

Welcome to the board!

[greenpassion]

Welcome to the OB! As Fairorchid said, often when the spikes are cut, the plant can rebuild it's energy, and as I have experienced, when it spikes again, I would get double or more spikes, and no bud blast. What is your phal potted in? You said you had to repot it. Were the roots in good condition? As you will hear from other members here, what it's potted in, your light source, watering habits etc will determine the health of your plant. And losing lower leaves is normal. If this was my plant, I'd cut the spikes that have blasted, and let the plant gather it's energy over the next few months. Good luck