Sharry baby flower spikes

[Chakora]

I have a big beautiful Sharry baby that I received for my birthday in October. It had 2 flower spikes that bloomed soon after I received it. All the flowers are gone but the spikes have not dried up at which time I normally would cut them. But, I haven't cut them because they are still green and sturdy. Will they rebloom? Should they be cut? I have a new spike from another pseudo bulb that has just bloomed. My plant is very healthy and seems happy and I don't want to hurt it.

[Roberta]

First, welcome!

Oncidium spikes won't rebloom. I like to leave green spikes, since plants may "recycle" the tissue in them. But it doesn't hurt anything to cut them for the sake of appearance, since they aren't going to do anything more. It sounds like you have a healthy plant! Good growing!

[DirtyCoconuts]

X2 to robertas comment.

I like a “natural” looking plant so I leave them in place rather than prune and manicure

[Chakora]

Thank you both for your quick answers. It's good to know that pruning them back won't mean missing out on any reblooming I may go ahead and prune them even though they are still green although I like to go the natural route as well, but they are so tall and make the plant very top heavy. I keep it in a clear plastic pot inside a heavier pot to help avoid it tipping when heavy winds come but it is still a bit of a handful.

[tasha]

How long do the blooms usually last for you? I came back to my house and all the blooms fell off, about a month of blooming. Is this normal? I did move it to a book shelf where it wasn’t getting as much light. Not sure if the light prematurely stopped its blooming.

Thanks in advance!

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by tasha

How long do the blooms usually last for you? I came back to my house and all the blooms fell off, about a month of blooming. Is this normal? I did move it to a book shelf where it wasn’t getting as much light. Not sure if the light prematurely stopped its blooming.

Thanks in advance!

This is normal. Flowers don't last forever. While some types of orchids, such as Phalaenopsis, can stay in bloom for several months, the flowers of most types only last a month or 6 weeks at best. So enjoy them while you have them, and know that if you give the plant good care, it will bloom again.

[tasha]

Thanks Roberta!!

[Chakora]

Around a month or so it about how long my Sharry Baby blooms last as well as my other oncidium with yellow blooms. It was a No ID so I'm not exactly sure which it is. I just enjoy them as long as they are there. I have a couple orchids that the blooms last less than a week. Just have to love them for their variety.