Moth Orchid grooming questions for my plant specificly
 

Hello,

I'm new here, don't know what I'm doing, and sure don't know the scientific name for my orchid. I have what technology is telling me are Moth Orchids, and I'm a wee bit concerned about the one that I photographed and attached to this thread;

Those blooms are big and pretty, but also from the side view, that little limb is supporting all that weight. When the blooms fall off and it's trimming time, where is the best place to trim back to? I'm nervous that the limb will break.

Feedback is appreciated. These are so pretty I don't want them to die lol.

Moth orchid is a common name for Phalaenopsis. Yours is probably a hybrid although the photo didnt load so im just guessing.

Your plant is not hard to grow! You just need to understand some basics.

Try this culture sheet from the American Orchid Soviety for starters.

Phalaenopsis Culture Sheet - American Orchid Society

---------- Post added at 08:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:12 PM ----------

To answer your question, the limb is a bloom spike that grows back every year and its sole purpose is to support flowers. You can cut it off near the base when its finished (wait untill its dry and brown because it can grow more branches and more flowers). The leaves and roots are the most important things. If you can keep them healthy the plant will flower every year, usually in the winter

Welcome! Another source of information is this :"sticky" thread: The Phal abuse ends here.
Read through the first few pages (don't try to digest the whole think in one pass...) Lots of gooe,. practical information.
And do feel free to ask questions, we are all enablers.:biggrin: Lots of years of collective experience here, and we love to share.

Welcome to the Orchid Board! From your description, your plant is a Phalaenopsis, sometimes commonly called a moth orchid. As others have mentioned, when the flowers fall off, that "limb" as you are calling it, will most likely start to turn brown. Many of us do not cut it off until is is completely brown, because while it is still green, it is possible for it to start a secondary spike and bloom again. Also, it's possible that the plant derives some nutrition from a green spike.

In most cases, a Phalaenopsis like this will produce a brand new spike from a different point on the plant approximately once a year. So, yes, you will be many months between blooming cycles, but with proper care, it will bloom again reliably.