Trim spikes on Psychosis? Oncidium? Phal? Cat?
 

When repotting, I am pretty sure NOT to trim spike on Psychosis, but what abt Phal, Cat, Oncidium, etc?? I don't want to remove a sequential flowering spike but do not know what is and is not sequential.

I'm pretty sure that Catts don't reflower, I have an oncidium that did it, and Phals do for sure.
It's down to you.

If a phal is throwing new buds on a spike I leave it, but at the end of the season when they go into the greenhouse, I cut them back as they are a nuisance.

You can trim Catt spikes as they won't re-bloom. I haven't found any of my Oncidium spikes re-bloom but there may be exceptions. They will usually die and turn brown so you will know it is dead. The Phals can be trimmed back to a node further down and some may re-bloom. If it is dry and brown, it is dead and won't bloom. The Psycopsis can re-bloom for a long rime so as long as the tip of the spike looks alive, I would leave it.

Leave spikes on Psychopsis. They'll rebloom for years. On some of my noid phals,I've experimented and left the spikes as long as tips are green,but find them taking up too much real estate and end up removing them,except on some minis.One pot has 2 plants in it so with 1 plant I totally removed the spike and with the other plant I cut it back to a lower node.The plant with the cut spike has sent out 2 new spikes and the plant with the cut to a node has sent out a new spike and it's growing more spike from the cut node area.Long-winded but there you are! Catts I always cut off and Onc. I believe should be cut as well.

Most Oncidium alliance aren't sequential bloomers - Psychopsis and Tolumnia being a couple of exceptions. Some Phals do, some don't. If you aren't sure, just leave the spikes until they are good and dead (I mostly do this anyway) ;)

So far, I can talk only about phals...I always leave them alone until they're dead. Although it never happened to me, that's where new keikis are born.

There are Cattleya alliance plants that can rebloom on old spikes. Probably the best known is Epidendrum pseudepidendrum, and some of its hybrids like Epc. Rene Marquez can also. Most people don't realize it, but Prosthechea (Encyclia) cochleata can occasionally rebloom too, and again its hybrids might.

Among Phals there are those that sometimes might get a branch spike, but there are also species that bloom essentially forever on spikes that just keep growing. You might want to cut the first type, but you would almost never cut the second type.

I guess my point is it is worth learning about the specific plants you have rather than relying on broad generalizations about big diverse groups that are not all the same.

I want to get a psychosis and one thing that sold me, besides the awesome mottled leaves and cool flowers is that they are sequential bloomers who can bloom for 15 years streight. (on the same spike!). As far as re-potting, I've re-potted many plants in bloom. I think it is safer when they are in bloom rather whenn they have a bud out.

You already got one. You grow orchids.

---------- Post added at 10:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:34 PM ----------

That's Psychopsis, meaning appearing like Psyche (who was once an astonishingly beautiful woman, then was transformed into a Greek goddess.)

This weekend, at our orchid society Christmas party at the home of one of our best growers, I saw her enormous Psychopsis with 18 flower spikes. 6 held flowers and all held buds.

Thanks to all of you. This gives me a pretty good idea of where to go. I am trimming Catts for sure, NOT trimming Psy, and waiting to see about Pàph. I apreciate the help from the experts on this forum!