can i cut Renanthera Kalsom back?

[PoppaRex]

I have a Renanthera Kalsom, that was kept outside in Massachusetts until the nighttime temps dropped below 55F. Brought it indoors and it is blooming wonderfully (will attempt to add a pic). Since the plant is over 4 foot tall now, i'd like to cut it back? i assume i can cut it back to the point of no leaves and repot?

Thanks for any help!

[Shadeflower]

it looks great but leave it till the flowers have finished otherwise you will make them drop.

Then like you said it can be topped below the leaves. Make sure it has a few good roots left when you make the cut.

Then let the cut air dry for a day till it's completely dry. Some like to use cinnamon powder to speed this up but you should avoid getting it on roots, the important thing is it dries and seals itself.

Then pot it and have a stake ready to support it, it will be very wobbly to start with.

[PoppaRex]

thanks for the confirmation. HAving killed more orchids than i have been successful with, wanted to verify.

[Roberta]

I totally agree, don't cut anything until after it finishes booming. Actually, if it were my plant I wouldn't cut it then either. Renantheras do tend to be tall plants. If you just let it grow, it is very likely to produce side branches (possibly with roots, and very capable of blooming from there too) If you let it do its thing, you likely will get an even better show in the future. Worth going to some trouble to accommodate it. Give those aerial roots a good bath when you water (You can take it into the bathtub/shower when you do that so that you don't make a mess.) In fact, you could just water it under the shower. Then let it drip dry before you bring it back into your living area.

[Fairorchids]

This plant could be cut, but you will only get top piece out of it. If you wait till it is 5-6' tall, you will likely be be able to cut at a point, where some leaves remain on the bottom portion. That gives the bottom a chance to produce a keiki.

Note: Plant looks a little desiccated. You should probably water more (and/or repot in spaghnum to maintain better humidity around the roots).

[PoppaRex]

Thank you for the reply. Yes, i agree it is desiccated. I need a greenhouse! For now, it is too tall to move around easily so it only gets watered once a week. Maybe 2x. i did not track it's growth this summer outside, but i think it is rather slow. Don't know that i would want to wait until it reached 5 foot. *sigh*

[Roberta]

Orchids teach patience... You have a plant that is naturally tall, and thirsty. If you want it to thrive, you need to give it what it needs! Daily watering is in order. Or, soak it in a bucket deep enough to cover most of the roots for a couple of hours 2 or 3 times a week.

[PoppaRex]

so my options are to cut it back or watch it wither. wish i had a shower with a window...

[Roberta]

This is what I did in my condo days, before I had space for a greenhouse...I did have two bathrooms so that I didn't have to share the space with the orchids. I rigged a big HID light over the tub. I even automated the "shower" ... a 5 gallon bucket with a pump on a timer, and sprinklers above the plants. (The bucket was easy to refill from the tub spigot.) Not ideal, but got the warmer-growing high light orchids through the winter.
This was quite a few years ago... lights have gotten much more efficient - and lighter weight - with the advent of LEDs.
http://orchidcentral.org/GrowingAreas/Vandacity.jpg

If you have to share the shower, you could still put a light over it... shower with the orchid. Either you get a sun tan, or just turn it off while you are in there.

[DirtyCoconuts]

I want to shower with my orchids now lol