What do I do when the flowers drop off?

[Pollyanna]

Hi! I have never owned an orchid before and I really have no idea what I'm doing! I was given a Phalaenopsis orchid as a gift a couple of months ago and now all the flowers have dropped off it. I've read conflicting and confusing articles about cutting the spike or not cutting it. If it is best to cut it back, how far along the spike do I cut and what do I use? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. :thank you I've attached a photo to make things easier.

[Orchid Whisperer]

Phalaenopsis can often re-bloom again on an old flower spike. Cut just below where the lowest bloom was attached, using a flame a sterilized/cooled or bleach-sterilized/rinsed knife or scissors.

Sometimes the plant will re-bloom, sometimes not. If the flower stem yellows, cut it off close to the plant. There is also no harm done by just cutting off the old spike before it yellows and conserving the plant's energy for the next bloom cycle.

[Pollyanna]

Thank you very much Orchid Whisperer. I will try that!

[Ray]

While cutting the spike to induce further blooming CAN be done, I believe it is a bad idea.

A plant blooms in order to reproduce, and it will hold its blossoms as long as it can, with its available resources. If it has dropped its blossoms - unless we have done something the degrade the culture - it's an indication that those resources have been depleted.

Cutting the spike is "damage", and the plant may respond to that threat by expending more of its resources to try to rebloom and reproduce, carrying on its genetics. Due to the diminished stores, those flowers are often fewer and smaller.

I'll share a crude analogy told by an orchid old timer when I was a beginner back in the '70s: "if you had just expended all of your energy in your attempted reproductive activities, how would you like to be forced to do so immediately again?"

My preference is to just leave the spike alone; if it had enough resources-, or recovers it soon, it may rebloom on its own. If not, I follow the same approach as OW, and remove it when it starts yellowing.

[Pollyanna]

Thank you Ray! I actually feel more comfortable leaving the spike alone for now and seeing if it recovers on its own. Attempting to cut it makes me nervous and as it is still looking healthy (in my completely non-expert opinion) - the spikes are green and the leaves look healthy - I think I will continue to care for it and see what happens.
I will upload a photo and maybe you'd be kind enough to give your opinion. Thanks again.

[jason45244]

If I get a phal from a store, once it drops its flowers I usually cut the spikes back and repot. The store phals can and usually have terrible media in my experience. Yours looks very healthy and I would expect you to see new growth relatively quickly. Remember it's all about patience.

[bil]

Originally Posted by jason45244

If I get a phal from a store, once it drops its flowers I usually cut the spikes back and repot. The store phals can and usually have terrible media in my experience. Yours looks very healthy and I would expect you to see new growth relatively quickly. Remember it's all about patience.

"The store phals can and usually have terrible media in my experience. "

Amen to that. I go a step further, I reot them as soon as I get them home. It's true that sometime the blooms don't last as long as they shuld, but my attitude is that I am buying for next year.
Without a doubt, with some of them, had I waited till the flowers fell naturally, I might well have lost the whole plant.

I must admit that when the flower has gone off, I cut the spikes back even if they don't go brown. I have left some, they stayed green all winter and then bloomed off the old spike, but to be honest they were very untidy.

[theflyingkitty]

If I squint at your photo right, the stalk on the right may be growing a new branch for flowers?