When to Cut Your Orchid

You might notice that you have an orchid that seems to thrive, year after year, yet never brings forth more than one flowering pseudobulb. If you desire to increase the number of blooming growths, you might be able to do so by using a method of cutting in order to produce back shoots. With luck and an appropriate species (such as one from the Cattleyas), you will one day have a truly astonishing orchid.

Proceed this way: Take an orchid plant having at least four or five back pseudobulbs. Slice the rhizome in two between the bulbs, taking care not to otherwise disturb it. That's basically it, but here are some things to keep in mind:

• The best time to cut most orchids is during their resting phase, usually fall or winter. When they next enter into their growing stage, you may observe them sending forth two growths from one pseudobulb at the place where you cut it.
• No matter how eager you are to force more blooms, you should refrain from cutting any orchid that is not in good health. Cutting as described above will not harm a healthy plant, but could be stressful to a weak or sickly one.
• If you cut the same plant for back shoots every year, you will eventually have an orchid that is both bigger and more stunning that it would have been without the knife. This is the way some of the astonishing specimens are produced that you see in orchid shows.

There is more that can be said about the art of cutting to produce more blooms, as well as the process of taking cuttings to start more plants. To learn more about these and other secrets of orchid cultivation, a good guide such as that written by Nigel Howard is highly recommended.

The most thorough guide to contemporary orchid cultivation, many growers agree, is Mr. Howard's Orchid Care Expert, which is available to be downloaded from the web. Mr. Howard's guide is a complete course of study, helpful for beginners and more experienced fanciers alike. Also, check out the Orchid Secrets web site, which features an ever-growing library of information on many topics of orchid cultivation.