So now that the flowers from your orchid have all died, you may be wondering when should I prune my orchids, or when should I cut the stock back, and how far do I cut it back? You may not be aware that this is part of the basic care of orchids, so consider this article “Orchid Pruning – Basic Plant Care 101.”

Pruning Your Orchid

Once you’ve notice that the stalk has turned a yellow to brownish color and there are obviously no signs that your orchid will produce any more blossoms; this is the time to prune!

You can prune your orchids within an inch from where the blossom stalk originated on the plant. You may also cut the stem if it is still a little green, that is if you don’t mind losing potential blossoms. The cutting is preferably done with a fresh, one sided razor blade, or a cutting blade that has been sterilized.

Your other option is to just remove the end of the blossom stalk to shorten the stalk, but retain enough so that it may bloom again. If you choose this method, cut the stem about 1/4 inch above a node (indicated by a small leaf-like bump clasping the stalk).

Pruning your orchid stalk (spike) shouldn’t cause any harm to your orchid plant. Although some orchids will produce new bloom shoots from the nodes on the old blossom stalk, or some plants will produce small baby plants (pups) from these nodes. The new plants may be removed and potted after they develop roots. Of course, some orchids do neither of these things. In either case, it doesn’t hurt the plant if you remove some new blossoms or a baby plant.