Let orchid rebloom before cutting old flower stalks: Ask OSU Extension (2024)

By Timothy J. Malinich, OSU Extension

I got an orchid as a gift several months ago, and it has finally stopped blooming. A friend told me to cut off the old flower stalk, but another person told me that it will flower again from the same stalk. Which one is right?

To err on the side of caution, they are both correct. The orchid you received is probably a Phalaenopsis or "moth" orchid. They have become widely available through many outlets and at reasonable prices. Properly cared for, they will bloom for one to three months, after which the plant is left with a naked stalk and no flowers. After a period of rest, the plant will send out a new flower stalk, which may come from the existing stalk or from new leaves at the base of the plant.

Give the old flower stalk a chance to rebloom; there is nothing to lose. Take a close look at the old flower stalk. At each point where a flower was attached is a scar called a node. Lower on the flower spike, the nodes may contain a small fleshy bump, which is a bud. These buds have the potential to grow into a new flower spike. You can prune the old spike down to this point -- where the new buds are held. Cooler night temperatures also help induce flowering.

If you have enjoyed growing your Phalaenopsis, look into adding other orchids to your collection. Cattleya, Dendrobium, Cymbidium, Oncidium and Paphiopedilum are some really gorgeous orchids. Check out photos and growing instructions in the library and online. Contact orchid clubs and collectors for information, growing tips and plants.

Garden checklist

• Take cuttings of saved geraniums, begonias and coleus for bedding in the spring.
• If you haven't planned your vegetable garden, do it now, then purchase seeds for starting indoors.
• Look out for insects and diseases on your indoor houseplants.
• Wait to turn the garden until the soil dries.
• Provide food and water for wildlife.
• Start seeds of celery for planting in the vegetable garden.
• Swiss chard 'Bright Lights' makes an attractive border display that can be eaten.
• Prune oak trees in winter to keep diseases away.
• Gently press frost-heaved plants back into the ground.

Also, the

's Orchid Mania show starts Saturday. Go to cbgarden.com or

for more information. (Editor's note: Cleveland.com and Inside&Out are sponsoring an orchid photography contest in conjunction with Orchid Mania. Go to

for more information.)

My poinsettia has looked great since Christmas but is now starting to lose the leaves and flowers. I am not doing anything different, so why is it dying?

The poinsettia that decorated your house over the holidays probably dropped its flowers a long time ago. The red, pink, white and multicolored leaves at the top of the plant are actually bracts that surround the true flowers. Most greenhouses will raise poinsettias to flower near Thanksgiving or in early December. The flowers are tiny round globes at the center of the bracts. When in full flower, they will be covered with yellow pollen. Shortly after flowering, the true flowers drop from the plant, but the showy bracts remain, sometimes for many months.

The tip of the stems produce the flowers. Since the poinsettia is actually a perennial plant, it has to grow new shoots for the next set of flowers. The old bracts are useless at this point, so the plant will begin to lose the bracts and most of the old leaves. New shoots will begin to grow from buds lower on the stem. No matter what you do, the bract and leaf drop will happen.

If you are thinking of keeping the poinsettia until next year, wait until the new stems begin to grow, then cut off the old stems. When warm weather arrives, move the plant to a sheltered area outside, provide it with lots of fertilizer and water and prune it to the size and shape you want for next Christmas. They can be trained into small trees, multi-trunked shrubs or single-stemmed standards topped with many flowers. Just remember, there will be one set of bracts (one flower) at the end of each stem. So pruning and training can result in a few very large flowers or many smaller flowers.

Call a master gardener for gardening advice from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays at 216-429-8235. Gardening information is also available at cuyahoga.osu.edu and webgarden.osu.edu. Write master gardeners for answers anytime.