advise need !!! What to do next?

[blue thunder]

Hi all, I from SG.

Pls advise as i m very new to orchids its my 4th mth in orchid planting.

and bear with my silly questions.

1. After the orchids have bloom, i cut the stems. (Refer to pics)

From here what should i do? THe orchids have been cut off and there are no more leaves growing out. So is the whole stem useless?

2. I found another orchid plant. It has been around for maybe 3-5 yrs and i dont think it has ever bloom since the owner bought it. Even some of the stems have rotten n dry up to the top portion, however the lower portion is still healthy (i guess ...)

So is there any way to let it bllom again? or should i bury it?

[Brutal_Dreamer]

The orchids in your photos are all dendrobiums. It is a good practice to cut off the flower spike after the blooms have fallen off of the plant. It appears, at least in the last photo, that the actual plant has been cut off mid-stem. This is not a good practice. If those parts of the plant are dead, they can be removed at the base, but cutting them in the middle can expose the plant to infections if any green is left in them.

The stems that have been cut will not bloom again. Some dendrobiums will actually put out another flower spike on an older growth -usually next to a previous spike as is seen in your first and second photos. Most likely, your dendrobium will produce a new growth and will spike and bloom from that growth.

To rebloom your dendrobiums follow the care instructions below from the RVO Orchid Care Page:

Light Requirements:

2000 - 2500 footcandles

Very easy to grow, Dendrobiums enjoy abundant light and bloom profusely.
Temperature:

70 - 90 degrees F. daytime, 60 - 65 degrees F. night.
Humidity:

40 - 65 % relative humidity is ideal
Notes:

Dendrobiums can grow quite tall with flower sprays reaching 3 - 4 feet in length budding out near the crown. Nobile types require a cool rest period in winter to initiate budding but bloom all along the length of the cane.

Cheers,
BD

[Diane]

Very easy to grow, Dendrobiums enjoy abundant light and bloom profusely.

Cheers,
BD

Unless you are like me, Diane + dends = dead plants....

[wetfeet101b]

Unless you are like me, Diane + dends = dead plants....

I think that may be attributed to the very cold-dry winters in and around the valley area. I used to work in the valley area (and no, not in "THAT" industry) and I remember the winters there get very dry that we feel like we get mummified during the walk from the parking lot to the office building.

Hard cane dendrobiums dont mind warm/hot conditions as long as they get plenty of water and air circulation. But absolutely hate cold conditions.

[Diane]

Dry - I run 2 humidifiers 24/7 and can barely keep it at 40%! And when I am on the road - forget it! But I must admit I have a delicatum in bloom right now. And it sure smells good!

[Rick Friesen]

I had 5 of these. All purchased from different places. One growing great and now blooming again. 3 passed quite suddenly, within a week, before I new what to do. Leaves wilted, turned brown, then the stalks turned brown. I uprooted the stocks to find that all 3 were in coconut husks and covered in peat moss. I then ripped out my 4th one that had already lost it's leaves but still had a green stalk. I replanted it into a ready mix orchid soil. It still has no leaves but has 3 new blosson stalks coming from it. I'm hoping to get some new growth. Don't dispare, it might just need time to rest to get over the shock of being cut. Maybe just repot in new mix to shake it up a little. Untill the stalks dry then die, its not died in my books.

[Tednz]

I think it is a good practice to repot what you buy into the mediam that works for you.
Ted