My Orchid is growing everything at once! Need Advice!

[cnwel]

Hi everyone!!
I am new to the forum but I was hoping to get some advice from some experienced orchid care takers...I recently bought an orchid and it was in the later stage of blooming. Its last blooms recently fell of when I noticed a new leaf coming in..a few days later when I was preparing to trim it back back like I had read one should do after the blooms fall off I notcied new buds already on the old stem AND a new spike coming in! So I don't know if I should still trim it back to allow for the new spike and leaf to thrive or should allow it to bloom again?! I also read that one should re-pot after you purchase a new and and its blooms fall? Just need some advice guys! Trying to learn all I can

Thanks!

[kiwiorchids]

It doesnt really matter, but for presentation purposes, it is always more tidy if you snip off the old spike I would do this, however hard it can be to snip it off, but thats what i would do. Let the new spike grow
As for the repot, only do it if you need to. You will know when it is time, if the plastic (i assume its in a plastic pot?) doesnt yield easily when you gently squeeze the pot, and if there are roots bulging everywhere-also, if its a store orchid, its a good idea after blooming (do this after the new spike has bloomed) to pull the plant from the pot and check for any rotting of the roots etc, stores and garden centres dont know how to properly water the orchids and give them too much, too often and they also tend to let them sit in water-which most apart from Disa orchids, absolutely HATE

[opaline]

Hi cnwel. I am presuming you have within your care a 'phalaenopsis' - moth orchid based on your information though could apply to many diff spec and hybr. Will stick with phal for this post. If it were me I would cut/ remove old spike inch close to plant crown. This is purely because the mass international widespread of crosses etc of phals is huge. Label?. May very well be an un named plant, with only houseplant or orchiae or just Phalaenopsis itself as its name. NOID - no identification. All the colours and patterns around are enough to capture many peoples attention and tghe mass hybridisation serves the demand very well.

Likely to be a young plant 3-5 leaves forced into flower. Common for phals to rebloom from node on cut spike, sometimes kikies (babies). Being young it will be better putting effort intoits vegative state leaves and roots - hi nitrogen feed weakly dosed., Phals need cooler nights and roots must have air circulation or rot will occur. Green roots mean hydrated, silver/grey- wants water and brown - rot.

[cnwel]

Oh yes I forgot to mention it is a moth orchid(phalaenopsis) with 6 leaves(so relatively young) and a seventh coming in. So I should go ahead and trim back the old spike even though it has new buds coming in on it? The roots look great, good green color with no rot. I'm fine working on the vegetative state if thats whats best for the over all health and longevity of the plant! Also: I am very interested in learning more...

[kiwiorchids]

Like i said, the spikes dont really take much from the plant, and they wont affect its longevity at all, since they are heavy feeders. Cutting the old one however, will make the plant push the energy it was using for the old spike, into the new spike. It is also so much tidier!

[Orkidea]

If the plant looks otherwise healthy, I'd let it bloom. True that the plant may look unruly for a while but you can cut the stems back after it has bloomed. Enjoy the flowers!

[tucker85]

I know you're getting conflicting advice but I think that's because there isn't a right or wrong thing to do at this point. For me, if a plant is in bud or bloom, I leave it alone and let it do whatever it wants to. The only exception is when the potting medium looks really deteriorated or broken down. In that case it will hold too much water and the result will be root rot. So if that's the case I repot even if they're blooming. By the way, I've repotted phals that are in bloom and often they continue to bloom without missing a beat, but not always. Good luck.

[opaline]

I know you're getting conflicting advice but I think that's because there isn't a right or wrong thing to do.

There couldnt be a more fair point than this!. With many issues in relation to culture of orchids, opinions will ride alongside advice and varying experiences will flow adjacent to facts. If anything all we can do when we make enquiries is to compile all the information we recieve and apply as applicable to our individual grow environment as very few are the same. Many many factors intertwine in different measures at different times whereby submitting information and results to a chart would serve little use to us personally apart from a snippet of statistical analysis if we so wish to collect it.

Our decisions and choices can be ltd and are often dictated by scientific demands but our individual success will come only from our own trials and errors whether aesthetic or biologically viable. While abiding to various factors essential for the hobby, there would be very little pleasure and satisfaction in growing orchids if it were so clinical. My motivation lies purely with the achievements possible and the one remaining key that i would perish without - the freedom to fail - i still enjoyed caring for it. Try again next time!. If one chooses to run before they can walk then one must accept the risk, financially however many of our attitudes and approaches are moulded by this.......................................well most of the time.!

[orchids^_^]

Jordan and the others said it, I would snip of the old spike and let the energy flow to the new spike, but it you want more flowers, you can keep the old spike as well. It your choice.
Good Luck!
Alex