When to Cut Your Orchid

Very frequently you will happen to have an orchid that continued to grow year after year but that only ever brings forth one flowering pseudobulb. If you wish to increase the number of blooming growths, you can do so by a method of cutting with a knife 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 as follows: Take a plant that has several back pseudobulbs, say four or five. 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.
• Don't ever cut an orchid unless you are sure it is in perfect or near-perfect 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 up-to-date guide to contemporary orchid care, it is widely acknowedged, is Mr. Howard's Orchid Care Expert, which may be downloaded from the Internet. Howard's clearly written guide will provide a full immersion in the subject. Also, check out the Orchid Secrets web site, which has a growing library of information on many facets of orchid cultivation.