The Orchid Garden

oncidium flowering spike

Question:

Onc. will not rebloom off of old spikes in my experience. Buzz

Response:

Having no experience with oncidiums, our attention concentrate in phals, we do not know what to do with the flowering spike after the flowers faded. It is still green. The plant is growing two new spikes. Should we cut it or leave as it is? Could it produce flowers again as the Phals do? Thanks. Alfredo Fontes

Response:

It would help to know what variety of Oncidium you have.  Butterfly Oncidium will rebloom on old spike but are no longer sold as Oncidium having been renamed.  I have never had an Oncidium rebloom on an old spike but I only have four kinds.  Our orchid club people said that some will and to cut them down to the first node below the bottom flower.  I am an experimenter and did it many times.  Several times a new growth started but it always shrivelled.  My conclusion is just cut it off and let the plant recoup.

Response:

a aHaving no experience with oncidiums, our attention concentrate in aphals, we do not know what to do with the flowering spike after the aflowers faded. It is still green. The plant is growing two new spikes. aShould we cut it or leave as it is? Could it produce flowers again as athe Phals do? Thanks. Alfredo Fontes

Alfredo, I wanted to get my 2 cents worth in too and thought I did but I guess my computer messed up again as it was never posted. I asked the same question when I got my first Oncidium, and some orchid club person said that sometimes it would bloom some more if I cut the spike off below the last flower. Well, five kinds of oncidiums later and experiments on all of them indicate you can forget it.  I actually had some start new side spikes, but they always withered up before they got an inch long.  I conclude it’s best to cut the whole thing off and save the plant’s energy.

Response:

Filed under: Orchid Flower

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