Who doesn’t love having a   beautiful plant   on a piece of furniture or a windowsill in the house? Orchids are fascinating, exotic and sophisticated plants that decorate the interior of our homes. However, in most cases, they require a certain level of care to survive and thrive in our homes.

One of the first important things to do is pruning  , which takes place after flowering and allows the plant to gain strength for the next buds.

Orchids – Source: spm

Why circumcise?

Pruning orchids helps plants avoid disease and encourage new blooms. Once the weaker and more damaged parts are removed, the plant will focus on growing the others, and removing dead tissue will prevent pests or fungi from taking hold.

When?

Pruning is done after flowering. Home-grown orchids usually bloom once a year, but the buds can bloom twice under the right conditions.

How ?

The first condition is that the tools used are well disinfected: wash your hands well and if you use gloves, also rinse them and wash them with disinfectant. Above all, the blades of garden shears must be carefully cleaned and sterilized: you can rub them with isopropyl or ethyl alcohol, or even hold them over a flame for long seconds (and use them only when they are very cold), or both.

You can work on stems, leaves and even roots

Stems:   Look at the various flower-bearing stems that then branch off from the main stem. The green ones that feel firm and hard should not be touched unless they are bearing buds. Look for the node under the lowest flower and cut just above it (less than an inch above the node). This is a way to encourage the production of new flowers on that stem. On the other hand, if they are brown and dry, lacking texture and wrinkled, then remove them completely, leaving just a few inches at the top.

Leaves:   Dead leaves usually fall off on their own, but you can help them by pulling on them very gently or cutting them off with a sharp blade. You should also intervene if they appear diseased to prevent the disease from spreading to the rest of the plant.

Roots:   This is the intervention you should avoid unless you are sure of your skills or have gained some experience. Orchids are epiphytic plants that have aerial roots, so we often see them leave the pots and emerge from the substrate. You should never touch them because they help the plant absorb nutrients and if you cut them you expose the specimen to diseases and various problems. If you want to reduce the root system, you can only do it with perfectly sterilized utensils and you can only cut a small percentage of the roots.