Dear Orchid Doc:

Where do I cut the flower spike of a Phalaenopsis/Moth orchid?

Kady

Dear Kady:

Cut three nodes up from the base of the spike.

Dear Orchid Doc:

My dendrobiums refuse to bloom. I have had them for a long time and just cannot understand why they are not blooming. I fertilise and spray them regularly but just cannot get any blooms.

Carlene

Dear Carlene:

I cannot tell you the reason, as I am not sure, but I know that dendrobiums will not bloom if they are sprayed with Champion or Kocide. One common active ingredient is copper, and apart from burning in the sun, the dendrobiums do not bloom once they have been sprayed with either of these two chemicals.

Maybe you have been using one of these?

Dear Orchid Doc

How do you make another plant from a very big orchid?

Sucheta

Dear Sucheta:

If you are speaking of Sun Vandas, make a slant cut — this prevents water from settling on top — on the main body of the orchid, allowing a minimum of three roots on the new plant. Pot as you would normally with stones mixed with coal if you wish, then put the new plant under 50 per cent shade (not too much shade).

If you are speaking of Dendrobiums, they usually put out babies much easier, eventually with roots. Separate from the parent when the babies’ roots are hard enough to be independent, then pot in stones… not too deep. Pack around the Dendrobium rather than on top of the heart, as this will cause rot. Place in about 50-60 per cent shade.

Oncidiums are easier — just take away a bulb or two, and remember not to bury too deep.

Phalaenopsis orchids usually have their babies on the spent stem. Cut off with a piece of the stem and plant in a medium of your choice, using the spent stem to anchor leaving the roots barely on top of the medium.

Dear Orchid Doc:

Do you think a hanging Vanda grows better in a plastic box? It looks too small to me; however, I see them most of the time in these boxes.

Karl

Dear Karl:

I prefer the boxes made out of wood, because the orchids seem to grow much faster in them. It might not be feasible to grow them for commercial purposes in the wooden boxes, because of the cost. However, if you are a hobbyist, you might want to try them, and to my mind they look very attractive.