Cut Your Orchid -- and Achieve More Blooms

Quite often 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 would like to multiply the number of blooming growths, you might be able to do so by using a method of cutting 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. Cut the rhizome in two between the bulbs, being careful 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 again enter their growing phase you may then observe them producing two growths from one pseudobulb where you have cut it.
• You should not cut an orchid that is in less than optimum health. Cutting, as outlined above, will not hurt a healthy orchid, but could prove too stressful to one that is sickly.
• 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 complete guide to today's orchid cultivation, in the opinion of many, is Mr. Howard's Orchid Care Expert, which can be downloaded from the Internet. Howard's wonderful guide constitutes a complete education all to itself. And, you will find it suitable for those just starting out as well as more seasoned orchid growers. Also, check out the Orchid Secrets web site, which features a growing library of articles on many facets of orchid cultivation.