Orchid

[Euphemia]

My orchid has finished flowering.
Do I:

a) chuck it out?
b) trim the central stem right down?
c) do nothing and continue to water it?

[maggiebee]

Trim the central stem right down, give a wee drop of water and leave. Will grown again from the base. My orchid is now in its 3rd year.

[Zhukov]

C ..Water and feed it(it may flower again)

[Euphemia]

Thank you Maggiebee. I had grown quite fond of it so will be glad to see it flower again in the future!

[Euphemia]

Thanks to you, too, Zhukov.

[Ann]

Just be very patient, do what maggie says and you will be rewarded! You have to get used to them looking very pathetic until they flower again though, I have 4! I give mine special orchid feed available from the garden centre or Wilkinsons.

[jomifl]

Be very careful of feeding orchids, they really hardly need feeding. You are more likely to stop them from flowering if you feed them than if you do nothing at all.

[jomifl]

If it is a moth orchid (phalaenopsis hybrid)do not trim the old flower stalk if it has not withered as they usually flower again from lower down on this stalk.

[jomifl]

It will flower again but it needs to go through a cool period of a month or two to re-set its 'calendar'

[mumsie_wumsie]

I have had my orchid since April last year.After the first lot of flowers faded there was a new shoot on the same stem which produced nine more blooms. Now they have finished there is another new shoot, again on the same stem, this time there are just three blooms. But I have not yet had to cut it back, just trimmed the finished shoots. And I re-potted it into potting compost-which they say not to do-I am well pleased with this plant.

[Euphemia]

Thank you all for your helpful advice.