Pruning an orchid makes a lot of people nervous. Orchids feel delicate and like you could make a costly mistake. Plus the advice available online is usually not that helpful, even contradicting itself at times – cut the spike back, do not cut the spike back, cut to a node, cut to the base, leave the roots alone, remove the dead roots etc.
It’s easy to end up doing nothing because you’re worried you’ll do something wrong. And thats how orchids get dead brown spikes and tangled roots that haven’t been touched in years.
But really orchid pruning is straightforward. It does depend on what you goal is though. Are you looking to get a second bloom from a spike, or maybe removing a finished spike to let the plant to rest? Both are every different from something like tidying up dead roots when you’re repotting.
Each of these has a best approach and what you have to know is which situation you are in before picking up the scissors.
This guide will take you through every reason for wanting to prune your orchid and look at when to prune and when to leave well alone, how to deal with spent flower spikes for different orchid types, removing the dead and damaged tissue without damaging the plant, how to get a second bloom, the tools and hygiene to stop diseases spreading and what to do after you’ve pruned to help with recovery.
Quick Answer
- Remove Spent Flower Spikes: Cut the spike down to the base if it turns brown or just above a node if it’s still green.
- Trim Dead Roots: Take the plant out of its pot and cut away any soft or dark roots to keep the plant healthy.
- Use Clean Tools: Always sterilize your scissors or whatever you’re using to cut your orchid before pruning it to stop any diseases or infections from spreading.
When to Prune and When to Leave it Alone
The first and most important decision is whether you need to prune at all. Cutting your orchid when you don’t need to puts it at risk of getting an infection. And if you cut at the wrong time it can even stop it from reblooming when it would have if you’d just waited.
So understanding when to prune and when it’s better to leave things alone is really the starting point for pruning your orchid. It’ll save you mistakes and problems later on.
Prune When:
- A flower spike is completely finished and starting to turn yellow or brown. Once all the flowers have dropped and the spike is clearly dying you know it’s done. Removing it at this point will send the plant’s energy to the roots and growing leaves instead of the dead spike.
- You want to encourage a second bloom from a Phalaenopsis spike that is still green. A green spike has specific nodes where a new branch and flowers can grow from if you cut at the right point.
- A spike, leaf or root is dead, rotten or obviously diseased. Dead tissue is at best going to be draining resources from your orchid and at worst could become a fungal or bacterial infection. Remove it quickly.
- You are repotting and can get to the roots. Repotting is the best time to remove any dead or rotten roots that would otherwise have stayed in the growing medium and could be a place where pathogens grow.
- A leaf has sustained physical damage. Removing the damaged part or the whole leaf stops the damage from becoming a place where pathogens can get into the orchid.
Do Not Prune When:
- The plant is in flower. Pruning a plant in active bloom stresses it and can cause flower drop. Wait until the flowers have run their natural course.
- A Phalaenopsis spike is still green and you are not specifically trying to encourage a second branch. A green spike still has the potential to produce more buds from its tip or to branch from a node. Cutting it when it is still green will waste that potential.
- You are unsure whether a root is dead or dormant. Some roots that look dead are just resting. A dead root will become brown, hollow and very dry over time but a dormant root will start to show green tip growth when the conditions improve.
- The plant is already stressed. A plant recovering from root rot, having recently been repotted or stress from its environment does not need to deal with pruning at the same. Let it get stable before you start.
Pruning Spent Flower Spikes
Deciding whether to cut a spike after it’s bloomed is probably the question most people have when it comes to pruning. The way you do it for a Phalaenopsis is different from a Cattleya or a Dendrobium because how they flower and their biology is very different.
Phalaenopsis: Three Options Depending on Spike Condition
Phalaenopsis flower spikes are unique as they can produce secondary branches and a second round of flowers from the same spike – but only if the spike is still green and healthy when the first flush finishes. This means you have three different situations:
The spike is still green: It has the potential to bloom again. You can cut to a node to encourage a side branch (see the reblooming section below) or leave it intact to continue growing from its tip which may produce more buds on its own.
The spike is turning yellow but not yet brown: Less chance of reblooming. If it’s just starting to go yellow then it’s probably worth trying to cut a node. If it’s significantly yellow throughout then cut back to within 2 to 3cm of the base.
The spike is brown and dead: No chance of reblooming sadly. Cut the spike back to within 2-3cm of the base.
Cattleya and Allied Genera
Cattleyas, Brassavolas, Laelia hybrids and related genera flower from sheaths that emerge at the top of new pseudobulbs. Once the flowers are finished and the spike is spent remove it at the base.
These genera do not produce secondary spikes from the same pseudobulb. Any new flowers will come from new pseudobulbs in the following growing season. Leaving the spent spike doesn’t help and may be a place where fungal or bacterial infections can start.
Dendrobium: Varies by Species Group
Dendrobium is a large genus with a wide range of flowering habits. Warm growing Dendrobiums produce new spikes from the same canes year after year – remove only the spent spike, not the cane it came from.
Cool growing deciduous Dendrobiums (nobile types) flower along the length of mature canes. After these canes have flowered once or twice the older canes can be removed at the base – usually after three or four seasons. Young, healthy canes should always be left regardless of whether they have flowered this season.
Oncidium Alliance
Oncidiums, Miltonias, Brassias and their hybrids produce flower spikes from mature pseudobulbs. Once the spike is spent remove it completely. Leave the pseudobulbs intact though even after they have flowered as they help with photosynthesis and support the plant for a few more years.
Cymbidium
Once the last flower drops and the Cymbidium spike begins to deteriorate cut it at the base. Cymbidiums flower from new pseudobulbs so spent spikes can’t rebloom.
Old pseudobulbs can be removed and used for propagation or got rid of once they are past their useful life. This is usually after three or four seasons when they will have shrunk and have no leaves.
Pruning Dead and Damaged Leaves
Pruning leaves is easier than pruning spikes because the decision is straightforward – a dead or diseased leaf needs to come off. The things you have to consider are knowing when to take the whole leaf or just the damaged part and in making the cut in a way that doesn’t leave a ragged edge that can lead to infections.
Removing a Whole Leaf
Remove the leaf when it is completely yellow and dead, when its showing signs of rot or disease through most of the leaf or when any damage has affected more than a third of the leaf. Grab the leaf near its base and pull down and slightly out with a firm but smooth motion.
Many orchid leaves, especially on Phalaenopsis, come away from the stem this way without needing to cut. If the leaf does not detach with gentle pulling use scissors to cut as close to the base as possible without cutting into the main stem. Let the cut or point where it came away dry out in the air for a few hours before any moisture comes in to contacts with it.
Removing Only the Damaged Part
When only the tip or edge of a leaf is brown and the rest is healthy trim just the damaged part rather than removing the whole leaf. Cut with scissors following the natural curve of the leaf instead of cutting straight across – this looks more natural.
Cut into the healthy tissue slightly rather than right at the point between brown and green. Do not remove more than about a third of the leaf this way; if more than that is affected then just get rid of the whole leaf.
Cold and Physical Damage
Leaves damaged from the cold should be kept an eye on rather than removed immediately. Wait on the damage over a few days before cutting as the extent of cold damage sometimes spreads slightly after it happened.
Remove either parts or all of leaf once the damage has clearly stopped getting any worse using scissors and cutting into the healthy tissue. Dust the cut edge with powdered cinnamon if there is any risk of infection getting in through the wound.
Pruning Dead and Damaged Roots
Root pruning is best done when you’re repotting your orchid or when you can get to the roots and see the whole picture. Pruning roots on an orchid still in its pot is rarely necessary and if you do you’ll possibly damage the healthy roots you can’t see.
Identifying Roots That Need Removing
- Healthy roots: White to pale green firm and intact. Leave them alone.
- Actively growing roots: White with bright green tips. Leave completely alone – they are the most valuable roots the plant has.
- Dormant roots: White without green tips, slightly less plump. Leave these too – they will resume activity when the conditions are right.
- Clearly dead roots: Brown throughout, hollow or dry. Remove entirely.
- Rotten roots: Soft, brown to black, often with a nasty smell. Remove them completely cutting back into healthy white tissue.
- Roots with dried tips only: White along most of them with brown and dry tips. Remove only the dead tip part, not the whole root.
After Root Pruning
Dust all the areas you’ve cut with powdered cinnamon or powdered sulphur. Let the roots dry in a clean spot for one to two hours before being repotted. This lets the cut to begin callusing which means there’s less risk of fungal or bacterial infection getting in through the fresh wounds.
Pruning to Encourage a Second Bloom
This section is specifically for Phalaenopsis – the only commonly grown orchid that reliably produces a second bloom from the same spike.
How to Make the Cut
Count the nodes up the spike from the base. Find a node with green tissue around it, usually between the third and fifth node from the base.
Make a horizontal cut just above the node – about 1cm above it, not directly through the node itself, which would damage the tissue. The cut should be made with a single clean pass. Dust the cut end immediately with powdered cinnamon to reduce the risk of infection.
What to Expect
A new branch will begin to show within four to eight weeks if the node is going to activate – a small pointed growth coming from the node. It then takes another eight to twelve weeks for that branch to develop buds and come into flower.
The secondary bloom is often slightly smaller than the primary one – fewer flowers, sometimes slightly smaller blooms – because the plant is working from an already spent spike.
When to Choose Base Removal Instead
If the plant’s leaves look thin or pale, the roots are in poor health or the plant has not been repotted in years then better to let it rest and recover than being pushed through another bloom cycle from the same spike. A well rested plant in fresh compost with healthy roots will produce a better primary bloom the following season than a weakened plant squeezed for a secondary bloom this season.
Tools, Hygiene, and Technique
You don’t need much in the way of equipment when it comes to pruning orchids but what it does require – clean cutting tools that are sterilized – matters more than with most other plants. Orchid viruses spread through contaminated tools like scissors and just one unsterilised blade that comes into contact with an infected plant that’s used to cut a healthy one can transmit a virus with no cure.
The Right Tools
- Clean, sharp scissors or secateurs: Sharp blades make clean cuts that heal faster and are less likely to become infected.
- A sterilising solution: Either 70% isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol or a 10% bleach solution should be used on the blade between every cut. Isopropyl alcohol is faster and won’t corrode any metal tools.
- Powdered cinnamon: A natural antifungal that can be dusted onto the surfaces of cuts after you’ve prunes to reduce risks of infection.
- Clean gloves: Not strictly needed but can be useful as the sap from orchids can cause irritation in some people.
Sterilising Between Plants
If you’re pruning more than one orchid in one go then sterilise whatever tool you’re cutting with between every plant – not just between every cut on the same plant. Cymbidium Mosaic Virus and Odontoglossum Ringspot Virus are the two most common orchid viruses and both spread very easily on cutting tools and can’t be cured.
The few seconds it takes to wipe the blade with alcohol before moving on to the next plant is definitely worth it when you think about the health of your whole collection.
Making Clean Cuts
Always cut with a single clean motion rather than a sawing. For smaller cuts (leaf tips, node cuts on spikes etc.) scissors are fine. But for bigger cuts on thicker tissue (pseudobulb removal, thick roots) secateurs with a bypass action will give you cleaner cuts.
Anvil type secateurs – where one blade crushes against a flat plate – are not the right tool for pruning orchids. Try to time it so you do the cuts in the morning if possible as the wound then has time to develop calluses during the warmer part of the day before the cooler temperatures in the evening.
Aftercare Following Pruning
What you do in the days and weeks after pruning will have a big impact on how well the plant recovers and whether the cut stays healthy.
Immediately After Pruning
Let the cut dry in the air. So put it somewhere that has good amounts of air flowing for a few hours. Do not water the plant straight after after making cuts. If you’ve used cinnamon on the surfaces of cuts then let it dry in place.
Hold Off on Fertilising
Don’t fertilize for two to four weeks after you’ve pruned, particularly root pruning during repotting. Freshly cut root surfaces are more vulnerable to getting burnt by fertiliser than established roots and the roots are in recovery mode rather than absorbing nutrients. Resume feeding once you see the signs of growth again – that is new root tips showing green, new leaf growth from the crown or a new spike.
Look for Infection
Check the cuts every day for the first week after pruning. Healthy healing looks like the cut surface gradually get drier and forming a slightly callused seal.
An unhealthy progress will look like the tissue around the cut getting softer and darker or becoming water soaked – signs that a bacterial or fungal infection is developing. If you see these signs then you have to act straightaway: cut further back into the healthy tissue with a sterilised blade, dust it with cinnamon or apply fungicide and make sure the plant is somewhere that gets good amounts of air flowing around it.
Adjust Watering After Root Pruning
After you’ve pruned a lot of your orchid then it ability to take up water is temporarily reduced. So water sparingly in the first two to three weeks, lettinf the growing medium dry more than usual between waterings.
Overwatering a plant with a compromised root system will only make the problem that you were pruning for in the first place even worse. As new roots develop and the plant returns to active growth you can gradually return to your normal watering schedule.
Expect a Temporary Pause in Growth
Most orchids pause the growth you can see at the top for a period after significant pruning while it’s resources are used for healing. For spike cuts on Phalaenopsis, the pause is around two to four weeks.
After root pruning and repotting the pause may be four to eight weeks before new root tips are visible and the plant returns to growing leaves again. Give the plant stable conditions and time. The return to active growth is the best sign that recovery is complete.
I pruned the roots of a badly overwatered Dendrobium several years ago – cut away about two thirds of the roots that had completely rotted – and it looked awful for almost eight weeks. So much so I thought it was dead.
Then a tiny new root tip appeared at the base, then a new growth and that plant is still alive today, still giving me flowers each year. So always give it time.
Quick Reference by Orchid Type
- Phalaenopsis: Green spike – cut to a node for secondary bloom or to the base for rest. Brown or dead spike – cut to within 2 to 3cm of the base. Dead leaves – pull down at base or cut close. Dead roots – remove only when you’re repotting.
- Cattleya and allies: Remove the spent spike at base after its bloomed. Leave pseudobulbs intact unless they’re clearly dead. Remove dead roots as you’re repotting.
- Dendrobium (warm-growing): Remove spent spike only, not the cane. Leave all the canes unless completely dead.
- Dendrobium (cool-growing, nobile type): Remove spent spike only. Older canes that aren’t doing anything can be removed at base after multiple seasons.
- Oncidium alliance: Remove the spent spike completely at the base. Leave pseudobulbs. Remove dead back bulbs after a few seasons.
- Cymbidium: Remove spent spike at the base. Remove clearly dead back bulbs. Divide congested plants when repotting by separating pseudobulb clusters with at least three healthy pseudobulbs each.
The rules that apply for all types: sterilise your cutting tools between every plant, dust significant cuts with cinnamon, let any cut surfaces dry in the air before you water again and hold off fertilising for a few weeks after you’ve pruned the roota. Those principles apply regardless of which orchid you are working with.
Once you have done it a few times pruning your orchid stops being something you’ll be nervously about and becomes 2nd nature as well as something you do as part of the regular care. The plants are a lot tougher than they look.
