AboutWayne King Expertise Any question about orchid culture. I have thirty+ yrs of growing experience,president 2x of our local Orchid Growers Guild,held a position in most all other offices associated with the Guild at one time or another. Head of Orchid judging team for local club meetings and some shows. Member of two Orchid Socities and local Rep.for Mid America Orchid Congress for several yrs.I have in my collection about 800 Orchid plants of all types.
Experience
Past/Present clients Previously an expert on expertcentral.com.
Question I recently got a beautiful blooming orchid as a gift (might be a moth orchid) I left it with a friend for two weeks and returned to find the top part of the stem had been snapped off with no outlet for a blooms to occur Currently the base leaves are a healthy deep green and what's left of the stem appears to be ok How can I revive this plant
Answer Marsha, from your description, your plant appears to be healthy. Cut the flower spike off just above a node (ie joint) in the flower spike and it is possible that you may get a branch at that node that will eventually bloom. To ensure your plant thrives, it is best to repot it after each flowering in fresh orchid potting mix in a well ventilated plastic pot. In the process of unpotting your plant rinse off the roots and remove any roots that are not firm as they are dead or dying. I recommend this repotting be done after flowering for anyone who has recently purchased a plant as you don't know how long the plant has been in the current potting mix. Orchids need different treatment than regular houseplants as they come from tropical areas ehere their roots are usually exposed to the air. Finally, you may want to increase the light level as plants often are reluctant to bloom at the light levels producing dark green leaves.
