My orchid's flower stalk broke off: what to do?

Orchid

Orchidists occupy a special niche among houseplant enthusiasts—specialists in breeding and cultivating orchids of the most exotic colors and sizes. These flowers are capricious, demanding in care, and not always ready to delight their owners with blooms. And getting the long-awaited blooms from them requires some effort. But even here, owners of unusual flowers are in for a surprise: the long-awaited flower stalk may break off.

The main reasons for breaking flower stalks in orchids

Inexperienced orchid growers sometimes ignore the need to tie up the budding stalk and guide it in the right direction before flowering. Phalaenopsis stalks emerge from beneath the bottom leaf and can grow parallel to the floor. If they aren't tied to the support in time, they will soon break under the weight of the buds and flowers. The support is inserted into the pot as soon as the flower stalk appears and secured to the support with hooks that won't interfere with further blooming. This type of attachment not only minimizes the risk of breakage but also allows for control of the growing shoot's direction.

But there are also a number of subjective reasons for damage to flower stalks and buds. These include:

Poorly chosen location, crowded conditions. To reach each plant, you need to move the pots, and orchids don't like being disturbed. Moving pots from one place to another increases the risk of damaging the flower stalk.
Presence of pets in the house. Cats knock flower pots over, damaging leaves and stems containing buds and flowers. Pets should be kept away from orchids.

The arrow broke

If a broken flower stalk or tip is discovered, inspect the broken area. Leaving the stalk hanging by the skin alone is pointless; it will dry out anyway. Covering the wound with tape or a bandage is ineffective. The broken part is removed in any case. However, there are pruning considerations depending on the location of the injury.

If an orchid's flower stalk breaks, but there's a living bud below the damage, it will likely awaken, and the plant will send up a new shoot from that bud. After all, the phalaenopsis is already primed for bloom. It will be more modest, but it will still delight its owner. It's a different story when the flower stalk breaks off at the very base. In this case, the stalk is cut off completely; it will dry out anyway, and the grower will have to wait for the orchid to send up a new shoot.

Orchid experts believe that damaging or removing a flower stalk does not harm the plant or affect its future development. This may even be beneficial. Removing a broken stalk stimulates the plant to produce a stronger flower stalk.

Attention!

If signs of any disease are detected in an orchid, flowering is stopped artificially so that the plant has the strength to recover.

Trimming

Peduncle pruning is performed with a sharp sterilized instrument in the following cases:

Damage to the stem. If the flower stalk breaks, cut it off with a sharp, hardened instrument just above the first living bud or at the base if the stalk broke at the very bottom. Sprinkle the cut area with dry cinnamon, finely ground activated charcoal, or charcoal.
When the flower stalk has finished blooming, the cut is made above the first living bud, rising 1 cm upward.
The stalk has started to turn yellow and dry out at the top. This is the plant's way of indicating that it doesn't need the flower stalk. Pruning should be done above the lowest living bud. After a rest period, the orchid will produce a new shoot from this bud for flowering.

Breaking off a flowering branch

Beginners who encounter the problem of a broken stem for the first time don't know what to do. If an orchid's flower stalk breaks while flowers or buds are still open, cut it off with a sharp utility knife or a special tool and place it in water. A stem with open flowers can delight its owner for anywhere from two weeks to several months. The best way to prevent a flowering branch from breaking is to tie it to a support.

Orchid restoration

After damage and removal of the flower stalk, the orchid requires a certain amount of time to recover, which can last from two to six months. Most often, the recovery period is painless, and the orchid produces a new shoot with buds. However, the owner must provide the orchid with the following:

suitable temperature conditions;
lighting;
air humidity.

Bud freezing and growth stimulator

Sometimes orchid growers encounter another problem and don't know what to do. An orchid's flower stalk has partially broken, leaving one or two buds, but they're neither drying out nor developing. To stimulate their growth, use cytokinin paste. To avoid damaging the buds and instead stimulate their development, follow these steps:

A toothpick or needle is treated with alcohol.
Carefully bend back the scales covering the bud.
Apply a drop of paste to a toothpick and cover the surface of the kidney with it.
Provides a difference between night and day temperatures of 2-3 degrees.
When two shoots appear from the bud, one is removed and the cut is sprinkled with crushed activated carbon.

Attention!

Different amounts of paste used produce different results. Increasing the amount of stimulator may cause offshoots (pups) to appear or cause the bud to dry out.

Disease prevention

When growing their orchids, sometimes orchid growers encounter the complete drying of the stem left by a broken branch. To prevent the entire above-ground portion of the plant from drying out, the shoot is cut with a sharp utility knife treated with alcohol or chlorhexidine. If part of the base is affected, it is trimmed back to healthy tissue. After the procedure, the cut is allowed to dry and sprinkled with crushed activated charcoal or charcoal to prevent microbes from entering through the open wounds.

The second preventative measure for saving the plant is treating the above-ground portion of the flower with biological products. These products will not harm the plant, the owner, or pets. The following products are used for treatment:

phytosporin (alirin, gamair);
mycosan;
glycladin.

The preparations are diluted according to the instructions and applied not only to the green parts of the plant but also to the substrate in which the orchid is grown, as this is where most fungal pathogens reside. When they evaporate, they become airborne and enter open wounds. In this case, the goal is to save the flower, not to encourage the formation of a new flower shoot.

Root system resuscitation

If, as a result of the actions taken, there is no improvement in the condition of the flower, and the roots begin to rot, then:

leaves lose elasticity, wrinkle, dry out;
the plant does not hold well in the substrate and sways;
The roots lose their green color and become slimy and black.

The main cause of rot is improper watering. Proper care involves alternating periods of moisture with periods of drought. This is due to the unique structure of orchid roots, which are covered by a special layer called the velamen. Its primary function is to absorb moisture from the air and substrate, like a sponge. If there is excess moisture, poor aeration, and no drainage to remove excess water, the velamen begins to sour and decompose.

If root rot is suspected, immediately remove the orchid from its container and inspect the roots. Resuscitation procedures are carried out in several stages:

All slimy, blackened parts are removed down to healthy tissue. This can be seen by the light-colored cut. If there are any flower shoots, remove them.
The sections are disinfected and dried. A few crystals of potassium permanganate are dissolved in clean water until a pink solution is obtained.
The root system is immersed in the solution for 3 minutes.
Then the plant is laid out on a towel to dry.
The cuts are treated with cinnamon, crushed activated or charcoal, and brilliant green.
Leave for several hours until the wounds dry completely.

Growing new roots

The next step in saving an orchid is choosing the right conditions for a new root system to develop. The main goal is to stimulate the orchid to form roots. There are two fundamentally different methods:

Conditionally moist. Used when the plant has lost all its roots.
Conditionally dry. Used when some roots are preserved.

Conditionally wet method

Place watered sphagnum moss in a container or glass jar. Place the plant above it so that the base of the root collar is a few millimeters below the moss. Cover the greenhouse with a plastic bag.

Attention!

This method eliminates the need for a substrate. Orchids are suspended in closed containers with high humidity. New roots grow in the air, rather than being buried in the substrate, developing good velamen and a healthy green color. Sometimes, plant roots are grown in water, but this method is one of the least commonly used.

Conditionally dry method

This method for root growth involves using a container (or glass jar) lined with clean, dry bark. The orchid is planted in the container and covered with a lid with ventilation holes. The container is left undisturbed for 3-5 days. Next, begin watering carefully and gently around the edge of the container. After about a month, new roots will appear.

Growing containers

A wide variety of containers are suitable for creating a greenhouse. The main requirements for reviving orchids are light, ventilation, and a consistent ambient temperature. The following are used as such greenhouses:

glass jars;
5-liter bottles cut into 2 parts;
old aquariums;
food plastic containers.