Question
Dear Mr. Kawasaki,


I was given an orchid this summer and it was in full bloom. Well it had a few buds, anyway I抦 not sure of its species. It抯 flowers were white with gorgeous purple 搕ye-dye?like spot coloring throughout - beautiful!  

However, once the flowers had completely dried up and dropped off (about 2 weeks ago), I noticed that on the ends of the stems, or the tips of the stem (3 total) are also drying up.  

The three stems are growing from one branch and they look like a fork. The stem tips look so brittle - what shall I do? Shall I cut them? Is it sick? Please advise. The leaves look very happy. They are erect, thick and perfectly green. They seem to like being sprayed with water quite a lot.

Also I have another orchid that the entire branch has turned light brown - is it dead. Can I revive it?  Thank you!
  
Regards,

Andrea  

Answer
Hello Andrea,

First, I'd like to apologize for taking so long to respond to your questions.  

Both of your orchids flower stems are dying back now that the flowers have fallen off.  You have the choice of leaving them alone or cutting them off.  If you choose to cut them off, cut them off as low as you safely can without injuring the orchid.  

I would caution you about spraying the orchids.  While most orchids can benefit from spraying or misting, it is best to do this only in the mornings to ensure no water droplets are left on them overnight.  Why?  Water left on the plants can be a prime breeding environment for fungus which, if left unchecked, can cause a slow death of your orchids.  To check for the presence of fungus, look for evidence of black sooty spots or areas on the leafs, especially at the base of the leaves where they are attached to the plant.  If you catch it within a day or two of fungus starting to grow, you can simply wipe it away with a damp cloth.  If you are unable to remove all of the fungus, try putting a little powdered cinnamon on the area.  Yes, that's right, powdered cinnamon that is used for baking.  Cinnamon has some natural anti-fungal abilities and can minimize further damage caused by the fungus.  

Lastly, both of your orchids sound like they are fine, only the flowering stems have died after flowering.  Keep up the good work with them and they should produce a new stem next year and reward your loving care with flowers.  

Hope this has helped.  Good luck and good growing.

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.