Pruning and Cutting Orchids — Tools, Technique, and Disease Management

Cutting orchids is one of those tasks where the right tool and the right technique matter more than most growers realise. Done well, it's clean, fast, and poses minimal disease risk. Done poorly — with blunt scissors, kitchen shears, or without disinfecting between plants — it's one of the most reliable ways to spread viral and fungal problems through a collection.

What you're cutting and why it matters

The most common cutting tasks in orchid growing are removing spent flower spikes, trimming aerial roots, cutting back dead or damaged pseudobulbs, and dividing plants at repotting. Each requires a clean cut that closes quickly and presents minimal surface area for infection.

Orchids don't have a vascular system that seals as quickly as many other plants. A ragged or crushed cut stays open longer, and in humid conditions that's an invitation for Fusarium, Botrytis, and other common pathogens. A clean, sharp cut minimises this window.

The right tool for orchid cutting

Dedicated orchid snips — small, spring-loaded, stainless steel — are the correct tool for almost all orchid cutting work. The pointed tip allows precise access between tightly packed growths, the spring action keeps the jaws open between cuts reducing hand fatigue, and stainless steel tolerates regular disinfection without corroding.

What not to use: kitchen scissors (too large, often corrode), secateurs (designed for woody stems, can crush orchid tissue), nail scissors (too small and difficult to sterilise), and anything that's been used on other plants without disinfecting.

Disinfecting between plants

This is the step most hobbyist growers skip, and the one that matters most in a mixed collection. Viruses in particular — Cymbidium Mosaic Virus, Odontoglossum Ringspot Virus — are transmitted on cutting tools. A single cut on an infected plant followed by a cut on a healthy one is enough for transmission.

The standard approach is isopropyl alcohol (70–90%) or a 10% bleach solution. Wipe the blades, allow a few seconds of contact time, then proceed. Flame sterilisation (lighter or gas burner) is effective but slower and risks tempering the steel if done repeatedly. For a large repotting session, having two pairs of snips and alternating between them — one soaking in solution while you use the other — is the most practical system.

If you suspect a plant is infected, cut it last, or use a disposable blade and discard it.

Removing spent spikes

Cut spent spikes as close to the base as practical without cutting into the pseudobulb or rhizome. Leaving a long stub invites rot and looks untidy. For Phalaenopsis, the common advice is to cut above a node to encourage reblooming — this is correct for Phalaenopsis but not applicable to most other genera, where the spike should be removed entirely.

For Cymbidium, wait until the spike has fully finished — all flowers dropped and the spike beginning to yellow — before cutting. Cutting early can stress the plant and occasionally triggers a stress response that reduces flowering the following season.

Trimming roots

Trim dead or damaged roots at repotting with clean snips. Dead roots are usually brown, hollow, and collapse when pressed. Cut back to healthy tissue — firm, white or green, with some resistance. Don't over-trim healthy roots; they're essential for establishment in the new medium.

For mounted plants, aerial roots that have grown away from the mount and into open air are functional — leave them. Trimming active aerial roots on mounts is usually counterproductive.

Products

We stock stainless steel orchid snips in the Orchid Supplies range, available as a single or twin pack.