Awesome! How can you tell if it is a flower spike or a new root? I can't tell the difference -- it seems like it could decide to be either until it's about an inch long and I can see if it is heading up or down.
this post was submitted on 19 Jun 2023
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Great question! I know for sure because the picture is from a couple of weeks ago and by now it's clearly a flower spike.
I had your same question when the growth was at the stage shown in the picture. I looked up how to tell the difference between flower spike and root. What I learned was that two signs of flower spike are:
- Located right below the middle of where a leaf attaches to the stem, because that's the location of a node that can become a flower spike. Roots can come from a greater variety of locations around the stem.
- Shaped like a mitten, in other words the growth is slightly asymmetric. I believe the thumb is a forming node and the fingers part is where the spike will continue growing. The mitten shape is not present in this image, it developed a day or two later. In contrast, a developing root is fully symmetric/round.
There may be other signs too or these may be incorrect, please share if you know them!
Thank you! I have only seen 3 flower spikes so far (1 a year for 3 yrs) so this will be helpful next time one appears. Ours so far has started what ended up being flower spikes each time in Jan/Feb so around that time we get very excited on any growth :)
I know what you mean! To be honest I get pretty excited about new roots too haha, all new growth is exciting
Nice! I haven't been able to get my orchids to rebloom yet. I'll probably need to stick them in a kitchen cabinet or something overnight to get the temperature right but I'm always afraid I'll forget them.
I haven't ever gotten them to re-bloom on purpose. I just keep them around for years and periodically they do. Some re-bloom much more often than others. I got a few orchid books out of the library recently to take a more informed approach. It seems like many different factors can influence re-blooming and that it depends on the genus/species. Temperature changes like you mentioned, also day length, amount of light, even pressure changes with the weather! Good luck with your orchids.