help a newbie

[teshurtz]

ok so i am copleatly new to orchids and this forum, its safe to assume i know absolutely nothing. i am trying to find out.
A. what kind of orchid i have
B. how to best take care of it
C what the tings circled in one of the pictures are (i think the blue circle is a root of some sort and the red possibly a new branch like thing the flowers grow on)

http://www.et.byu.edu/~alorarp/base.JPG
http://www.et.byu.edu/~alorarp/leaves.JPG
http://www.et.byu.edu/~alorarp/whole.JPG

also i think it flowered before i got it and they have fallen off, what do i do with the branch coming up if anything.

any help you could give would be great
thanks

[Cookiemonster]

Hello there!
I thought i'd give you a hand.
That red circle is on a spike- where more potential buds or keikis may come, the blue circle is on the roots!

To best take care of it- I would first recommend takign it out of the pot and inspecting the roots, to see what is going on downstairs.
Check the roots, check the medium and look for buggies. I highly recommend if your planning on getting into orchids for the long-haul to have like a mini saftey pack of supplies on hand, makes it easier
I'd recommend some safers soap, new potting medium and a clear pot (you can see whats going on inside).
Spray the plant with the safers soap making sure nothing is sitting in the crown- phals rot with water sitting in this region, after spraying put it in your clear pot with some medium and your off to go.

There are a million ways to do this right-
Sphagnum moss is great if your conditions are somewhat dry and dont want to water often-

If you need any other recs, post up!

[camille1585]

Yes you're right, the blue is roots and the red is a brand new spike!! In around 100 days or so,(more or less, depending on the temperature), you will have lots of new blooms.

As for the old spike, you can cut it off if you like, it's a matter of personal preference.

[learning2letgo]

To expand upon what Cookiemonster was saying about the red circle, the small, green stub could be a new growth for a blooming spike or it could be a keiki. A keiki, which is the Hawaiian term for a baby, is a root of the plant that grows on the stem on various orchids and once it reaches several inches in length, it can be removed (with a clean, sterilized blade) to propagate a new plant identical to what you have now.

The orchid species you have is called a phalaenopsis and they are quite easy to maintain and are prolific bloomers when in their blooming cycle I have four of these in my collection of nine orchids, so far anyways. It could expand any day! LOL...

You may also hear your orchid referred to as a moth orchid, which is just another term to identify the species. I've given you a link below to a simple sheet to answer any of your primary questions about the plant:

http://www.orchids.org/culture/phalsBeginner.pdf

Keep a good check on your plant and make sure it is well watered, but do not overwater it. Most people think that orchids are hard to grow, but that is just a misnomer. Most people tend to overwater, thus killing the plant. I would highly recommend that you visit the American Orchid Society homepage for reference materials, as I have found their site to be chock full of great and helpful resources!

AOS | Home

If you have any other questions, just post something and we'll respond. We may not all have an answer for you, but we'll try to give you our best opinion! Best of luck with your new 'chid

[camille1585]

I still think it's a spike, getting keikis from there is pretty rare unless the plant is in bad shape. The nubbin even has the typical spike muffin shape, and seems to light in color to be a keiki.

[learning2letgo]

Random thought, but you may very well be right... I've never had my phals produce a keiki, but it's not too far from the realm of possibility though, right?

[quiltingwacko]

Looks like it has been well taken care of so far. A happy phaleonopsis. Enjoy having it. They are so beautiful when they bloom! Welcome to the board.

[quiltergal]

Originally Posted by learning2letgo

Random thought, but you may very well be right... I've never had my phals produce a keiki, but it's not too far from the realm of possibility though, right?

Phals throw two different types of Keikis. The most common type are the ones that grow from an old flower spike. Basal Keikis are the other type and are not as common. They usually grow up from the base beside the mother plant. They rarely come up between the leaves. Normally a Phal will only throw a basal Keiki if the mother plant becomes sick or damaged in some way. What we're seeing in the original poster's photos is a new spike developing.

Prepare to enjoy flowers, and welcome to OB! BTW, I would cut off the old spike. It will look nicer when your new spike blooms.