Is this a plantlet, and should I repot it??

[ngreely]

I am very new to all of this. My husband bought me my first orchid last year for Valentines Day, and to my amazement, my black thumb has kept it alive for over a year now. It has grown one new stem, currently has 2 blossoms, and 9 active buds.

At this moment, I also have 2 growths on it, at the base of the plant. They are greenish white and wrinkly, and several inches long. Are they plantlets, and should I repot them, leave them, or just get rid of them?

***Also, when I first got the plant, the label was misplaced, and I have no idea what type of orchid this is exactly?? It is from Meijer. Any other advice for me, based on the attached picture, would be great! Thank you in advance :-)

[SJF]

Are you referring to the upright growers behind the flower spikes? If so, those are aerial roots. Don't cut them off.

[ngreely]

Originally Posted by SJF

Are you referring to the upright growers behind the flower spikes? If so, those are aerial roots. Don't cut them off.

Yes, that is what I am referring to. Ok, so I should just leave them alone? But why do they grow up and out of the ground like that?? Very odd.

[SJF]

Yes, leave them alone. It is a growth habit of orchids to readh for what they need.

Here is an explanation from First Rays:
Aerial Roots

[cythaenopsis]

I think that the aerial roots not only take in moisture like other roots, but also grab onto standing objects (like tree branches/trunks) for security.

I have a cattleya that's having quite a thing with a couple of aerial roots. They've not found anything to latch onto, so they keep reaching out (it has been a year now).

[Abbie9]

Originally Posted by cythaenopsis

I think that the aerial roots not only take in moisture like other roots, but also grab onto standing objects (like tree branches/trunks) for security.

Agreed. Also, to answer your other question, you have some sort of phalaenopsis orchid here. It's basically impossible to ID which specific hybrid because phals are the most commonly grown and distributed type of orchid so there are thousands of different types, but they all need relatively the same growing conditions and care. There's a ton of phal care information on this OB if you want to know more