New spike Question

[ttwhoizdat]

Hello everyone! One of my blooms is done flowering. There is a new spike emerging and I cut the old steam off at the joint above the new spike. Are there any tips that you can recomend that will help this new spike continue to grow? My fear is that after cutting the whole spike will dry up.

There is an image attached. Thank you all

[Susie11]

Well done on the branching!! As for care, keep on doing what you have been doing as it is obviously working for you.

[Abbie9]

Cutting the old part of the spike should not have any negative effect on the new growth; in fact, it should help the plant direct more energy into the branch instead of trying to keep the older part alive.

[Stray59]

Wow - your support branch looked like the spike! I thought the "new growth bud" you were asking about was the various branches on your support, until I saw you had used a tree branch to support the spike! It looks cool but was a little hard to see which "bud" you were talking about at first! (If you do use branches like this, just be sure to sterilize the tree branch before you stick it in the soil, just to avoid contamination/infection!)
Many times members of the phalae family will branch after initial flowering and will send up one or more new blooming shoots. A lot depends on the health of the plant itself and yours looks very healthy, so I am going to say that the new bud will probably go ahead and form a new branch, but it is hard to predict this with any certainty.
Are you asking for something like a fertilizer or paste you can apply to induce the bud to form a new branch? If so, I don't know of any, but maybe someone out there does, so wait for more input.
Best of luck with it - again, you have a very healthy looking plant, so I would think the flower spike will form in time. It is really up to the individual plant.
Have a great day!
Steve
P.S. - genetics also plays a part in the branching habits of these plants, with some varieties more prone to branching and reblooming than others.

[ttwhoizdat]

Originally Posted by Stray59

Wow - your support branch looked like the spike! I thought the "new growth bud" you were asking about was the various branches on your support, until I saw you had used a tree branch to support the spike! It looks cool but was a little hard to see which "bud" you were talking about at first! (If you do use branches like this, just be sure to sterilize the tree branch before you stick it in the soil, just to avoid contamination/infection!)
Many times members of the phalae family will branch after initial flowering and will send up one or more new blooming shoots. A lot depends on the health of the plant itself and yours looks very healthy, so I am going to say that the new bud will probably go ahead and form a new branch, but it is hard to predict this with any certainty.
Are you asking for something like a fertilizer or paste you can apply to induce the bud to form a new branch? If so, I don't know of any, but maybe someone out there does, so wait for more input.
Best of luck with it - again, you have a very healthy looking plant, so I would think the flower spike will form in time. It is really up to the individual plant.
Have a great day!
Steve
P.S. - genetics also plays a part in the branching habits of these plants, with some varieties more prone to branching and reblooming than others.

Thank you for your reply Steve! I am happy to hear my phal is in good shape! I am hoping the rest of my phals continue to be as healthy as this one

[The Orchid Kid]

Might it also branch above that bud too? If so, maybe don't cut anything off until the top most bits start to die off and have no chance of branching?