Tiny Dracula Lotax Spike? - Orchid Board

RandomGemini · #1 11-05-2013, 11:44 AM

I love this dracula lotax! I really have to thank the OB members who suggested I try it. It's growing like crazy for me. There's new stuff all over the place and I love to get up in the morning and see if anything new happened overnight. I'm finding new leaves and new roots all the time! I LOVE this orchid.

Help a gal out here. I think that it may have a spike, but it's so tiny and I can't get a good angle of it with the macro lens on my phone. This is the best shot I could get.

I'm so excited about all of the growth on this orchid that I don't want to get my hopes too high.

It does have one older spike on it already, that it came home with, I'm not sure if I should remove it, I haven't seen any new growth from it in the month I've had it and it's brown, but I recall being told not to cut the spikes on draculas. It has several new leaves coming up on it, those get pretty obvious pretty fast, but this little guy is so thin and tiny... it's just not quite the same.

It's probably a leaf too. LOL!

If you have pics of a dracula spike, not in bloom, would you please share those? That would be so helpful!

RandomGemini · #2 11-05-2013, 03:53 PM

Anybody?

It's the skinny little green thing that's sticking up in the center of the photo and angled slightly to the left.

ronaldhanko · #3 11-05-2013, 04:01 PM

I'd say new growth, but could be wrong. Spikes tend to come more or less straight out.

RandomGemini · #4 11-05-2013, 04:19 PM

Thanks! The growths on this plant are so small that it's hard for me to tell what's leaf and what's not. I wish I could get my macro lens in there closer, but I don't want to damage any leaves by spreading them apart to get the shot.

I think it was you who told me to try this one Ron, thank you! It doesn't even have any blooms and it makes me smile just looking at it. I'm wanting a couple more draculas now.

TOMMYMIAMI · #5 11-05-2013, 04:41 PM

I would say growth also, at least this is how my growths look like when I had this one. Spikes are very tiny thin black stick, but they never grew to open for me in our heat:-)

RandomGemini · #6 11-05-2013, 09:14 PM

Thanks Tommy. There is one spike on this plant, you can just barely see it in the background of the photo. It's just as you describe, a thin black stick. From what I have found on the internet, dracula lotax does have green spikes when they start to grow. I think that the spike remaining on the plant may be done doing it's thing, but I'm not sure I want to cut it, because I don't know if it will bloom from that spike again or not. It doesn't seem dried out at all. Just dark in color.

TOMMYMIAMI · #7 11-05-2013, 09:46 PM

If it does not bother you, I would leave it and see:-)

hcastil3 · #8 11-09-2013, 12:20 AM

haha mine looks just like that its going crazy growing abunch!! so Idecided to say its growth, soo then i won't be dissapointed if its not.. but also I will be really happy if it is.. a spike haha

RandomGemini · #9 11-12-2013, 02:25 PM

I've decided to call it all new growth too.

That spike did turn brown and dehydrate on me. I'm going to pick up one of those travel grooming kits for guys with the mustache scissors, nail clippers and tweezers in them and sterilize the tools and label it as my "Miniature Grooming Kit for Miniature Plants" and trim the spike on this little guy. I'm sad that I didn't get a flower out of it, but it's okay. At least I know what a spike looks like! Hopefully one of these new growths is one, but new leaves make me happy too. I feel like I'm doing something right for it.

TOMMYMIAMI · #10 11-12-2013, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RandomGemini

I've decided to call it all new growth too.

That spike did turn brown and dehydrate on me. I'm going to pick up one of those travel grooming kits for guys with the mustache scissors, nail clippers and tweezers in them and sterilize the tools and label it as my "Miniature Grooming Kit for Miniature Plants" and trim the spike on this little guy. I'm sad that I didn't get a flower out of it, but it's okay. At least I know what a spike looks like! Hopefully one of these new growths is one, but new leaves make me happy too. I feel like I'm doing something right for it.

Just from what I have heard and seen on mine, they like to SHOOT new test spikes, they grow little, and if it is just not good regarding the conditions - too hot, not enough humid etc - they do die. It is testing the environment. I also read that the spike on Dracula lotax takes quite some time before it actually fully develops and blooms, some 2 months one page said. I have the same with my Masdevallia that is outside, it shot spike, it is actually still green, and some 4 inches I would say, but nothing is happening with that spike for some month and half, so I guess it was also only test:-(