Is this what I think it is?

[DesignerofBeauty]

I'm excited, I think I might have a new flower spike. Does anyone know if this is just another leaf? Said spike in question is located on the bottom left.

The orchid is an Otaara Hwa Yuan Bay 'She Shu' AM/OSROC

[jkofferdahl]

Looks likely to me!

[Orchid Whisperer]

Can't tell, but I would suggest that you might want to remove a little bark from the top of the pot. It is easier to avoid rots that Cattleya alliance plants sometimes get if the rhizome is exposed a little.

[rbarata]

OW, I think your sugestion was not clear...maybe this way...

Can't tell, but I would suggest that you might want to remove a little bark from the top of the pot. It is easier to avoid rots that Cattleya alliance plants sometimes get if the rhizome is not exposed.

[DesignerofBeauty]

Thanks everyone! That orchid had some pretty bad root issues, and I (mistakenly, before knowing this was a bad idea) removed a lot of dead roots. With that being said, I've included some rhizome clips to help support the orchid. However, this type of cattleya doesn't have rhizomes it seems. The remaining roots are about 1-2 inches tall (as shown in picture, orchid toward the bottom). I must have trimmed down about three inches of dead roots. If I remove the topmost media, would this create support issues?

[Roberta]

You can also stabilize it with a stake or two.

[estación seca]

I would definitely not bury Cattleya rhizomes. Light is an important trigger for new shoots beginning.

Figure out a way to support the plant on the surface of the medium with wires and/or ties. New roots will soon grow and stabilize it.

If you search Orchid Board for "rhizome clips" you will see how other people have done it.

[DesignerofBeauty]

I'm a bit confused though - from what I can gather, my orchid doesn't have a rhizome. The growth pattern (even when the roots were healthy) was more of a radial growth. There isn't a central horizontal root/axis that the roots branch from. Perhaps I'm too much of a newbie to know the difference

[Roberta]

The rhizome is short (and it appears that growth goes in multiple directions which is great because it won't tend to grow out of its pot) Just tie it to a stake or two

[estación seca]

Cattleya alliance orchids (like yours) have a (usually horizontal) rhizome, from which all roots grow. New shoots emerge from the rhizome and grow up, with a few sheaths around the new portion of the rhizome, and pseudobulbs and leaves develop at the end of the shoot.

If you look closely at the bases of your pseudobulbs, you will see old sheath scars along a short piece of horizontal rhizome. There is a meristem on each of these leaf scars, each of which can potentially develop a new shoot. This is why back bulb divisions usually produce new growth when cut from a plant and treated well.