Displaying double spike orchid

[Christine1227]

Hi all,
My oncidium Mystic Maze has finally decided to double spike for me after a year of not really doing anything at all. I feel like a proud parent! However, one spike grew first and has bloomed beautifully before the other (you can see the finished spike and the second spike in the pic below). I want to bring it in to display but am unsure how to proceed since the second spike is still growing and developing buds. I have east and south windows - should I put it there so the second spike still gets sun? How do you all generally deal with situations like this? Thanks!

[Orchid Whisperer]

Just let it proceed on it's own schedule with the second spike. Not much that you could do now that would not place the second spike in jeopardy.

[estación seca]

Congratulations!

[Christine1227]

Orchid Whisper - I read your reply and was scratching my head. Did you mean it was a lose-lose situation in that whether I brought it inside or not, I would still lose flowers?

Update: I brought it inside and unfortunately the second spike is bud blasting. Hopefully will only just blast the lower two!

[estación seca]

I think what OW meant is that, when a spike is as far advanced as it was when you first posted, any move risks damaging the flowers - as you are discovering.

It is best to let the flowers open where they develop and move them after they open. If you move them someplace dry and hot, they might drop off quickly.

[Christine1227]

Ah, I got it. Does that apply to all species of orchids? I always assumed it was only just for phals, I don't know why though.

Going forward, how do you all deal with a situation like mine? I've never had a double spike on any of my orchids and this is my first spike with this oncidium since purchasing it 18 months ago. How do you display them if one spike is done and the other isn't? My fear was that oncidium flowers don't last as long as phals do (2 weeks vs 2 months), so I wanted to enjoy it during its short life span. I guess it's a loss either way? Either you lose the flowers or it bud blasts? Or are oncidium flowers just more sensitive? I move my phals with flowers indoors to display and oddly enough they just keep chugging along.

[estación seca]

Your Phals might bloom when it isn't so warm, so they have less of a temperature difference to deal with. This is an ongoing problem with orchid flowers. People deal with it by moving plants in spike only when the spike is just beginning to emerge.