What exactly is a flower spike?

[Lynn]

I am very new to orchid growing so excuse my terms when referring to the plant. I have two "sticks". One has a bloom that is just about to drop off. The other has what appears to be a new "bud". I'm not sure what to do with the one "stick" that has the flower about to drop. Do I cut it back and where? I'm confused about what a flower spike is? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Royal]

A spike is the stem like growth that a flower is attached to + the flowers. There are scientific names for each part of the flower (petal, sepal, calyx, pollinia, peduncle, lip, column, etc, etc.). The whole thing can be referred to as a spike or inflorescence.

There are also names for different types of inflorescences or 'spikes' (umble, panicle, etc) depending on how the flowers are arranged.

[khill]

I don't know if I would cut the flower spike yet. What kind of orchid is it? Can you post a picture?

I generally leave my flower spikes on the plant until they turn brown on their own, and then I cut them back. After saying that, however, some orchids will rebloom from the same spike, so knowing which kind of orchid it is will help determine what you should do.