Zygolum Rhein 'Moonlight' new growth with two spikes

[lotis146]

I want to share this plant with you that I've spoken of many a times before. It's my first Zygo as well as among the first Orchids outside of several Phals and a Paph.

When I first bought it off Ebay in April it arrived damaged during transit and only one of the buds survived. While the bloom wasn't actually what I thought it would be (bought Zygopetalum, was labelled Zygosepalum, learned here it's actually Zygolum, a cross between the two) I so loved the flower in the end. This one flower was quite fragrant in the first half of the day.




Since then I repotted it, initially it WAS upright, I swear to you, lol...but...



...over time as it was outside it slowly but surely leaned over. I told myself I was going to stake it but when I did move it a bit early on it seemed rather "stiff" and stable where it lay, so I left it.

As you can see the new growths took off. (There were four when I got the plant. One looked dead, I picked at it (ignorantly) and discovered I had just killed a still living growth...) The tallest most "open" one was first and fastest.



The oldest new growth is on the left in the second picture, leafed out.



But then after being outside a while and, I think, not getting the water it really wanted the first and third new growths seemed to stall while the second one (the one straight up and down and still all "rolled up") took off. Meanwhile the smallest remains SUPER tiny...




About a week or so ago I realized that this second new growth, while its leaves have not opened as the first did, is growing a spike!! Then just the other day I was watering and found there's actually a second spike!!!!








I don't know why they've grown so differently, or why the first has open leaves but no spike while the other does not, but I'm not complaining!! When it first came the growth that was in spike/bud was leafed out and larger than both of these but still without a pbulb. It is now the biggest pbulb you see in the picture.

Please do share if you have experienced this yourself or know anything more about this! But I'm a super happy camper; before I had one flower total, now I have two spikes!!


HECK YEAH!!!