Root vs Spike Growth Rate

[SimJam]

I know this is a very general question but do roots tend to grow faster than spikes?

I ask because my vanda roots grow really quickly ... particularly in the early phase (emerging from the stem/other root)

But I have a growth on the stem of the vanda that doesn't really look like a root (smooth round) but rather pointy and knubbly looking and its taking FOREVER to fully emerge form the stem (like almost 3 weeks now) and enough of it hasn't emerged from me to say definitively what this thing is

I'll take some pics when I get home today

[WhiteRabbit]

I have little experience with Vandas, but spike nubs on my coerulea sit there, barely growing for months . I've not gotten blooms yet - the previous spike aborted last winter (while still just a nub), and have been watching one for several months this past year ...