Afterdark growing roots on a growing flowerspike. I dont know whether or not to repot

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by K.O.

Hello Guys! My Afterdark is growing two beautiful flower spikes (This would be the first orchid that i have managed to bloom!). However, I have never seen the roots grow off of the flower spikes for these guys

Catasetum type plants can exhibit various lengths of time for their 'dormancy' state. Some may be just go dormant for a week or two weeks and then get back in action again (ie. growing new roots etc).

The other thing is that many of these orchids are usually growing in conditions that are different from where they grow in the wild. So there can be more uncertainty in their behaviours when these orchids are grown at home.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by SouthPark

Catasetum type plants can exhibit various lengths of time for their 'dormancy' state. Some may be just go dormant for a week or two weeks and then get back in action again (ie. growing new roots etc).

The other thing is that many of these orchids are usually growing in conditions that are different from where they grow in the wild. So there can be more uncertainty in their behaviours when these orchids are grown at home.

Remember also that complex intergeneric hybrids like Fredcarleara (which don't exist in nature at all) can have dormancy shifted depending on which ancestor(s) are dominant in a particular cultivar (or have different ancestors pop up at more than one time during the year)

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by Roberta

Remember also that complex intergeneric hybrids like Fredcarleara (which don't exist in nature at all) can have dormancy shifted depending on which ancestor(s) are dominant in a particular cultivar (or have different ancestors pop up at more than one time during the year)

That's true Roberta! Although, if even Fdk were to hypothetically exist in nature, the variations in growing conditions they would experience when taken away from the natural habitat would be quite wide range, leading to various sorts of behaviours that might deviate a lot from the way they might behave (in general) in a general natural habitat.

But - I totally agree - that these organisms can do unforeseen things, just like us humans haha.

[K.O.]

@DirtyCoconuts they so cute though thats tough O_O!! LOL jk but thats interesting and they stay hydrated enough in the charcoal?

@SouthPark, I read that but i never thought it would grow in such an odd way lol. I didn't know roots could even grow from flower spikes. I was prepared for it to come out of dormancy in a few weeks.

---------- Post added at 06:50 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:47 PM ----------

Yeah thats a good way to look at it!

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by K.O.

I didn't know roots could even grow from flower spikes. I was prepared for it to come out of dormancy in a few weeks.

Not sure K.O. Are those roots growing from the base of the spikes?

Also, there are certainly photos of a flower spike from some catasetum (eg. Fdk) growing out from the very top of a bulb.

Unexpected and unforeseen behaviour are definitely encountered in the animal and plant world. Once it is seen, then it becomes known that a plant or animal can behave in certain ways other than usual ways - rare occurrences maybe - but seen or captured eventually.

[K.O.]

@SouthPark thats true! and yeah they are at the base of the spike one of them isnt touching the bulb at all.

@Roberta lol that is very true in this case. I love seeing things like that though its really interesting what nature is capable of.

@DirtyCoconuts, ah okay! I only found about about charcoal being used as medium recently but cool!

"I think nature's imagination is so much greater than man's, she's never going to let us relax"
-Richard Feynmann