[epiphyte]

I currently have 3 fairly recently mounted divisions that are about to bloom or are in bloom... Coelogyne cristata, Dendrobium linguiforme and Sarcochilus ceciliae. The cristata has 4 leaves and 4 withered pseudobulbs with few to no roots, the linguiforme has two "leaves" with few roots and the Sarcochilus ceciliae has around 6 leaves with few roots.

What I was wondering was whether I should cut the spikes off in order to hopefully redirect stored energy towards the development of new vegetative growth and/or roots.

I would be interested in hearing people's in opinions on the matter. Would you say that...

A. removing new spikes does NOT encourage new growth

B. removing new spikes does encourage new growth

C. the effect depends on the species

I've heard of some orchids blooming themselves to death so it seems fairly intuitive that blooming requires a significant amount of energy expenditure and should the spike(s) be removed before all that energy is spent then the remaining energy would be redirected towards the formation of new and/or more vigorous growth.