Vanda spiking?

[pikevi]

Hello everyone,

I have two Vandas , both of which are pretty small. The one I bought at an orchid show, just about a month ago, is developing two protrusions on either side. One is fairly big and the other is just jutting out. Are these flower-spikes or , as I read elsewhere here, 'keikis' ?

The plant is just under 17cm (7" approx).

If they are floral spikes should I take some extra care in watering/fertilzing?

Photos of showing the two protrusions are attached.

Thank you.

[Ellen]

Probably roots. Spikes would grow upward, not downward.

[kmarch]

Dear pikevi,

I agree wiht Ellen. These look like nice good roots growing, which is a good thing since healthy roots are a requirement for a healthy plant. If it were a spike, it would be leaf-green and would be pointing upward from the leaf crotch.

-Kevin

[pikevi]

Thanks Ellen, Kmarch.

It makes a lot of sense. The reason I asked is that these two protrusions are comparatively huge in girth than the other roots which I see just under the medium (right of the first photo).

I will wait until they grow longer. I enjoy watching new growth in any form

[kmarch]

If your new roots, the ones you're growing are fatter than the previously grown roots, then good on ya! You're getting it right. I love getting a plant to produce a growth, root, leaf, pseudobulb, etc., that is bigger, better, than the ones it grew before I bought it. It gives me a bit of a rush.

[pikevi]

Hi Kevin,

Thank you.

Surprisingly all the plants do seem to grow well. Large healthy leves and the roots, where I can see them, appear to be robust as well. The Vanda's roots are at least 3 times the thickhness of the original roots. I cannot figure out why they are so huge.

May be , since I am a beginner , I know each and every leaf that grew under my care

[Ellen]

As your vanda grows, so will its roots. Vandas typically have very thick roots compared to many other orchids, so yours is probably just on the way to realizing its full potential root-wise. Obviously it loves the care you're giving it.

[pikevi]

Yes, I think so too, Ellen.

I think they like my care far too much . Cattleyas, Miltonias and Cymbidium are all putting forth new shoots and they are grrowing fast! I hope I don't sound boastful

I am also aware that healthy growth doesn't always translate into nice flowers. I have 3 very nicely grown Phals with huge leaves that has inflorescence(spike?) that have just 5 -6 flowers while the store-bought ones have smaller leaves but stunning number of flowers and sometimes 3 'spikes'.

I do care for them a lot. I attempt everything with full fervour. That way I cannot second guess myself , if I fail

Thanks for your constant advice.

[Ellen]

Hey, it's OK to boast about your orchids. It's nice to read about success stories as well as problems.

I'm not sure if this is the explantation for your comments about the phals, but my experience is that many of the older hybrid phals only produce one spike with 5 flowers (plus or minus two). The flowers themselves will keep getting a little bigger as the plant grows bigger, but they only produce a single spike. Some of the newer hybrids where they've crossed a hybrid back to a species have multiple spikes, but the flowers are a little smaller. I have some crosses back to Phal amabilis that produce several flower spikes as do my phal amabilis species plants. One of my Phal luedemannianas has 4 spikes right now. Some of these may only produce keikis, though, since species are much more likely to do this than are hybrids. The species also typically bloom from much smaller plants, but large commercial growers also "force" plants to bloom before they're quite mature, and/or out of season. Growing in your home, they're probably much closer to their natural conditions and blooming cycle. They can kick back and just be themselves.

[pikevi]

Thanks , Ellen.

I hope I will be able to do some of things you mentioned soon.

[kmarch]

Once again i agree wiht Ellen, it's fine to show your orchids off and boast a little. Very early on in my orchid growing exp[erience i heard a speaker give a talk form the orchid's point of view about how it adjusted ot the new conditions and grew and eventually bloomed and the plant wanted the owner to show others what it could do. It was very clever and encouraged me to bring orchids to society meetings for "show-n-tell" and to take my plants to enter into shows. Also I like my plants and would hope that others are encouraged to grow and show by seeing what I've done (growing in windows no less). I used to give a talk titled Easy Orchids for Your Windowsill" which ended with my sharing photos of a big Cattleya I grew in my window which won a Certificate of Cultural Merit form the American Orchid Society. People were suprised (and encouraged) to find you could grow award-winning orchids without a greenhouse.

Now go forth and GROW!

-K

[pikevi]

Thank you Kevin.

I find it difficult to keep cool.

My wife is probably sick of listening to my incessant talk about the plants growth.

I am not suer if I ever will produce something that will win an award but I am just plain happy to see the plants doing well.I was so nervous when I started and now I am up for the challenge, if at all, it is a challenge.

I hope I will get more orchids tomorrow.

I think I like Cattleyas too from the pictures on the 'net and Vandas as well.

I do not intend to have a greenhouse either.

[kmarch]

pikevi,

The awards will come when they come. My first orchid goal was "don't kill it". After about 6 months wiht my first orchid, and having managed notto kill it, I added a second goal, "get it to grow". After a while thqat first orchid started growing a leaf and roots, second goal accomplished. I set a third goal, "get something to bloom". That took a few more months but eventually i bloomed an orchid, then a few more. After I joined my orchid society my next goal was "put and orchid i bloomed in a show display". After doing that for about 3 years i eventually got the award (the plant also won 1st place in its class and the trophy for 'Best Cattleya'). I never set "win an award" as a goal, it just happened.

Other orchid friends of mine without greenhouses have won awards. One friend even won a 'Best in Show' for a Bulbophyllum echnolabium that had 2 nice big flowers on it (their flowers only last about 5 days so it was a rare treat to see one at a show with 2 lowers). She grew the plant in her basement under lights.

It's possible, one step at a time.

-K

[pikevi]

Congratulations , Kevin.

Your kind of support and encouragement will go far with us, novices, to aim for better and higher goals.

My next goal is to try pollination which I do not know anything about.

Putting the horse before the cart??