New spike?

[greg_s]

My phal has just finished blooming and the spike had started to wither when all of a sudden this new little sprout came out of the side of the old spike right below where the bottom-most bloom was. Is this a sort of secondary spike?

[mayres]

Yes - enjoy. Normally it will have smaller and less flowers, but unless the plant is getting tired (sometimes it takes a lot of energy out of the mother plant when it blooms a VERY long time over and over again) - you have more flowers to look forward to soon. mike

[greg_s]

Thanks very much Mike.

[jerrymeola]

It does look more like a flower stem rather than a baby (keiki) plant which also grows this way.

The growing point is what is called a node and when you cut the old stem on a Phal after the flowers are done you would cut to just above this point.

I use this to illustrate the point at which to cut, since your photo is a very good example of where the cut is made because it has died so clearly to this point.