Phalaenopsis orchid - Rescue story + Flower spike

I mentioned previously that we like to buy plants that are heavily discounted because they look a bit poorly and see if they can be brought back to life. Here is a success story we have had with a Phalaenopsis orchid (moth orchid).

We purchased it for $2 with no spike and around 2 leaves left on the plant. This was at the end of 2015. After bringing it home and repotting, it was much improved and started producing additional leaves.

Around early April 2016, we noticed a little bump that looked a bit like a new aerial root, but it looked a bit strange. After searching the internet for how to identify a phalaenopsis orchid spike, we realised that it was a new flower spike!

This is a month after it first appeared. It is clearer now that it is a spike because the pointy end is divided into a mitten shape. There are two ways to tell - shape and colour. Spikes have the mitten shape and are green while roots are rounded and are more of a silvery green (you can see a few roots in this photo).

At the end of May 2016, the spike has grown much longer. It will be another few months before it will be ready to bloom. You can also see our cymbidiums in the background even with a spike visible. While phalaenopsis spikes are confused with roots, cymbidium spikes can be mistaken for new shoots. I will post some photos of those soon too.