"Sacha" wrote

I have a two stem orchid, a phalaenopsis and one stem appears to be
producing a budding shoot from a leaf node a third of the way up one 2'
stem and it looks as if there might be a bud forming on the very tip of
that original stem. The other seemed to be doing the same at the tip but it
was knocked off. ;-( I'm just letting it get on with it but wondered if
this is normal behaviour for these orchids. All the other leaf nodes are
blank and it's going to look a bit strange when/if it flowers! The
original stems aren't dying back at all, so I've left well alone.

Very normal behaviour. In the hands of the experts the flower stems
constantly lengthen, stop, flower, and lengthen etc according to temperature
so they end up with dozens of flowers on one stem if they can keep the
original flowers looking good. They can also grow a new orchid on the flower
stem instead of a flower, one of mine is doing that now.
I sometimes cut the flower spikes off completely so the plant has a rest and
then makes new ones if they start to look strange/untidy.

I can remember paying £25 for one of these orchids about 40 years ago from a
specialist grower, now you can pick them up for £5 in Sainsburys and they
are now easy to grow too which they didn't used to be.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK