Hi, I have a couple of really basic questions, I hope that's OK. I have a
phaleonopsis (I DO know that much) though I don't know what kind of hybrid
it is, I recall that when it was flowering it was a deep fuschia, really
pretty. I bought it about three years ago at a local hardware/gardening
store. Just the fact that it's still alive thrills me no end (I
unfortunately killed my first orchid some years ago...overwatering) but
yesterday I got an even bigger thrill...it's putting out a flower spike for
the first time since I've had it. So my question about that is: what do I
do? I'm afraid to breath on it in case I mess it up, lol. I am using Schultz
orchid food, I gave it a light dose last night but I don't feed it super
regularly. (I rahter err on teh side of too little rather than too much,
like water) The plant itself is big and healthy. I repotted it year before
last and that worked well too, so I was happy about that. Do I need to do
anything with this flower spike to set buds or something? I read some places
about messing around with nightime temps and such to make it bloom (or
spike?) but I haven't found the same information in one place, and of course
orchid books try to cover all kinds of orchids so they can be sketchy on
particular info (the ones I've looked at anyway).

And my second very basic question is, are those sort of fleshy green
tendrils coming out of the base of the plant its roots? Do I need to trim
them? They're climbing outside the pot...When I repotted I seem to recall
stringy root-like things underneath that looked more like what I think of as
roots...what are those?

Thanks very much, I don't know any other orchid people and this seems a safe
place to ask newbie questions...

Melinda