broken tip on new spike

[mattryan]

I sincerely hope someone can help me here i am at a loss ( my very first phal just started to spike..like end of sept..my lovely boys were playing in bedroom and when i went to look at my new spike horrors it was gone!!! The very top of it...will it continue to grow or am i done for flowers this yr? Now of coarse no one is owning up to anything...Before i go and sell them for a new orchid (just joking) is there any hope for my poor little spike? It is a phal schilleriana and the spike was only 3/4 inch..now 1/2 in long. Any help would be apprieciated!! Thankyou

[Kmac]

Oh, I am sorry to hear about your poor spike!!! I've never had this happen, and will be curious to see what others think.

Kathi

[orchidlady]

If it has a node behind the break, it may branch and continue to grow, or it could send out a new spike, or it may spike again later. Only time will tell. I accidentally caught the beginning of a new splike that was just starting on my Phal. schilleriana (must be a bad year for those ) with a fingernail and broke it off. It is now sending out a new spike just below the broken one. So all hope is not necessarily lost.

Susan

[mattryan]

Thankyou orchidlady and Kmac yes it does have a node behind the part that was broken off. It was just past it that's how small this spike is...basically the bud part is gone..i hope that it will still grow or branch off this spike fingers crossed. Hopefully some one whose had this happen could chime in. Thanks again. so sad first spike too

Also this is probably a dumb ? but was the part that broke off going to be buds? so that would mean this spike won't produce buds unless it branches? Sorry new to this! Thanks again!

[espranch]

I, too think that it will send out a branching spike. If it were mine, I'd put a bit of alcohol on the raw break, ( it won't hurt the plant ) and then dab a little sulphur powder on the wet nub. (keeps everything clean, so no bacteria can grow) Then, I'd put it in another place...preferably "out of harms way!" Betty :-)