Most likely a new lead, mine are starting that now. It's hard to tell from the pic though, if the tip is rounded it could be a spike. If it's pointed it's definitely not a spike

I'm betting on flowers....

Good luck Tanie!

I vote a flower spike also...
In my limited experience with oncs, the new leads usually come from closer to the base of the existing bulb.

Good luck,

Bob

Thank you all! I'll post more pictures when it's out in the open. Another question what is "lead"?

Thank you again!

Tanie

My vote for spike as well.

Lead means a new growth. New pseudobulb

If I had to guess, by location alone, I'd say flowers. My new growth comes out of the side of the plants, where the roots do, not from within. The only time my oncidium (twinkle) had a spike, it came out exactly where yours is showing, from right next to the psuedobulb. Though I missed its early emerging, so I cannot compare what it looked like. Good luck!! This is what it looked like by the time I found it:

Also, in my experience, spikes are more pointy than roots. Roots have rounded tips, spike look like little mitten/claws.

Here's a spike and two new roots. This is a phal ... oncidium roots are far thinner. Another reason I think it's a spike. Time will tell!

Danielle, I look at my orchids every hour on the weekends and from 6 am until go to work and right after work until my bed time on week days! This little green thing I had to get a flash light to look because when it caught my eyes, I was too excited but it is way down inside the end of the leaf. I gently parted it and used the flashlight to see. Then I put my camera in there and zoom it as much as I could. That's why the pix is a bit blurry. But I am sooo happy! I hope it will survive and do well for me because my phal spike. The first spike I ever have last Nov. was wilted so I had to cut it back. Luckily, there is another spike in the same plant doing okay. Remember the spike I posted in Nov.? I don't understand why it wilted. Would it be my warm humidifier and put it a bit too close? First, it brought out some sticky bitter honey then after that it went limp. I thought my house might be too cool for phals but I talked to some people who have phals in there homes in my area here and they said they have temperature even cooler than mine but their phals are blooming and keep on blooming. Some told me that may be I pamper them too much. Just leave them alone. So, I don't know what else to do. I will just have to leave it like that to see what kinds of orchids like my house and which ones will not. This new spike makes me soo happy because I know (if it will survive) it will be beautiful. I got it last June when it was blooming. So, after 5 months, now it gives me a spike! Yeay!!!!!!

Thank you Terpguy for explanation about lead.

Tanie

I, too, look at my orchids all the time. It's very difficult not to fuss over them. I'm sorry to hear that spike wilted on you! I hope this next one makes it to flowering. I find phals to be more hardy than the others, so I don't fuss too much over them with humidifiers and such. I spritz the roots when things look dry. The winter can be rough on them, so I don't worry about over-spritzing during these months. My mix is bark only, so they're not retaining much water at all.

I do have a phal that's very dear to me, as it belonged to my late boss and is the reason I started researching how to care for orchids. When he passed away, I wasn't sure what to do with the plant, and too late I realized that fungus gnats had destroyed all of its roots. I read and read, took some emergency measures, and slowly, it recovered and grew a new root system. It also sprouted a keiki. Still, no spikes (in my ignorance I had over-potted it, so it's been happily filling up the pot with ROOTS for three years instead of flowering!).

WELL: I'm happy to report that last week I found a spike! I'm so happy! It's an unusual color; the leaves are very purple (it's not sunburn). The flowers are gorgeous, white with purple spots all over. I'll be happy to see them again after so long. It used to flower twice a year.

Thank you Danielle, I too have rescued a phal before Christmas from work place. The lady who received an orchid plant with full bloom months ago and she just enjoyed the flowers but know nothing to care for it. Just like I did before last April. The spike was already dried up and the plastic flower paper came with the plant was still there! When I saw it with a tiny root starting out and asked around who own that orchid. When I found out, I asked her if she know how to care for orchid she said "nothing!" So, I asked her if she wanted to keep it there and let the care taker kill it or let me take it home and love it. She said "Please, please take it home to give it a respite because we here will eventually kill it." I was happy to take it home. I took it out of the plastic wrapping paper, it was 1/2" of water in that paper underneath the plastic pot and roots were all rotten except for the part on top of the rotten moss. I repotted and put it under growing light like others. The new root which I saw never grow any more. It probably got shock from transferring in the cold weather outside. But since then, it give a new leaf which turned purple and a new root (I think) start poking through the skin of the stem plant. I was worry about purple leaf and read on FAQ on this site. They said that it might be too much light. So, instead of 5 light bulbs from octopus lamp. I switched it to 2 bulbs which more focus on Onc. & Cynbidum and Miltonia. since last night. I hope it will be okay. I tried not to fuss too much over them but as you know, they are just like my babies..and they give me joy....

Tanie

Hello Orchid Friends,

I'm happy to report to you the little green thing I showed you in February now has turned into a beautiful flower spike. Here is the first of seven buds on the spike. (1 of them is a twin buds!) Also, it's a Cymbidium instead of Oncidium as I posted before. Can any of you tell me as close as you can the name of this Cym? Thank you all for guiding me to this success.

Tanie

Oh my goodness, that is stunning! I can't believe you're going to have a whole spray of those flowers! Enjoy, they are so beautiful.

The phal in spike I posted about above is finally opening. I'll get a pic Monday. There are three of eight buds open so far.

So lovely, I can't wait to seen the spike in full bloom.

Allymarie

Well done Tanie!

Not a cymbidium; you were more correct the first time. :-)These seem to be sold simply as Oncidium Intergenerics, or with the width of the petals, it could be in the Odontoglossum / Oncidium alliance. I honestly have not kept up with the developments in oncidium hybrids because I don't tend to grow them. Beautiful flower though!

Thank you!!

I'll post more as they open especially the double ones. Congratulation to you too Danielle. Yeah, let show them off for we deserve to boast about them......Thank you too GyrFalcon for telling me the name. I don't know their names much because when I bought them. They have a tag says "Intergenetic" and that's it.
My daughter says God gives me an early Happy Mother's Day gift!! (Mother's Day is tomorrow in Canada).

Thank you God!!

Tanie

This post was edited by Tanie51 on Sat, May 10, 14 at 18:47

Here it is in full bloom. (over a week ago).

Tanie

Another pix in different angle.

Another pix.

So pretty! I just saw some orchids at the grocery store for a good price, but the colors were nothing special. I'd love to get my hands on one that color!

Wow, beautiful flowers for both of you!

Danielle, thank for the pictorial explanation - that was very helpful to me.

Carol

You're welcome, I'm glad! The orchid above with the new spike is almost all open, just one bud left, I can't believe I've been watching it since February! I'm so happy to see these flowers again.

The other one is taking much longer, but Tuesday the first bud finally opened! There are two open so far. It's a bigger orchid, and the spike branched into three. I wonder if either of those things have anything to do with it taking longer. Who knows, I'm just glad it finally decided to join the party. :)

This is probably a stupid question, but how do you get them to branch like that yellow one? Is that genetic? It's going to be beautiful when it's all opened up!

Very nice Danielle, my first every rebloom for me over a month ago looks almost like your purple one.

Tanie

Emily, when it was given to me, it had three sprays of flowers, but it was obviously forced by greenhouse conditions.

The next time it bloomed for me in (regular seasonal daylight conditions), it was just a single spike with 11 flowers on it. I meant to repot it, but by the time I got the supplies, I saw the spike and had to put it off. This is what ended up happening. There will be a total of 20 flowers.

The only thing that is different from previous rebloom is that it is really, really packed into its pot. I thought detrimentally so, but I guess it's okay. Some roots are looking crushed in there, and I will be replacing the medium ASAP after this spike is done. It's been in this pot for three years.

Hello friends,

My Oncidium flowers are gone. I have a question that is should I separate this plant or put it in a bigger pot. Since I bought it last year, it has 3 big bulbs, the new one gave me the flower spike and it's also big. Now there are 4 more shoots coming and they look very crowded and the new leaves from 2 of new shoots are turning yellow. I thought I want to ask your advice first before I do something. Here are pictures.

Thank you,

Tanie

Here's another pix.

Thank you,

Tanie

Apparently oncidiums don't mind being crowded and often just grow right over the sides of the pot, but I think the yellowing leaves might be telling you it's time for a bigger pot.

If you do decide to separate into two plants, I saw a good video on youtube that explained the best way to break the plant up. It said to have at least three psuedobulbs in each cluster, including an old and a new. I can't find it now, but this one is similar.

Here is a link that might be useful: Video on dividing Oncidiums

Thank you Danielle,

I went ahead and split it in 2 already before I read your post. I hope they both will do okay for me. 1 has 2 big bulbs and 1 new shoot. The other has 2 big bulbs and 2 new shoots. I yanked them out from each others because I found only one bulb was loose from the rest. So, instead, I broke them from each other. The one with 2 big and 2 new shoots has the most roots. The other has very little of root. I don't know what will come out of this. I hope they don't get mad at me and continue to grow for me.

Tanie