Adding a photo to show what I mean. The flower in question is at the bottom of the frame.
{{gwi:181037}}

Congratulations you have a seed pod.

Brooke

I should have guessed. Thank you! Now, what to do about it? I don't think I will ever have the right medium to grow orchids from seeds. Should I just cut it off, so as to not starve the plant from the nutrition that goes to feed the seed pod? Or can I keep it just for fun, and expect the plant to bloom normally next year?

Thank you,
Thanh

I've got a couple of suggestions for you. First of all, one seed pod is unlikely to starve the plant of nutrition, and I've never noticed any detrimental effects from leaving a seed pod on an orchid, at least not on phals and dendrobiums. If this is the first time one of your plants has produced a seed pod, perhaps you could let it grow out just for the experience of it. So, my humble advice would be to leave it, enjoy it, and have fun! That being said, I typically do cut the flower spike off after all the flowers are spent, regardless of whether the plant has any seed pods or not.

Second, orchid seeds generally do require special lab treatment to get them to germinate in cultivation. However, it is possible to germinate a few seeds without the sterile, controlled conditions. I've never had any luck with it, but I have a good friend who has managed to germinate and grow orchids from seeds. You can either dust the seeds in the same pot as the parent, or you can collect some spare potting mix in a small plastic container, dust the surface with the seeds, and keep it evenly moist. Live moss is also a suitable propagation material. Anyway, just in case you were not aware, orchid seeds are very tiny, which is why I use the term "dust". Once the seed pod bursts open, the seeds come out in the breeze and look like puffs of smoke.

Thank you, digitalphrag, for your thoughtful comments. I will take your advice and will watch the development of the seed pod.

Best,
Thanh