I heard you James. Been there done that. Got the t shirt too. And unfortunately I'll do it again. And frequently it is the reluctant plant that you want it to bloom and then....It is just paying dues...

Nooooooooooooooooo! :(

What a bummer! Which plant?

It's a cymbidium hybrid, not recalling the name off hand but it's the one I use as my profile picture. Luckily there is another spike more protected from my clumsiness.

I broke the first spike off of my first orchid - which I'd gotten without blooms. I almost cried.

Eek. I have done that too though. Enough times that I need to get the t-shirt. Breaking a spike is such a bummer.

I remember breaking the spike a first blooming seedling. I grew it for 3 years, and it was finally going to bloom. Then I came along and snap. I audibly pouted and screamed... such a bummer.

I did that recently with a cattleya that was going to open a spike for the first time in about 3 years. Called myself all kinds of bad words.

All of us have had this bad experience! The spikes are like asparagus spears; they snap very easily. It happens most often when I'm grooming the plant; I can't stand seeing brown leaves! I've even seen it at a show were a cynoches won a ribbon in it's class and someone couldn't resist touching it and half of the spike broke off! Bummer!