hankshankshank

It is a Phalaenopsis. Most roots will grow down into the mixture but some will grow upwards. The flowering spike grows from the base usually after a slight cooling down in temperatures but some have flowering initiated by a warming up.

No name? just follow the advice given by James and see what happens.

Find some complete culture notes written for Northern USA and read numerous past threads for more info.

The notes on the Canadian Orchid Congress site might be good for where you live.

Thank you for the info. I've been dropping the temp. By 10 deg.and fertilizing as well and that's how I got it to grow the spikes. I have a 2nd orchid that is larger....same type that I've been doing the same thing and still haven't seen any spikes.

Phals typically spike in the winter. Do you have a garage or basement you can put it in for a couple weeks? That might initiate a flower spike. I personally find a temp drop of 20 degrees works better. So if it's typically in the 65-70F range, you want to go down to 50F. Don't worry, they survive just fine. I have loads of phals and this is my routine.

Keep in mind, an unhealthy phal won't flower regardless of temperature drop. It'll put all its energy & resources into the roots & leaves. (Looks like some of your roots are a bit mushy and have dropped off?) ALSO: Phals are epiphytes. They have regular substrate roots and aerial roots too. So what you thought were flower spikes were aerial roots.