Question
I have two Pansy orchids - Miltoniopsis 'Robert Jackson' and 'Newton Falls'.  The former I have had for one month, the other for one year.  They have been growing well, and look good, with nice straight leaves.  I am in New Zealand and we are now in early summer and a few weeks ago both orchids started growing flower stems for the first time since I've had them.  Unfortunately, most of the flower stems grew "zig-zagged" and grew in sharp angles so that most of them actually broke at one of the angles and withered away.  I have only one stem of flowers on one plant that has grown straight and successfully (so at least I have three flower buds yet to open and enjoy!).  I would dearly love to know what could have caused my zig zag flower stems?  Many thanks.

Answer
Hi Lisa.  The pansy orchid flower spike originates in a leaf axil and often is trapped in the leaf axil while developing so while the flower stem is elongating it is held between the leaf fron which it is emerging.  In the future you will need to monitor the flower spike development and free it from its trapped position in the leaf fold before it gets too long.  This, I suspect, is the cause since the clue is your reference to "sharp angles". Those angles can be as much as 90 degrees.  As you have undoubtedly learned, the flower spike is so brittle that attempts to straighten it out could result in breaking of the flower spike at the point of the angle. Also, once the flower spike has emerged, try not to turn the plant as the diferent light angles can cause some twisting of the flower spike.