Ascocenda is finally in spike! What happened?

[Zabeta]

Hi all,

Because I love vanda types, I have persisted in making myself miserable by trying to grow them. Never has one does very well, inside or outside. I live in arid heat, and put two vandaceous orchids outside this summer (leaving them in water for hours each day and attempting to keep them out of direct sunlight). After a series of heat waves that got into the 110s that left both plants looking like they were victimized by Daenarys's dragons, I capitulated, brought them inside into the A/C and low light (thinking, "what does it matter? they're not going to do anything anyway"), and brainstormed places to donate them to where someone else might do better for them.

But then I noticed a spike on one of them! So what happened? Did I inadvertently mimic winter by the contrast in temps and light? I need to figure it out so I can recreate this next year too!