Who Has the Correct Answer?

[BikerDoc5968]

Mike, are you asking me about the leaves? If you are, this phal is of the mottled leaf type. I have several like this. And NO I don't have spider mites..... true or false variety

[susiep]

Doc, I have a lot of phals and see this once in a while, too. With the outside plants I just assumed it was due to excessive heat/excessive water/not enough water in repetitive cycles. It never amounted to anything but ugly leaves. I don't cut them off because they are still good leaves. However recently I had it happen to my Monster Phal which I keep in the house and take good care of (compared to my outside plants). This was an actively growing, big leaf so I'm going with growing-too fast-for-itself idea. This one split in the middle, not at the end.

[DebsC]

I've had them split when the temps were high, humidity was high, humidity was low, in the greenhouse, outside under a tree, well-watered, a little dry.

In other words, under lots of different conditions. But I've noticed it happening more when the leaves were growing fast and I wasn't watering enough.

[Ross]

Well, I've watered enough (I have clear pots and water every couple days. I have high enough humidity (it doesn't change much over the season.) I fertilize with every watering (125ppm MSU mix in RO water). Only seems to be, genetics!

Oldest leaves

Newest leaf (just maturing now):

This plant sequence represents several years' growths. Plant is very healthy (with a new leaf started, even though the latest one is not quite mature), and roots nice and green/white. All culture is normal.

Want to see an Angraecoid as well?

[quiltergal]

I think somebody else hit it earlier. In your pictures Ross it appears to me as though the leaf spine isn't growing as fast as the rest of the leaf. You can see how the rest of the leaf tissue arches out away from the spine and curls back in at the tip. In order to continue growing it has to split along the spine and release that energy. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[unhappykat]

Originally Posted by quiltergal

I think somebody else hit it earlier. In your pictures Ross it appears to me as though the leaf spine isn't growing as fast as the rest of the leaf. You can see how the rest of the leaf tissue arches out away from the spine and curls back in at the tip. In order to continue growing it has to split along the spine and release that energy. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Maybe thats it these Phal hybrids are just too fast for their own good, I guess if a plant is bred, grown, and flowered all its life with the aid of growth regulators it starts to become dependent on them to keep it from going crazy and poping.

[Vulpes Velox]

now someone correct me if im wrong, but doesnt plants just grow from one specific area with a few cells, like the tip?.. so if it splits in the middle of the leaf first it would seem strange if its genetic (unless the leaf splits because its to thin, or if we are talking a mutation causing apoptosis).. however would also mean it probably wouldnt grow to fast "for its own good"... im probably thinking about something else and quite wrong.. but interresting i must say ..

does this happen on just some of the leafs or all of them? (sorry, have probably already been told)

(edited part)- if it just happens to some of the leafs, then i think id lean towards it being physical damage, maybe some infection

[unhappykat]

Originally Posted by Vulpes Velox

now someone correct me if im wrong, but doesnt plants just grow from one specific area with a few cells, like the tip?.. so if it splits in the middle of the leaf first it would seem strange if its genetic (unless the leaf splits because its to thin, or if we are talking a mutation causing apoptosis).. however would also mean it probably wouldnt grow to fast "for its own good"... im probably thinking about something else and quite wrong.. but interresting i must say ..

does this happen on just some of the leafs or all of them? (sorry, have probably already been told)

(edited part)- if it just happens to some of the leafs, then i think id lean towards it being physical damage, maybe some infection

It is true growth comes from a few selsct areas where cells are created but as the leaf matures the cells increase throughout the leaf in number and size so if the cells enlarge and multiply too fast the leaf gives to the stress and ruptures. I have had this happen to plants hanging from a branch with nothing around them, so I dont think physical damage is the only cause.

[isurus79]

I have been following this thread for a while now because my Phals (all 2 of them!) have a tendency to split their leaves as well. In fact, my Dtps Minho Princess has two leaves that have split along the middle for almost the whole length of the leaf. Just a thought, but we humans tend to grow our Phals upside down. By this I mean that in the wild, Phals tend to hang down, while we tend to keep them 'upright' (from our perspective). Could it be that there is some sort of unatural stress on the 'seams' of the leaves that cause them to split because of the orientation that we force them to grow? Does anyone who grows their Phals in the natural postition (ie. hanging) experience this phenomenon? Any thoughts?

[snow]

an interesting thought.