Phal schilleriana - keiki kind of problem

[Maru777]

Hello everyone. I have a bit of an odd problem with my phal schilleriana. The plant I have has been mine since it was a seedling and last year it grew a flower spike for the first time. I was very excited to see it bloom, but then instead of a flower at the top of the flower spike I saw a leaf. It grew a keiki instead and no flowers. I was, well, ok, you do you. I left the keiki to grow, cut it out when it had enough roots and both plants were doing fine. Fast forward to just now. I had another flower spike, happy to finally see a flower and at the top of the spike I just see another leaf. Look like another keiki. What is going on here? To clarify as well, I did not touch the plant with any sort of hormones or keiki paste, nothing like that. Will it ever make a flower? Do I need to change something? Any advice?

[estación seca]

I don't know. You have excellent growing conditions for this plant. Maybe it just isn't big enough to make flowers yet. It's a seedling, so I would just wait.

And now you will have three of them!

[Maru777]

Originally Posted by estación seca

And now you will have three of them!

There is that they seem to be doing really well otherwise so maybe it is the size. That was my guess last year but this year I was wondering if there could be a plant that never blooms and produces keikis instead. I mean it would achieve the same result - reproduction, just very different routes. Very curious to see next year what happens.

[Mr.Fakename]

What does your plant look like? Schilleriana is usually not the kind of Phal that is keen on making keikis, it would suggest something is off.

As an early diagnosis, I think it might be possible that your plant is either grown too hot, or isn't getting enough light.
I've never heard of this behaviour in schilleriana, but some species like equestris and pulchra will not bloom under those conditions.

[Maru777]

I think it looks ok-ish. Here are some pics. What do you think?. It almost doubled in size since last year so it’s definitely growing (the mother plant that is, the keiki was to a bit of slower start after I detached it from the spike but it is now finally growing a leaf bigger than the last one it had when it was still attached). The mommy plant is about to lose the bottom leaf now but hopefully it will grow a new one soon. You can see the leaf size growth in the pictures though, so it does not look too unhappy. On the light front, I could give it more light but I was afraid to burn it. It’s on my “phal shelf” with a bunch of other phals that are all blooming - some hybrids, a bellina and actually a guarianthe henry wan that also bloomed there this year (it was small so I thought it would not matter that I chuck it with the phals for a bit since it would not bloom yet, but it surprized me. I had run out of room in the top - catt. shelf. I have a new one now though)

[Mr.Fakename]

Are you giving it enough fertilizer?

Schilleriana grow gigantic and make enourmous spikes, they are heavy feeders in the Phal world. I think that bottom leaf is being recycled for nutrients.

Otherwise it looks alright! A good indication that your schilly is getting enough light is the red colouration that should be obvious on root tips and the bottom of leaves.