Can a Phal. grow two new leaves simultaneously?

[whygreenberg]

Just a quick question about something which may be silly...My Phal. Mini-Mark 'Holm' has been growing a new leaf for a little while. Yesterday, I could see the tip of another new leaf coming up.

The thing is, the new leaf it has already been growing for a while isn't nearly to full grown size yet (based on the previous leaves). So, what I'm wondering is, is it possible for two new leaves to be actively growing at the same time? Or has the "original" new leaf stopped growing prematurely due to some stress or set-back? While that would be a little sad, I'm mainly just curious.

Thanks!

[Ray]

Sometimes that first leaf might stop growing is if something has changed in the culture recently, so it stalls and a new one starts, but there is nothing that says a happy plant cannot grow more than one leaf at a time.

[tuvoc]

Yvan, I've had that happen once or twice, usually after repotting. Sometimes the first leaf grows to full size, sometimes not, but I never really worried about it, as long as the plant stayed healthy.

Kim

[SP2340]

I had that happen last month actually. I moved it into a brighter location and a new leaf poped out while another is still growing.

[Mirranova]

Must be something with the Mini Mark, as mine did the same thing, and the 2 got stuck and popped out the side of the crown. Formed a whole new crown with one really small crinkled leaf and another that never grew to normal size either. Now it's growing a new leaf in the center of the 2 messed up leaves (of which I was hoping the one was still gonna finish growing), and I am hoping this one is normal. It did all this while it was blooming, and once they popped out the side of the crown, the blooms died. This has happened in the last couple of months or so. It freaked me out, cause it's one of my favorites. Could be genetics???? There was no culture change, and it had not been repotted.

[whygreenberg]

Hmm...all very interesting...and reassuring! Am hoping new leaf #1 keeps growing so does not have to be the subject of ridicule from the rest of the leaves, but my Mini-Mark is very healthy, so I'm not going to worry about it. He did get a bump up in the amount of light he gets relatively recently (like about a month ago).

[jkofferdahl]

I've seen this happen a lot with Phal. (Doritis) pulcherrima. It's nothing to be cocerned about at all!

[Cookiemonster]

I've seen it happen too- sometimes the leaf that was previously growing stopped and the other continued, must have been a cultural issue as light or different conditions that I wasnt initially aware of! ! happy growing!

[RosieC]

All three of my Phals are doing that just now, even my not so well one. None of the leaves have stalled they're all just growing.

The two well ones have grown three or four leaves each since April and there has been two growing at a time for most of that period.

The one which is struggling just now put out a new one in April and a second started in mid July, but they are both still growing, even if a bit slowly.