Phal with center bloom

[mokey41]

I was just given an orchid as a gift and it is beautiful but it has 2 flower stems and one is coming from the center so it has no growing leaf. Is it doomed it die once it quits blooming or would there be a chance it might grow a keikei at least?

[jkofferdahl]

Originally Posted by mokey41

I was just given an orchid as a gift and it is beautiful but it has 2 flower stems and one is coming from the center so it has no growing leaf. Is it doomed it die once it quits blooming or would there be a chance it might grow a keikei at least?

The spike coming from the center is a terminal spike, meaning that the plant is not going to continue to grow. However, there is certainly every change to continue the plant through keikis. I would apply keiki paste to several nodes on the spikes in hopes of getting something there. Also, the plant may decide to sprout a basal keiki (from the base of the plant) on its own. The plant itself can survive for quite a while yet, certainly long enough to allow the keikis to grow large enough to do fine on their own, it simply won't produce any new leaves and so will eventually die.

[sweetjblue]

I had a plant of Dtps Firecracker 'Blue Martini' do this a few years ago and I had posted on another forum (before joining OB) about the terminal spike issue and these are some of the responses I got.

"The new growth turning into a bloom spike is caused by the growing tip gaining or losing chromosomes to become aneuploid. This is a dead end for that growing tip. After flowering, cut off the bloom spike to initiate new basal growths. This can happen on any plant , hybrid or species although some are more prone to it than others. Any kieki or stem prop of the abnormal spike will carry the same problem. The new basal growths should be normal. I have a couple of hybrid phals that have done this and the new growths have all been normal and continue to be normal years later."

Additionally.........

"I disagree on letting the spike grow and flower. By doing this you let more stem develop from the aneuploid tissue and your new eyes that give rise to new basal kiekis will develop from this and likely be also prone to terminal spike problems. Cut it off now and force the basal keikies to develop from older stem tissue that may be free of the aneuploidy that is taking over the growing point of this plant. Otherwise you will have to cut the new growth back too. I have had to cut the new growing area back as many as three time to get rid of aneuploid tissue giving rise to terminal spikes. On many plants the terminal spike will happen only once due to cultural problems but in others the problem is genetic and usually due to aneuploidy. If your plant continues to do this I'd replace it with one that has better genetics."

I followed this advice and indeed got basal keikis. They have not developed terminal spikes like the parent plant.

GL with your plant!

Judi

[johnblagg]

They can do wierd things I have one that appears to be splitting into two laeds at the crown ....But yes it could very well make a basal keiki still