Four phal questions

[birdybrain]

I have 4 questions about my phals and would appreciate any information and input.

1 I bought a small phal at lowes that had a spike with a keiki then 2 spikes of flowers. Most of the roots on the keiki had been trimmed, but one has grown long & I tucked it into the pot. Pics attached. Can I leave the keiki like this indefinitely or would it be better to remove it?



2 This double phal is a clearance orchid from lowes that I purchased 9-9-12 and moved to S/H 11-23-12. I didn't make notes on the condition of the roots when i repotted, but it seems healthy and I can see many good looking roots growing up against the S/H pot. This is the first orchid to spike for me and the spike is short. There's only about 10" between the base of the phal and the first bud. It looks even shorter since it started in an inconvenient spot and I have no experience coaxing a spike to grow a certain way or with staking. I'm wondering if the shortness of the spike is an indication that something is/was wrong? Inadequate fertilizer? Trauma from lowes & moving it to S/H? Any opinions?


3 my third phal question is about the position of leaves on different phals. Somehow I got the impression that phal leaves should always be held somewhat erect. Most of my phals have leaves that curl down, but then again most of mine were clearance orchids and I thought that was why. So is it just an individual plant thing or does it depend on the parentage? There's such a drastic difference in the leaves on the phal pictured below which isn't a clearance orchid & the one in question #2 above!


4 my last question is really 2 questions about the leaves on the orchid below. The orchid was a gift purchased from a grocery store. Leaves & roots look good but when I received it the largest leaf on the left was held erect and it has changed position drastically since the new leaf started coming in. Is this normal? Also there is a leaf on the right that has been curled up since I received the orchid. I've never seen this on another phal. Is it normal to have an occasional curly leaf? If not, is it usually caused by something in particular that happens while the leaf is growing? Overall the leaves on this phal seem to go in whatever direction they want. He's certainly not a very tidy looking orchid



Thanks for any & all help with my questions! I really appreciate the chance to pick the brains of people with more knowledge than I.

[Ray]

1) Many things affect spike length - light levels, temperature, nutrition to name but a few. You likely did not traumatize it at all, but are seeing the response the the overall change in cultural conditions.

2) Eventually the flower spike will collapse, so you'll have to pot up the keiki. Do it when it's convenient for you.

3) In nature, a phal often grows with its leaves hanging down, preventing water accumulation in the crown. How they grow for you is also a cultural thing, in addition to genetics.

4) Reread 3, then add that turgor plays a big role. A plant absorbing too little water will tend to have floppier leaves than one getting an abundance.

[Tim C.]

1). Keiki's can be left on their parent plant, if you want to. You can also remove it and plant it up on its own, when it has more roots. Totally up to you.

2). A distorted spike can be caused by any number of means. I suspect, however, since your plant's done so well, that it's just distorted from growing out of the base at an odd angle. An example: I have a first bloom seedling of Phal. leuddemaniana that has sent its two flowered, tiny little bloom spike directly into the S/H medium. I've managed to get it to grow on top of the medium, and the flowers are fine. Sometimes orchids do crazy things - it's not always something we've done wrong.

3). Phal hybrids' leaf styles are determined in part by their parentage. Here's a bit of an explanation: Most Phalaenopsis plants have floppy to slightly stiff leaves, that can bend or distort as they get older and more leaves grow on top of them. Doritis - which are in the Phalaenopsis family, and cross with them to make Doritaenopsis - have multiple, very stiff, upright leaves. Doritaenopsis tend to have the larger leaves of their Phalaenopsis parent, combined with the multiple, upright, stiffer leaves of their Doritis parent. Even in the pure Phalaenopsis genus, there are many, many different kinds of leaves, so when you start hybridizing and hybridizing, and get some of these complex hybrids like you see in grocery and hardware stores, you have their entire parentage to take into account.

4). Pretty much see #3. Individual plant culture can also play a role in affecting "funky" leaves, but other than looking funny, they cause no real problems.

-Tim

[birdybrain]

Thanks Ray & Tim C! I appreciate the information. I'll keep an eye on the stem that keiki is attached to. Nice to know all the other orchids I asked about are normal enough