Pleurothallis gargantua

[etcherkate]

Now that most of the vegetable seedlings have been transplanted outdoors, I've moved a few of my orchids under my little LED grow light as an experiment.
My little Pleurothallis gargantua has been sputtering along for the last year, occasionally growing a dainty little green leaf. The new leaf, grown under the light, is a monster by comparison, and a very different color. Hopefully this means I'm doing something right!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Alright! Let's talk Pleuros.

If you've grown enough of these guys over an extended period of time, you'll find something unique about these plants vegetatively that not a lot of people talk about, and you've actually made a good observation about what I'm referring to.

It is completely natural for a healthy Pleurothallis to grow a bunch of smaller leaves with shorter stems, and then occasionally throw up a giant behemoth of a leaf with longer stems. Those smaller leaves are the true support system of the plant, (think of them as the Pleurothallis' solar panels). The larger leaf with the longer stems are the ones that are "fertile", (yeah, they're the ones that bloom). You will almost always see this growth pattern with Pleurothallis, and it is very apparent with the larger species.

Your plant is not blooming sized yet, but keep the above mentioned growth pattern in mind.

I'm more inclined to tell you that if you really want to know how the orchid's doing, you actually should be checking the roots more so than the leaves. Leaves are important, but so are the roots. Do not ignore the plant's root health.

[etcherkate]

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

It is completely natural for a healthy Pleurothallis to grow a bunch of smaller leaves with shorter stems, and then occasionally throw up a giant behemoth of a leaf with longer stems. Those smaller leaves are the true support system of the plant, (think of them as the Pleurothallis' solar panels). The larger leaf with the longer stems are the ones that are "fertile", (yeah, they're the ones that bloom). You will almost always see this growth pattern with Pleurothallis, and it is very apparent with the larger species.

Thanks for sharing more information on the Pleurothallis! I'll know, in the event that the next leaf is smaller, that this is perfectly normal and not cause for alarm.

I'd like to know how the roots look, but I don't have a lot of experience with very young plants, and am wary of unpotting and accidentally killing my plant. Are there symptoms of root trouble I should be on the lookout for?

[estación seca]

If your Pleurothallis looks good, especially if making a much larger leaf, the roots are probably good. They die rapidly with bad roots.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Actually, sometimes there are signs of root damage that appear even earlier than leaf drop. In certain cases, by the time leaves drop, the root system might be really messed up already.

Look for leaf tip die back as well. This is usually an earlier indicator of something not going right, but not always.

Another one would be when new shoots die off for seemingly "no good reason at all".