Terminal spike?

[Biscuit&Gravy]

Hi!
So this January I was walking by a grocery store phal. and it looked so pathetic that I took it home. Since then it made two new leaves (and working on a third) and made a TON of roots which are working on growing out of the slits on the pot. However, it pushed this spike out a couple weeks ago in a weird place. I've had phals for a year so I'm a bit newish to them. I was just wondering how I should care for this plant with it's odd placed spike.

Thank you!!

[fishmom]

I don't think this is a terminal spike, as it is coming to the side of the new leaf and not in the middle of it. Just continue your good care; it is doing fine.

[Orchid Whisperer]

Originally Posted by Biscuit&Gravy

Hi!
So this January I was walking by a grocery store phal. and it looked so pathetic that I took it home. Since then it made two new leaves (and working on a third) and made a TON of roots which are working on growing out of the slits on the pot. However, it pushed this spike out a couple weeks ago in a weird place. I've had phals for a year so I'm a bit newish to them. I was just wondering how I should care for this plant with it's odd placed spike.

Thank you!!

Definitely not terminal. That spike is coming from a lateral meristem, just a little higher up the stem than usual.

Terminal spikes come from an apical meristem (place the leaves usually come from). Terminal in this case means terminus of that stem, but not the end of a living plant. Healthy plants that make a terminal spike will usually start branching from a lateral meristem (people call these "basal keikis", but really all they are is the plant making a branch).

[Biscuit&Gravy]

Thanks everyone!