Ermmm....WHAT ????

[BeexDD]

Hello,there !
I just happened to notice this on one of my Phals and couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that small ,new leaf turning up ,after the second "new" one havong started to grow two weeks ago or so...

My concern is :Will the both leaves develop beautifully or the second one will stay that size and the new one will continue to grow?
Have you ever happened to come across this phenomenon?

Thank you !

[Ghosthunt64]

Terminal spike...

[NYCorchidman]

Just wait and see what happens.

[FairyInTheFlowers]

Originally Posted by Ghosthunt64

Terminal spike...

I definitely wouldn't say so. I would wait it out and see what happens.

[PoeticFlames]

Must be feeding that Phal something tasty! Looks like you have a happy grower to me! I had one of my new rescues double leaf off the side of the crown, but it was lost due to the root rot weakening the leaf base... *tears fall* I was really looking forward to seeing what happened with that one... Curse you Lowe's!!! *shakes fists at the sky*

[BeexDD]

"Poetic Flames" - No,no special food for my orchids,I've been feeding them with some orchid fertilizer,but it seemed to me that it was burning the roots,even though I was feeding quite seldom + I was adding an insignificant quantity of fertilizer in 2 l of water....don't know why,but the roots tended to go brownish ,which I didn't like at all,so I stopped it.
Maybe the tea bags I have emptied in the pot:-?
They are getting a lot of light,no direct sun,and I allow the roots to completely dry between waterings...That's all...

Oh...you might like me to mention that....
I have cut the two spikes recently,when all the flowers were withered,because I wanted to give the plant the chance to develop its foliage...maybe that's why it started to madly develop this way....hope that leaf won't remain small ,it would look kind of unsightly,but that's it...

[Ray]

My guess is that your speculation is correct that the newest leaf will grow normally while that prior one stalls.

I have seen it before, and have no idea why it happens, but my "gut feeling" is that it is something I've done to affect the environment.

[BeexDD]

Hope this won't happen,Ray...

[silken]

I recently rescued a number of almost dead /drowned Phals from a grocery store and once they were cleaned up, repotted and given a chance, several did that. It's like once they got out of their deadly situation they were in a big hurry to put out leaves and get growing again. These still haven't had time to fully develop but they are firm and healthy looking and both seem to be growing slowly. I wouldn't worry. It may just like the extra sunlight or growing conditions-it sounds like they get quite a bit of light, which likely didn't happen in a store if they were recently acquired.

[zxyqu]

Ray is most likely correct. An early second leaf happens most often when there is a severe environmental/light/root change. I've come to expect this sometimes from Taiwan growers, as there is no way I can replicate their environment in my space, and there is a week or so in transit where they are in the dark with whos knows what temps.
As longs as the leaves are growing, and there are good roots, I wouldn't worry about the stubby leaf. While not aesthetically pleasing, it shouldn't be a sign for concern just yet. If the next leaf doesn't get longer than the stubby one, then you should worry.