terminal spike phal
 

hello
I am a beginer in orchid and phal .
I think I bought a very healthy phal but with a terminal spike

it has good roots and a healthy flower spike but I am afraid from this terminal spike thingy .
does it mean my phal will die in a couple of months ? will it have a keiki?

Don't worry, it's just a flower spike.

but
 

it comes from the center of the leaves and its too long ..
how do you know ?

Welcome to Orchidboard,
i agree, the plant looks strong, so at the appropriate time it will react to the situation.
I would not worry, enjoy the development of the spike and keep us updated.

It looks to me as though the leaf at the bottom of the spike is actually the beginning of a keiki. If so, look for it to start producing roots when the spike is mature. I think the plant is already ensuring its survival. Good luck!

A terminal spike means that the plant can not longer produce leaves from that crown. It must produce a keiki in order to grow. Generally, if a Phal produces a terminal spike, it is more prone to do it again as it is most likely part of its generic make up. So enjoy the flowers, etc. and then decide if you want to continue to grow the plant.

well
 

the phal could survive for long time ,years , right ?
I ll enjoy it and if it does a kieki I ll pot it.
hopefully it wont do that ...but it willt ake at least one or two years so I have time

I agree, your orchid has a terminal spike. The mother plant will stop growing and will eventually die but it could take a long time, over year sometimes. I've had two terminal spikes. Both times the orchids produced basal keikis. One of the plants produced three keikis. So just take good care of your orchid and see what happens.

I bought an orchid that either already had a terminal spike (not knowing what it is) or grew one soon after. The orchid lived for 2.5 years and died only because I didn't repot it soon enough. It did worry me that this orchid wouldn't grow any new leaves, while the old leaves started looking shabby after two years. The orchid did keep flowing even with the terminal spike almost all the time I had it - it periodically grew new flowing stems from the sides.

There were no keikis on my orchid - I think there is some trick to getting them that involves not fertilizing the orchid for a while. If you fertilize it, it seems like all it does is bloom. I had another orchid that was my very first one, and I didn't know that it needs to be fed, so after 1+ years of being watered but not fertilized it grew 2 keikis from it's old flower stem that I didn't fully cut down. Next time I get a terminal spike I will try this again to see if it grows any.

I dont think it matters if I fertilize it or not
maby I ll buy keiki paste on ebay because in my country I cant find one

and maby it will just grow a basal keki without me doing anything..lets wait and see:)

If the plant is healthy, it should get a keiki (or more than one) on it's own - the plant will want to survive. It can also still bloom if there are leaf axils that haven't bloomed. I had a Phal that grew a terminal spike, the main plant bloomed a few more years, and it also, not long after the terminal spike, started a new crown just below the original, which bloomed after a couple of years. So, it's worth taking care of the plant if you like it :)

I did the same thing! I purchased a mini phal (NoID) with a terminal spike. I allowed it to bloom, but when it was done, I cut the spike all the way back. I continued to care for the phal as I care for my others (weekly watering and feeding, etc.). In 9 months or so, it has since grown 3 new leaves from the crown + a flower spike. I don't know exactly what it is? At first I assumed it was a keiki, but there are no roots growing from it. The plant (or mother plant?) has been putting out new roots as well and looks fine. I'm not complaining, just wondering what it is I have here?

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Here's an album showing my phal from all sides. All new growth is lighter green, and you can see a new root emerging. If you look closely, you can see the dried stem from the terminal spike. It emerged from the center near the stunted leaf. Thanks so much for your interest!

https://goo.gl/photos/qg6qFScTi7zagH7h6

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That's what I assumed. I guess what I'm left wondering is:
1. If it's a keiki, wouldn't it have put out roots?
2. If the mother plant is terminal, would it continue to put out new, healthy roots?

Thanks so much for your answers! I've only been doing this for about a year.

This is my terminal spike Phal. As you can see, the old plant is yellowing. This has been a very slow process, and the original is, I suspect, dying away. The yellowing has been slower than when they drop their bottom leaf.

https://c4.staticflickr.com/6/5805/3...154e3d196d.jpg

But, the new basal keiki looks great :D

I try not to see it as the old plant dying, rather, just continuing to live on in a new, "healthier" form. Terminal spike or not - between them they have the best roots of all my phals. Some of my phals take off but others just struggle through life.

To cut to the chase, I think the question is, "Will a Phal that produces a terminal spike die? Stuff I read on the Internet says it will."

The answer is, "It will almost always push out another growth and survive."