OPINION: Should I buy a NOID Phal with Terminal Spike?
 

Hi All!

I was at my local grocery store getting lunch, and of course I had to look over their selection of orchids. I was caught by a gorgeous phal with a triple spike! Then to my dismay I noticed it had a terminal spike. The roots are in excellent condition (the most roots I've ever seen, all very green and healthy), the leaves look nice, other than one is a bit deformed because it got caught in between the spike and support.

The terminal spike has a leaf growing about halfway up. I'm not sure if it's a keiki, as I've never seen one in real life before, but to me it simply looked like the node turned into a leaf.

I asked the florist if they'd reduce the price since it had a terminal spike - no go. Since they know nothing about orchids she said "it looks healthy to me, so no". It's $19.99.

My question: Should I buy it or should I leave it? I'd like opinions quickly as I'd like to go get it after work if that's the general consensus.

A terminal spike not always mean that it's going to die. It's just done growing leaves. Or the center is damaged some how.
It's going to produce Basel keikis(I think I spelled it right)
As for the leaf growing on the spike (without a pic) I would guess its a keiki.
If it was me I would.
With the terminal spike it means more copies.

---------- Post added at 12:13 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:12 PM ----------

But it's up to you if you want to buy it.

In my opinion, I would definitely buy it. I have never seen a keiki either but the thing I love about orchids is the experimentation with them. For $20 and it might be a keiki I would get it and when the keiki is ready, I would try my first attempt at mounting it instead of potting it.

I think I will go ahead and buy it. As annoyed as I am that they won't reduce the price, I think my curiosity about how the plant with behave and if it will produce keiki's is greater than my annoyance.. :) Almost none of the flowers were opened on any of the spikes yet, so at the very least I'll have beautiful blooms for a while.. :biggrin:

Thanks for the replies!

I bought a noid phal with a terminal spike in December 2012 and it's still flowering. I just liked the colour so much I had to have it, even if I knew it might be short-lived. Since then it has grown keikis both on the spikes and basals. Of course, if your phal decides not to make basal keikis the plant will die as the leaves die back because of age, but hey... ! You might have keikis on the spikes and seedlings, and we're talking noid phals here! It's not the end of the world, I think. Mine is at least still going strong and for 8 months of flowering it's a bargain compared to most pot plants. ;)

Post a pic when you get it :-)

I'm not an orchid rescuer. I have nothing against those of you who do that. I admire your patience.

Having said that, why would you pay full price for a flawed plant? $19.99 is pricey. Is it really so unique that you'd pay full price and hope that it gives you keikis, which will take years to bloom?

I would pass considering those kinds of phals are so common.

Twenty dollars is a gamble on a disabled plant. You really have to like nursing sick plants to go for it, and your nursing skills had better be the best. If you said it had a new crown growing, that would be a different matter. A new crown would indicate another plant. The baby leaf will take years before it's worth anything. In the meantime you'll be looking at a bare stick. Wouldn't you rather be looking at flowers?

I understand where you're coming from, which is the reason I hesitated in the first place. I think a lot of it comes down to curiosity. I still have a lot to learn. I've been doing some reading this afternoon and it seems that there is a very wide range of things that could happen with this plant. It could be incredibly ill (which I don't think so, since it has an incredible root mass which is very healthy, and healthy leaves and spikes). It could be older and reached the end of its growing life, (which also doesn't make a lot of sense, since it's at a grocery store). It could be genetically flawed, in which case any keikis I get are probably also flawed.

Who knows, really? I think it would be an interesting experiment of sorts..

I'm appreciating all the feedback! Interesting discussion and points to ponder!