After TWO YEARS...I have spikes! And a strange growth... - Orchid Board

camille1585 · #1 05-13-2009, 05:16 PM

Yay for the spikes!

The little leaf on the third phal is a sign that at that point in it's culture the plant was very stressed, maybe lack of water, or food or light, or something else. I had a young phal that got a bad case of mealies, and during the attack it grew a very tiny leaf. Once the problem was under control the leaves were normal sized again.
Nice basal keiki! As Heather says it could be removed once it's big enough, but I'm in favor of leaving basal keikis on the plant since you get a larger. 2 crowns means twice the spikes!

Blondie · #2 05-13-2009, 05:59 PM

LOL. I'm pregnant and I didn't even know!

I hope it stays alive. The Wee Leaf was probably from some point this winter when I was a very, very bad orchid momma and didn't water enough. My house was SUPER dry, and I'd just moved here, so I wasn't used to it yet.

camille1585 · #3 05-13-2009, 06:05 PM

It's always so so exciting to have a baby! I love phal keikis.
I don't think the 'wee leaf' is that recent. There are three leaves above it, so unless your plant grew all of them in the last few months, the small leaf looks like it's older than that.

Blondie · #4 05-13-2009, 06:29 PM

OK, so you got me SUPER curious. Here is a photo of the one with the Wee Leaf PRE Wee. Photo taken December 4, 2007. Then we have the POST Wee Leaf taken April 7, 2009. I can't believe I went that long without taking photos of leaf progress. WOW.

OK, so the mystery is now that Wee Leaf grew sometime in between Dec 2007 and April 2007. We just don't know when...

Oh, and I got my NOIDS mixed up. Obviously, it's not the purple NOID I got last year. Who knows what it is...?

Blondie · #5 06-01-2009, 04:23 PM

I just wanted to give an update on the spikes. Oddly enough, I was watering my mini today and noticed the bark was sitting funny on one of the roots. I moved the piece of bark and there was this little ball staring up at me!!! I don't think it's a root anymore. Do you think this is a flower bud?

Phal equestrius X self is the long, skinny spike. I bumped it into the kitchen sink while watering it--think it will be OK?

The mini is haraella retrocalla and the other phal is a NOID.