phal question

[SamIAm]

i have a phal that has a new leaf growing, but this morning what do i see?!...another new leaf is also starting! will this interfere in any way with the first leaf maturing?...the first leaf is nowhere near maturity but doing well ...is it common for them to grow two leaves so close together?...thank you

[Undergrounder]

Hi Sam it's generally a sign that the Phal's been shocked recently, isn't getting enough light or water suddenly, or something like that. Really they should be quite big before you see a new leaf forming.

Sometimes you can get a single leaf do something weird and be really stumpy, with a perfect big leaf come up behind it. And in that case it's not something to be worried about.

But a pic would be helpful in knowing what's going on, can you take a pic?

[amersault]

i'm there w/ Undergrounder, it is unusual for 2 leaves to come in at once. as mentioned, normally the first of the 2 would have to be a good size and mature before the plant can produce a new one.

stress may be the culprit - got pict?

[SamIAm]

thank you, i will (try to) get a picture

[SamIAm]

okay, here is a picture of the leaves in question and one of the whole plant.

[amersault]

thanks for that! that IS unusual to have new growth with the other leaf still so small...

i notice some reddish tint to your leaves - do you know the name of our Phal or is it a NOID? i'm trying to see if this can be corrected by lighting. some Phal species exhibit red tinting as a response to maximum light levels, if Phal is one of them, i wouldn't be too worried. however, if it is not, then something has to be corrected in lighting.

how are the roots? healthy? mushy?

otherwise, the plant looks healthy with nice shiny leaves

[Undergrounder]

Hmm... It's not normal and probably indicates stress from a recent change of culture, potting media, lower light or root loss.

I would check the roots. It might indicate you had a lot of roots die recently, It could also mean you just repotted recently, and the roots haven't adapted very well. I would check the roots though and make sure there are no signs of rot setting in, of dying or browning roots.

The new leaf looks very thin for a leaf, it looks a little like a terminal flower spike? maybe not, hard to tell from the photo.

[PhalNewbie89]

Hard to tell but I do think it is alaf he has. Mine was pretty thin when it frst came in as well. Maybe it just got really excited....

[SamIAm]

Originally Posted by amersault

i notice some reddish tint to your leaves - do you know the name of our Phal or is it a NOID? i'm trying to see if this can be corrected by lighting.

hi amersault, the phal is a noid that i bought at either home depot or lowes. it's a beautiful pale yellow flower with a purplish/magenta lip. the whole plant, stem, underside of leaves etc are purple, always have been.

thank you Undergrounder and amersault, i'm off to check the roots

[PhalNewbie89]

I don't think the red is a problem..Mine has quite a bit of reddish purple on them as well....My ne leaf was even purple for quitesome time

[mehitabel]

One new leaf starting after another-- As several others said, this isn't common, but I don't think it's a sign of stress. This has happened to me a few times with perfectly healthy, unstressed phals. I don't know why they do it.

I wouldn't worry about that, or your leaf color. Your phal looks fine to me. However, it won't hurt to check the roots if you haven't repotted since you got it. If you do repot, be sure to put it in a pot just barely big enough for the roots.

[SamIAm]

i am happy to say, no bad roots as a matter of fact, there are new roots since i had to disturb the plant to make sure the roots were okay, i took the liberty to replace the chilean moss it was in and loosely potted it with NZ moss in a clear slotted pot. i have had great success with the combo of the two. the chilean moss, to me, packs down a bit too much.
thank you everyone for your input.

[PhalPal]

If in doubt....... First: check roots! Second: More light!

[shaz]

your plant looks ok to me - I have a healthy phal doing exactly the same thing at the moment - I just figured it was it's way of thanking me for my exellent skills at looking after it!

[amersault]

you gave a good clue: the leaf underside was also red. that tells me the red tinting in the leaves is normal for this type of Phal and that light levels are probably fine.

new roots are a good sign! new roots + new leaves = happy plant

time to sit back and wait for the new blooms to come in soon. good growing!

[Undergrounder]

congrats!

i'd be interested to see though how big that 'old' new leaf gets, when this has happened to me it generally means the leaves are going to be smaller than usual.

[whalloper]

I also have a phal doing this right now. The small leaf is only about 3 weeks old, and the new one I just noticed 2 days ago. My phal did have a culture change about a month ago. The heat and lighting were both increased. This phal is healthy, with growing root tips.