I Have Twins

[The Chosen One]

I rescued a Phal from an office mate who was leaving the company. It was planted in soil and stayed in a room with no windows. Poor thing! Anyway I took it home got it a new pot, planted in a good medium, and hoped for the best. After a few weeks it took off, I was surprised on how quickly it recovered. Then several more weeks later I noticed a growth that I thought might be a flower spike. It was coming from low in the plant so I knew it wasn't a normal growth. I was a little curious...how could this sucker be flowering? After a few more weeks I discovered it was a leaf, huh? Yeah...a leaf! After about 8 months in total time I have the Phal, it has grown 3 leaves on the new growth. The old plants has grown no new leaves but it already has 6 fair size ones, so I'm not concerned for it.

In doing some research, it appears that the Rhizome has split. Now my question is, how long can these two Phals cohabitate before I should think about relocating one of them. The very prospect of it baffles my mind as these two have put of some crazy roots, and I have no doubt they are twisted up like knots down there. However, I am also concerned about the Rhizome since its central to the plant.

If anyone could offer some insight, it would be much appreciated.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Don't separate them until you finally see new growth in the old set of leaves. This new side growth may be a result of damage to the growing center of the original plant. The original leaves may grow old and eventually die off with never again producing a new leaf in the center. If this happens, your keiki is really the only growing part of your plant and should be considered the rightfull owner of the root system. So don't rush things.

[The Chosen One]

Well, it is very possible it was damaged. Like I mentioned before the plant was in bad shape when I procured it. I'll keep an eye on it. Is it always the case when you see a Rhizome split that one of the plants will die off? Just curious. The old growth seems to be putting out new roots.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

No, not always. Remember that all leaves have a limited life span and they will all die off eventually. We don't think anything of it because there are always new leaves coming to replace the ones that die off. EXCEPT, when the center has died off for some reason. Then, with no new leaves, and the old ones eventually dying, it could be the end of a plant if it did not start a side growth. This is a situation I have seen many times, where the eyes of a plant are all killed of by severe fungal activity at the base. Then the plant eventually grows old and dies because it can't make new growths without eyes. I have a single bulb of an Epidendrum cochleata with no eyes. However, the plant has found a way around the problem by starting a new growth at the top of the psuedobulb next to a recent bloom spike. I have also seen a Vandacious plant with a rotted center do the unheard of thing of producing a keiki at the top of the remaining stem and continue to grow looking like it had never had a problem.

[Aniko]

I have a phal with a secondary branch, both in good health. The mum has 9 leaves, continuously flowering; the baby has 4 leaves, no spike yet...
I can't discover any sign of early damage on it.
Aniko.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

As long as both ARE growing, you can remove the new one when it has some roots, just like any other keiki, or leave them together. Seems like it would make a fuller plant for looks.

[Aniko]

Yes, they look well together, I can't find much reason to bother them.