New Leaf broke

[bdelfiero]

The new leaf that is about 2" broke when something felll on top of my phal. The leaf was broke completely from the crown...Is this very serious damage?

[flutepic15]

Can you post a picture of it for us? My instinct is that it's probably not going to be serious, it's just a bummer that you lost new growth. Was there any other part of the plant that was damaged? Is the crown ok? Also, I might consider using cinnamon on the portion that broke off that's still on the plant, just as a prophylactic.

[mehitabel]

Bde, this happens to me sometimes on phals that are outside in high summer. The new leaf is so tender in the heat that sometimes even jostling the pot tears it.

I've had this happen to me, maybe 4-5 times. Because the area is the crown and the new leaf tissue so tender, it's a prime target for rot, so I put cinnamon liberally on the damaged place. I have not had one occasion where the plant was permanently injured.

What happens is the break doesn't stop it from growing. The broken leaf continues to grow bigger from below. It's still a broken leaf, but just keeps growing. After several months a tiny new leaf will begin just as it should.

But put some cinnamon powder on it to protect the cut.

[SamIAm]

Hi bdelfiero,

I recently had a similar experience, one of my phals that had a new leaf growing was knocked over accidently and of course the only part damaged was the new leaf. The new growth was small, as was yours and I considered cutting what was left off but left it intact and continued with my usual culture. The damaged leaf continued to grow and looks great, minus the uhm...damage. I would continue caring for the phal as you always have and keep the crown dry. As far as the use of cinnamon, I never use it..Not on roots, not for any reason and I have never had an issue. I allow nature to take its course, afterall, there is no cinnamon fairy in the wild. I believe your phal will be fine.

[bdelfiero]

Thank you guys...I feel relieved at the moment. yes I already put cinamon on the broken area. I hope this is not a serious problem because my Phal is mature already and I was afraid that the damage will put new basal keiki and the mother plant will not bloom anymore.

[jtsang]

Originally Posted by mehitabel

Bde, this happens to me sometimes on phals that are outside in high summer. The new leaf is so tender in the heat that sometimes even jostling the pot tears it.

I've had this happen to me, maybe 4-5 times. Because the area is the crown and the new leaf tissue so tender, it's a prime target for rot, so I put cinnamon liberally on the damaged place. I have not had one occasion where the plant was permanently injured.

What happens is the break doesn't stop it from growing. The broken leaf continues to grow bigger from below. It's still a broken leaf, but just keeps growing. After several months a tiny new leaf will begin just as it should.

But put some cinnamon powder on it to protect the cut.

HI Mehitabel,

Just wonder when we use the cinnamon powder on the cut end, does the cinnamon powder need to mix with water first? I never buy/use this stuff before, so not sure how it works. Thanks!

[mehitabel]

Jsang, I use the dry cinnamon powder, the kind in the spice racks and cinnamon buns at the grocery store. The leaf grows right thru the powder, even when it's rather thickly applied.

Cinnamon is an anti-bacterial, anti-fungal agent, so it prevents rot from taking hold on the broken tissue. Great, isn't that?

Cinnamon would repel water. If you happen to want to mix it with water, I think you would need to dilute it in alcohol first. There's a thread somewhere on this site about using cinnamon as a wet spray against insects.

But the dry powder works wonders on leaf lesions. I don't use it on roots, because it is a desiccant, and I believe would be harmful to roots.