Finally a spike!

[dhill001]

My wife and I purchased a Phal from Lowes last year. It had beautiful flowers and did very well for several months. Well eventually it dropped its flowers and really didn't do anything except produce a few leaves. I put it in a cool spot in the house, that room gets down in the lower 60s. It now has samll spike begining to form. I know it is a spike because it looks like a little oven mit. My question is this, now that it has begun to form the spike, when or do I at all, move it from that cool room. It (the only one to be forming a spike), along with my other orchids get good light, but the daytime temps may only get to the mid 70s. What do I do now? I want it to continue and also I want the other 2 to do the same. Please advise.

Leon

[mayres]

Warm is better once the spikes have started. In fact, even to initiate the spike I would not keep your phals cold all day long - just at night is adequate. Give them good indirect lighting all the time too. The warmer it is the faster your spike will develop - in a couple other threads I have listed the relationship - it is quite dramatic. A study done at a university comparing temperature with spike development showed the following:

Temp in F (C) - number of days
57 (14) - 266 days
63 (17) - 133 days
68 (20) - 87 days
73 (23) - 68 days
76 (26) - 52 days

[dhill001]

Okay, this plant is confusing me. When I first posted, it looked like a spike. Now, about 2 inches from the main leaves of the phal, the spike has a small leaf. The plant is really healthy, can someone tell me what is going on?

[BunnytheOrchid]

Could be a kekei Your orchid may be growing another orchid. Mayres that chart is very interesting. I had no idea that temperature could affect the spike so dramatically.

[patticake]

Great! It's still a spike- and a nice one, too! Watch the leaf- If it grows more leaves, and starts to grow some roots, then you have a keiki!(baby orchid) Those have to be left on until they have several roots and leaves, and then they can be cut off and potted up on their own! Many people try to get their plants to keiki, and can't! If this is what you have, then congratulations!

[sandra]

I think that's a kieki growing. I don't believe Phal. spikes grow leaves unless they're part of a new plant developing. At least 3 roots, 3 inches before removing.

This is interesting because I always thought that kiekis generally grow after the spikes are bloomed out.

[dhill001]

I guess I'll just wait and see what happens. Last year, it produced one spike with a lot of flowers and then after it produced a second with almost as many flowers. So, it is a happy plant again this year thus far.

We shall see what happens.