really, really dim phal question!

[Stingray]

i have learned that sometimes the stupidest of questions that are embarrassing to ask are teh ones worth asking..so...

i am a newbie, so i have been reading, and i am confused. i have clearly missed something. you get a phal, and it flowers. then the flowers finish and it goes dormant for a bit, and hopefully you don't kill it and it grows a new flower stem or two?? if its a really well established plant you might get some growth as well as flowers

I got a mini phal in full flower from the supermarket cheap a couple of months back. its still got some flowers, and is growing a new leaf. I'm surprised but worried. It must have been forced on by some mass production nursery as a disposable gift plant. it cant be a strong and well established plant - so im thinking maybe trying not to die. although the aerial roots are growing green or established ones are brown/green and the ones i can see in the pot are looking a nice green.

have i missed something really obvious?

[PaphMadMan]

Not a dim question, though some of the lore and advice out there is a bit dim if you got this impression.

Phals never truly go dormant, though they may stop visible growth for short periods. Your impression that new leaves may be a sign of stress is wrong. Your plant sounds perfectly healthy and is doing what comes naturally if given reasonable care. It is completely normal for many hybrid Phals to grow continuously even while flowering, and that is exactly what will give you a healthy productive plant in the long run. Continue normal good care, and relax and enjoy.

[Stingray]

thank you so much

understanding they never go fully dormant now means i'm quite happy, i know it's not accelerated death and i'd just not quite got it

[Dorsetman]

When a phally grows a new leaf, rejoice!
But seriously, most of the ones you will get to buy will grow (leaves) when it is warm enough, say over 25 C. And produce flower spikes when it is cold enough, say below 18, or even 15. This is how the mass production units work - you could call this forcing, but it is just finding out what happens in nature, then controlling the environment to suit what you want.