Aborted Spikes

[Nyx]

Five of my Phals had recently begun to spike. Two have continued and are growing fast and furious. Three spikes started to poke out and then abruptly stopped growing though they are still green. The plants themselves look fine in each case, with both new root and leaf growth.

Is this common? Are there specific issues that might cause aborted spikes that I can address in my care?

I am windowsill grower and all of these particular Phals are in the same location - same light, water, fertilizer, humidity, etc.

Thanks for any advice!

[Diane]

Could you post a picture - sometimes plants send aerial roots strait up and they look like spikes, but they stop after a few inches. Could that be what you are seeing?

[Nyx]

Hi Diane,

Sure, here are some quick pics. Definitely spikes, I would say.

I've waited almost two weeks in gauging whether or not the three were growing and they certainly seem to be at a standstill.

The tallest one of the two that are growing tends to grow at least half an inch if not an inch a day - very visible. I have to move the staking clips every day to keep it upright.

I've had my orchids less than a year, bought them in bloom and this is their first spike in my care. So, I was curious if this was a common occurence that happens more or less randomly or if there were some specific causes that I could possibly address to prevent this with future spikes.

I'm pretty happy that even two are succesfully spiking, but it would certainly be nice if they all did!

[Nyx]

And the growing spikes.

[orchid-man]

I have noticed that some plants will start a growth/spike and then appear to stop its growth as if it is testing the enviroment.Therefore I would not be too worried.

[Brutal_Dreamer]

to murray. I would also increase the light level your phal is getting. These guys grow in low light, but the leaves should not be dark green. They need just a bit of yellow/green to them for them to produce big healthy spikes. The first photo seems to be the right coloring, but the next to last photo seems the plant has dark green leaves. Unless your photo is not giving the true color of the leaves, increase the brightness of the light a bit (still no direct light). You should see an increase in growth and a perkiness in the plant too.

Cheers!
BD

[Piper]

I didn't see any spikes in the first post. Just lots of healthy roots. The second post clearly shows two spikes.

Do you have the ability to annotate your photos? Can you point an arrow at the alleged spikes that have aborted? I'm thinking, like Diane, that maybe they're just roots.

Julie

[Nyx]

Piper: here are more pics with the "alleged spikes" circled. Sheesh, tough crowd.

[Gin]

I have a couple that had tiny spikes for quite awhile , noticed yesterday they have started to grow . Gin

[Nyx]

Murray, Brutal_Dreamer and Gin - Ah, I'm glad to hear that and I did consider (hope) that they were only temporarily on hold, but after a couple of weeks of checking daily thought I would ask for advice.

I cannot increase their light unless I do it artificially. I'm not sure the pics were good representation of the individual colors as I took them at night with the flash spur of the moment. They are also different kinds of phals, with very different flowers/leaves.

I have three semi-large East windows in my apartment and the one they are in gets the most intense sun. In fact, I have occasionally burned a spot or two on some of those orchids in the kitchen. I am considering some artificial light this winter during our very gray, rainy season, but haven't invested yet.