Hi Judy:

When my phals grow secondary spikes, they often do this. There are not in a greenhouse so they don't have light from above encouraging to grow up but light from the window encouraging them to grow sideways. I usually leave them as is and I've never had a phal topple over.

Kelly

ps: Very happy plant!

HI, Judy. Whatever you do, don't pull hard on a phal stem that's developed as far as those. I promise you, you'll cry.

I would let it go on and develop naturally, as Kelly suggests. If the pot does get tippy, just pop the whole plant, pot and all into a heavy clay pot, and that takes care of that.

Just FYI, when you want to shape a spike, you do it the way you stake a tree: put the stake in, and attach the spike to it with something soft, but loosely. Don't tighten it right away. Every couple of days, tighten it a tiny bit, maybe 1/4". But gently, gently, gently.

You aren't forcing it, you are just suggesting it grow the tiniest bit differently. Over a period of three or four weeks, the little nudges cumulate, and the spike will grow in the direction you want.

To reshape a hosrizontal spike, you would start guiding it upwards when it's still tender, maybe three or four inches long. Be very careful to put very little strain on it, and any strain has to be on the strongest part of the spike (at the bottom). I've decapitated spikes by pulling on the tender top of the spike :(.

Use a *very* light hand, and let *it* be the boss, or leave it alone.

Congrats on the happy phal - got to love all those green roots and growing spikes.

Brooke

Thank you, Mehitabel and Kelly for your very helpful and practical suggestions. I will leave the horizontal spikes as they are, but will start supporting the newer vertical spike.
And Brooke, many thanks for your kind words. How happy can this poor phal be, after all the suffering it endured over the past 6 months under my inexperienced care? But it sure is STRONG and healthy...finally! I had a problem with invisible pests recently, but I think I have it under control. (May put up another post about this soon...)
Judy

Your phal is very happy, primarily because it's not dead.