t-bred: I think that growth pattern is normal in all monopodials (vandaceous) orchids. A young leaf (*) elongates/grows near parallel to the main "trunk". With time, newer upcoming leaves after (*) will push (*) causing (*) to bend and assume that typical position of being roughly perpendicular to the main "trunk". Think of a vanda. alvin

Won't the weight of the leaf eventually cause it to bend into the proper position?

I think it has something to do with parentage. I have about 30 phals, and most leaves grow flat or slightly arched. I have 2-3 plants on which the leaves insist on growing more upright, as you describe. It must be their genes.

I read this thread last night so when I put the G/H to bed I looked on the phal table and found a couple doing exactly what t-bred is describing. The plants doing it were from a local phal hybridizer and the oringial leaves presented were flat but in my care, the new leaves are standing stright up. I attribute those to my higher light conditions.

As hollyt said, it is also genetic. I have phals that refuse to grow upright and want to hang over the pot edge and others that want to grow like a vanda. I have found it is the thin leaf plants hanging and the thicker leaves upright.

I have no scientific facts to back me up, just my observations.

Brooke

Thanks for the information. I too notice this is my only phal doing this. Both new leaves are about 5 inches long,hopefully with time they will lay down a little. It looks so funny,like two big bunny ears coming out the top!:) Glad to hear I shouldn't be concerned. Thanks again.

Just to add a note of nothing-much to this thread. I got a phal order from Carmela's in May where every single one had all the leaves and all the aerial roots growing straight up. Some of the roots were 6-8 inches long, but still straight.

They looked like those whirly seeds that whirl down off maples. They must have been growing them in some kind of sleeve to conserve space.

But yes, I get an occasional one with straight up new leaves all on its own.

Hmmm. My also unscientific observation of this phenomena says it is more likely to happen in a low light situation. The o.p. hasn't said how many tubes but we do know that the lights have recently been lowered so the light level previously has not been as high. My theory is that in low light the leaves stretch up to the light just like African Violet leaves. In higher light they proceed to lay down and grow horizontally right away. Just my (light) biased take :-).

H

I'm with Howard on this one. Before I got to his post I was visualizing my phals.
The ones further back from the edge of the patio screening have "stretching for the light" leaves. The ones closer up to the screen are flatter and rounder, rather that v'd and elongated. A plant that was further back last year has old leaves that are shaped differently than the new leaves that grew this year closer to the screen.
LOL Now that you mention it, I need a longer patio so they can all be up next to the edge!
Jan

Howard,this is the fine line between too much and too little that I have yet to get a grasp on. They are growing under 4-48 inch 32w tubes.I just replaced these tubes and the previous tubes were about 9 months old. This phal was growing approx. 6 inches below tubes before lowering them.After measuring, the "rabbit ears" are about 2 inches below. These new leaves are the third and fourth new it has grown since I bought it in March. It has a total of 8 leaves, and has grown at least 10 new roots. The only other description I can give of the upright leaves is they seem to be much more turgid than the others.The leaves have also developed a reddish cast beginning a month or so after purchase and growing it what I thought was close to the lights.Is excess turgidity a bad thing? Thanks!

I still think it's genetic. Most of mine have flat or arching leaves. Or the leaves point up initially and as they get larger, they arch downward. But 2-3 plants grow rabbit ear leaves in the same light conditions. And you are right--they are very stiff.

My experience says that if it is just the last few leaves and not all, it is a culture thing. I grow @20 of my phals in the same conditions, and sometimes it just happens. I also assume culture because both new leaves are the same height, so at least during the development of the first leaf the plant problably struggled adjusting to the buyers conditions. For me it doesn't seem to be consistent with the plant, unless it is the entire plant (some of the Kenneth Shubert hybrids for instance) so I don't think it is genetic. I'm not sure what causes the problem, but I really don't think it has to do with light as I see it happen on one plant and not another right next to it under the exact same light conditions. *** Dang, I like it when I can occassionally disagree with H about indoor lighting issues ;-)
I tend to think it has more to do with general culture because for me, it seems to happen to phals that are not at the 'top of their game'.

As far as long term effect, once the rabbit leaves get fairly large (@75% the size of other leaves) I usually am able to 'very gently' bend them over so that they flop like the rest of the leaves. I sometimes have to use a stake or something similar to help hold them down a bit initially.

Bob - Being careful, 1st post since the 'tenor' thread

I forgot to mention in earlier post that the leaves of my Phal. amabilis and bellina flop down like the "typical" phalaenopsis form, whatever that means. Whereas my Phal. equestris and cornu-cervi have leaves whose younger ones stand up like rabbit ears. Both grow under same lighting conditions. I just didn't think to look until now. alvin

Hi T-bred,
I grow Phals in a greenhouse in scary(for phals) high light. All of my Phals are mounted on their sides. I have one hybrid and a couple of species that do just what you describe, living right along side of others that grow with new leaves coming in and hanging down right away. As the "rabbit ears" age they do begin to lay down. I've often wondered what the howdy was going on. I'm glad you ask this. I thought I was the only one...LOL.....
Pat.........

Thanks all!! I just let them do what they do.:) Pat, Love your greenhouse pic's!! We've got snow flurries as I type,wish I were there!!