As some others have pointed out already 10 weeks of inactivity is really
not
all that worisome. I have had Phals that were quite healthy not do much in
a
similar length of time. I believe a healthy Phal is expected to grow a new
leaf on average every 4 months or so -- but since this is on average, I
would not worry even if it did not grow a new leaf in that much time as
long
as the leaves it has look healthy. Four healthy leaves means that it's
probably healthy enough. Just observe it, be patient. Try to adjust
conditions to be as favorable as possible, and it should be fine.
Thanks, will do.
40 centimeters leaf length (about 15 to 16 inches) is indeed quite big,
but
I think I have seen some mature white Phals with leaves that size. You say
that "They are much larger than the leaves on another one here with
similarly-sized flowers". One thing that I have observed is that Phal
flowers can be really big even on really young plants. As the plant grows
older the leaves will grow in size, but I don't think the flower size
increases by all that much (though the number of flowers will increase).
So
you might just have an older plant than the other ones you observed.
Cool! Very good to know.
Also
there is much variety in so called "standard white Phals". Just because we
humans cannot tell the plants apart without knowing their names and
heritage
does not mean that two similar looking plants are not very different.
Yes, I know. That's why I said I don't know what it is even though it
resembles the one in the picture.
Also, if I were you I would listen to Kathy Barrett's advice. I think she
has a good point that low light conditions might have caused the leaves to
grow more. If your office (where you got your plant from) is anything like
my office, it's probable that the plant had to struggle to get enough
light
there, unless it was close to a good window.
I didn't get it at an office. I am an illustrator and I work from home. I
got it at a market stall, open air. Irt was probably forced into flower
under lights or something, as that's the standard way they do it here, then
ripped from what it had come to think of as pretty flush conditions, if a
little harried, then left in the market stall for as long as it took to
render the roots in the state they were in when I found it. Now, it is with
my other ones in the only place that gets enough light at this time of year
without descending to just about freezing at night. That's the center of the
dining table, in the living room. It'll be nice when we can get a new
apartment and we can all stop living in the dark, but since one of my phals
is throwing out a new leaf and the two German green ones are showing no
signs of losing their flowers, it must be a decent enough spot right there.
In general I have found with my plants and with those of people I know
that
a good spot is the single most important thing: if you put the plant
somewhere where it is happy (right amount of light, good enough humidity,
the right temperature and day/night fluctuations, etc), it should do well
with minimal care.
You are very encouraging, and I'll stop thinking this one might be dying and
start thinking it's probably just getting itself together. Thank you!
--Katrina
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