That squishy leaf is most probably a bacterial infection -- which might or
might not have been caused by step-mom..

The infected tissue _needs_ to be amputated if you want to save the plant --
and the liquid inside probably isn't just water; I expect it will have a
dark color and a foul odor. If so, it will spread the bacteria to anything
it touches]. So work carefully -- hold the whole thing upside down, if need
be, when you make the cut, so the infectious liquid doesn't hit the rest of
the plant(s) or run down into the potting mix. Dust the remaining "wound"
liberally with cinnamon if chemical fungicides are out of your budget or
against your "religion" G.

Chances are, a spike that short will go ahead and bloom even if you repot
now, although there is always some risk of blast. And certainly, the
healthy plant will have a better chance of long-term survival if you get it
away from the diseased one ...

Good growing,
--
Kenni Judd
Juno Beach Orchids
http://www.jborchids.com

"Danielle" wrote in message
oups.com...
I left my phal in the care of my flesh colored thumb stepmother. When I
left her, there were 9 blossoms, and three buds. two weeks later, I
find an empty flower spike, and a leaf filled with water. By that I
mean, the leaf was actually squishy and at the tip there was a bubble
filled with water, about an inch thick, and two inches tall. The leaf
surface was holding this bubble of water in. What did she do to my
plant?

My other question is, I have another phal in the same pot (the grower
did that, not me) and it has a new leaf, which is about 4 inches long,
and what appears to be a flower spike, which is 3 1/2 inches long. Is
this a safe time to separate the two plants?