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#1
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Paph new spike versus new leaf
How can one tell whether a Paph is starting a new spike or growing a new
leaf? The reason why I am asking is: I mail ordered a Paph malipoense in-spike. It got delivered today, with a note stating that it is just starting a new spike in the new growth. It looks like a new leaf to me. But then I remembered that my very first Paph also looked like it was going to have a new leaf before I left for vacation, and when I came back it had a new spike. So I am willing to accept that this _may_ be a new spike even though it looks like a leaf ... But I would like to know whether there is a way to know for sure whether this is a spike or just another leaf. Is there something that I can look for to tell? Is this something that people who have been around Paphs long enough just know? Or is it an educated guess, based on the number of leaves for example? What I would like to know in part is, whether or not I may have been ripped off, since the plant was sold to me as "in-spike", and I may not have bought it if it had been listed as "blooming size" but not in spike. I am willing to give it the benefit of a doubt that it may be in spike, but it really looks to me like it is just "in-leaf". Joanna (who can already tell a Phal spike from an aerial root very early on, but alas still has much more to learn about Paphs) |
#2
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Hi Joanna,
If you give it time all will be revealed. However if you are impatient the following might help. Flower buds are generally fatter so they should feel 'thicker' in the growth. You might be able to shine a torch behind the growth and look through the leaves to see the outline of the flower bud. The pigmentation on P.malipoense might prove a bit of a problem as this works better for the strap leafed plants. Hope this helps. Hope it is a flower. Flower bud formation is not simply a factor of the number of leaves. With regards Alan "J Fortuna" wrote in message news:ky32d.6786$lX.202@trnddc04... How can one tell whether a Paph is starting a new spike or growing a new leaf? The reason why I am asking is: I mail ordered a Paph malipoense in-spike. It got delivered today, with a note stating that it is just starting a new spike in the new growth. It looks like a new leaf to me. But then I remembered that my very first Paph also looked like it was going to have a new leaf before I left for vacation, and when I came back it had a new spike. So I am willing to accept that this _may_ be a new spike even though it looks like a leaf ... But I would like to know whether there is a way to know for sure whether this is a spike or just another leaf. Is there something that I can look for to tell? Is this something that people who have been around Paphs long enough just know? Or is it an educated guess, based on the number of leaves for example? What I would like to know in part is, whether or not I may have been ripped off, since the plant was sold to me as "in-spike", and I may not have bought it if it had been listed as "blooming size" but not in spike. I am willing to give it the benefit of a doubt that it may be in spike, but it really looks to me like it is just "in-leaf". Joanna (who can already tell a Phal spike from an aerial root very early on, but alas still has much more to learn about Paphs) |
#3
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Hi Joanna,
If you give it time all will be revealed. However if you are impatient the following might help. Flower buds are generally fatter so they should feel 'thicker' in the growth. You might be able to shine a torch behind the growth and look through the leaves to see the outline of the flower bud. The pigmentation on P.malipoense might prove a bit of a problem as this works better for the strap leafed plants. Hope this helps. Hope it is a flower. Flower bud formation is not simply a factor of the number of leaves. With regards Alan "J Fortuna" wrote in message news:ky32d.6786$lX.202@trnddc04... How can one tell whether a Paph is starting a new spike or growing a new leaf? The reason why I am asking is: I mail ordered a Paph malipoense in-spike. It got delivered today, with a note stating that it is just starting a new spike in the new growth. It looks like a new leaf to me. But then I remembered that my very first Paph also looked like it was going to have a new leaf before I left for vacation, and when I came back it had a new spike. So I am willing to accept that this _may_ be a new spike even though it looks like a leaf ... But I would like to know whether there is a way to know for sure whether this is a spike or just another leaf. Is there something that I can look for to tell? Is this something that people who have been around Paphs long enough just know? Or is it an educated guess, based on the number of leaves for example? What I would like to know in part is, whether or not I may have been ripped off, since the plant was sold to me as "in-spike", and I may not have bought it if it had been listed as "blooming size" but not in spike. I am willing to give it the benefit of a doubt that it may be in spike, but it really looks to me like it is just "in-leaf". Joanna (who can already tell a Phal spike from an aerial root very early on, but alas still has much more to learn about Paphs) |
#4
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What I would like to know in part is, whether or not I may have been ripped
off, since the plant was sold to me as "in-spike", Did you pay more for the plant? If so and it is not in spike perhaps you might feel like you were ripped off. If you feel that you did not get what you expected why not contact the seller and arrange to send the plant back. I may not have bought it if it had been listed as "blooming size" but not in spike. If you wanted this particular species why would you have not purchased it just because it was not in spike but was of blooming size. Buying a plant in spike or bud does not guarantee that it will bloom. The buds and spikes can be damaged in shipping regardless of how well they are packaged. I don't know of any orchid supplier selling mail order or shipping plants that would guarantee the blooms on a plant. |
#5
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What I would like to know in part is, whether or not I may have been ripped
off, since the plant was sold to me as "in-spike", Did you pay more for the plant? If so and it is not in spike perhaps you might feel like you were ripped off. If you feel that you did not get what you expected why not contact the seller and arrange to send the plant back. I may not have bought it if it had been listed as "blooming size" but not in spike. If you wanted this particular species why would you have not purchased it just because it was not in spike but was of blooming size. Buying a plant in spike or bud does not guarantee that it will bloom. The buds and spikes can be damaged in shipping regardless of how well they are packaged. I don't know of any orchid supplier selling mail order or shipping plants that would guarantee the blooms on a plant. |
#6
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You know how sometimes one posts a post to a newsgroup and then wishes one had not posted it or wishes one had phrased it differently? Well that's how I felt yesterday. I shouldn't have said this: "TRAINMAN9" wrote in message ... What I would like to know in part is, whether or not I may have been ripped off, since the plant was sold to me as "in-spike", Did you pay more for the plant? If so and it is not in spike perhaps you might feel like you were ripped off. If you feel that you did not get what you expected why not contact the seller and arrange to send the plant back. In my defense I sent the post off at a time when I was not fully decompressed from worked yet, and so I was grumpy, and that influenced how I phrased this. The grumpiness though was not the fault of the paph or the vendor it came from. No, I did not pay more because of the in-spike. Even though I have seen that some vendors do sell plants in spike for more money than blooming size, but this plant was not bought from one of them. And I have absolutely no intention of returning the plant. It's one of mine now, and I will watch it like a mother hen every day checking out that spike or leaf to see whether I can tell which it is over time. :-) If you wanted this particular species why would you have not purchased it just because it was not in spike but was of blooming size. Buying a plant in spike or bud does not guarantee that it will bloom. The buds and spikes can be damaged in shipping regardless of how well they are packaged. I don't know of any orchid supplier selling mail order or shipping plants that would guarantee the blooms on a plant. I am already comfortable enough with Phals to buy them blooming size or even near-blooming size because I have had Phals spike and rebloom for me enough times for me to believe that they will do so again. But I am still too new to Paphs (bought my first Paph in January), and thus I am still uncertain about my Paph growing skill. That first Paph that I purchased in January has already rebloomed for me. But still. Rationally I know that if Phals like it in my environment, Paphs should too. I also know that in-spike does not guarantee blooming -- if nothing else my cochleanthes amazonica has taught me that. Rationally I know therefore that I ought to be as comfortable about buying a Paph in-spike as buying it blooming size. But who said that I am fully rational??? The only rational thing in my defense is that I am an impatient person, and I have already heard that paph malipoense spikes for a long time and that that's an understatement. This does not change the fact that I am very glad to have this plant in my collection now, and I am still very excited about it, and looking forward to it blooming eventually. However, if this is a new leaf and not a new spike after all, then I will not only have to wait for the spike to develop but for it to actually start a new spike, so my wait-time will be longer, and I will have to be more patient for an even longer amount of time. Ok, so maybe that's not exactly "rational" but hey, I'm a woman, we are not supposed to be fully rational, right? Joanna |
#7
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You know how sometimes one posts a post to a newsgroup and then wishes one had not posted it or wishes one had phrased it differently? Well that's how I felt yesterday. I shouldn't have said this: "TRAINMAN9" wrote in message ... What I would like to know in part is, whether or not I may have been ripped off, since the plant was sold to me as "in-spike", Did you pay more for the plant? If so and it is not in spike perhaps you might feel like you were ripped off. If you feel that you did not get what you expected why not contact the seller and arrange to send the plant back. In my defense I sent the post off at a time when I was not fully decompressed from worked yet, and so I was grumpy, and that influenced how I phrased this. The grumpiness though was not the fault of the paph or the vendor it came from. No, I did not pay more because of the in-spike. Even though I have seen that some vendors do sell plants in spike for more money than blooming size, but this plant was not bought from one of them. And I have absolutely no intention of returning the plant. It's one of mine now, and I will watch it like a mother hen every day checking out that spike or leaf to see whether I can tell which it is over time. :-) If you wanted this particular species why would you have not purchased it just because it was not in spike but was of blooming size. Buying a plant in spike or bud does not guarantee that it will bloom. The buds and spikes can be damaged in shipping regardless of how well they are packaged. I don't know of any orchid supplier selling mail order or shipping plants that would guarantee the blooms on a plant. I am already comfortable enough with Phals to buy them blooming size or even near-blooming size because I have had Phals spike and rebloom for me enough times for me to believe that they will do so again. But I am still too new to Paphs (bought my first Paph in January), and thus I am still uncertain about my Paph growing skill. That first Paph that I purchased in January has already rebloomed for me. But still. Rationally I know that if Phals like it in my environment, Paphs should too. I also know that in-spike does not guarantee blooming -- if nothing else my cochleanthes amazonica has taught me that. Rationally I know therefore that I ought to be as comfortable about buying a Paph in-spike as buying it blooming size. But who said that I am fully rational??? The only rational thing in my defense is that I am an impatient person, and I have already heard that paph malipoense spikes for a long time and that that's an understatement. This does not change the fact that I am very glad to have this plant in my collection now, and I am still very excited about it, and looking forward to it blooming eventually. However, if this is a new leaf and not a new spike after all, then I will not only have to wait for the spike to develop but for it to actually start a new spike, so my wait-time will be longer, and I will have to be more patient for an even longer amount of time. Ok, so maybe that's not exactly "rational" but hey, I'm a woman, we are not supposed to be fully rational, right? Joanna |
#8
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J Fortuna wrote: How can one tell whether a Paph is starting a new spike or growing a new leaf?........................................ Joanna, I have a suggestion that may or may not help. I have a Paph callosum that I have bloomed a dozen times at least. I can always tell when that one is getting ready to bloom. Paphs always grow their leaves in alternating directions. You know, left-right-left-right. When I look down into that callosum and it appears that it is going to grow 2 consecutive leaves in the same direction, that's a flower bud every time. I have other Paphs that I have bloomed once or twice so far. Some of those are harder to tell. Sometimes the bud is symmetrical so that it doesn't seem to curve either left or right. I don't yet have a malipoense so I can't say how it behaves. Look at that spike/new leaf. If If it has a curve that looks like it would go the same direction as the last leaf, then I would bet it isn't just a leaf. If the shape looks like a leaf that will go off in the opposite direction, then it probably IS a leaf. If you can't tell, hope for the best and, (dare I say it?) be patient. :-) Steve |
#9
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J Fortuna wrote: How can one tell whether a Paph is starting a new spike or growing a new leaf?........................................ Joanna, I have a suggestion that may or may not help. I have a Paph callosum that I have bloomed a dozen times at least. I can always tell when that one is getting ready to bloom. Paphs always grow their leaves in alternating directions. You know, left-right-left-right. When I look down into that callosum and it appears that it is going to grow 2 consecutive leaves in the same direction, that's a flower bud every time. I have other Paphs that I have bloomed once or twice so far. Some of those are harder to tell. Sometimes the bud is symmetrical so that it doesn't seem to curve either left or right. I don't yet have a malipoense so I can't say how it behaves. Look at that spike/new leaf. If If it has a curve that looks like it would go the same direction as the last leaf, then I would bet it isn't just a leaf. If the shape looks like a leaf that will go off in the opposite direction, then it probably IS a leaf. If you can't tell, hope for the best and, (dare I say it?) be patient. :-) Steve |
#10
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It's a spike!
Today when I held it up to look at it in the light I noticed that if one looks into that leaf under a certain angle in the right light, one can see there is a bud in there. :-) By the way, in response to Steve's suggestion: the leaf looked to me as though it would go in the alternate direction not the same direction as the previous one. But I can definitely see a bud in there. Thank you all. Joanna "TQPL" wrote in message ... Hi Joanna, If you give it time all will be revealed. However if you are impatient the following might help. Flower buds are generally fatter so they should feel 'thicker' in the growth. You might be able to shine a torch behind the growth and look through the leaves to see the outline of the flower bud. The pigmentation on P.malipoense might prove a bit of a problem as this works better for the strap leafed plants. Hope this helps. Hope it is a flower. Flower bud formation is not simply a factor of the number of leaves. With regards Alan "J Fortuna" wrote in message news:ky32d.6786$lX.202@trnddc04... How can one tell whether a Paph is starting a new spike or growing a new leaf? The reason why I am asking is: I mail ordered a Paph malipoense in-spike. It got delivered today, with a note stating that it is just starting a new spike in the new growth. It looks like a new leaf to me. But then I remembered that my very first Paph also looked like it was going to have a new leaf before I left for vacation, and when I came back it had a new spike. So I am willing to accept that this _may_ be a new spike even though it looks like a leaf ... But I would like to know whether there is a way to know for sure whether this is a spike or just another leaf. Is there something that I can look for to tell? Is this something that people who have been around Paphs long enough just know? Or is it an educated guess, based on the number of leaves for example? What I would like to know in part is, whether or not I may have been ripped off, since the plant was sold to me as "in-spike", and I may not have bought it if it had been listed as "blooming size" but not in spike. I am willing to give it the benefit of a doubt that it may be in spike, but it really looks to me like it is just "in-leaf". Joanna (who can already tell a Phal spike from an aerial root very early on, but alas still has much more to learn about Paphs) |
#11
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It's a spike!
Today when I held it up to look at it in the light I noticed that if one looks into that leaf under a certain angle in the right light, one can see there is a bud in there. :-) By the way, in response to Steve's suggestion: the leaf looked to me as though it would go in the alternate direction not the same direction as the previous one. But I can definitely see a bud in there. Thank you all. Joanna "TQPL" wrote in message ... Hi Joanna, If you give it time all will be revealed. However if you are impatient the following might help. Flower buds are generally fatter so they should feel 'thicker' in the growth. You might be able to shine a torch behind the growth and look through the leaves to see the outline of the flower bud. The pigmentation on P.malipoense might prove a bit of a problem as this works better for the strap leafed plants. Hope this helps. Hope it is a flower. Flower bud formation is not simply a factor of the number of leaves. With regards Alan "J Fortuna" wrote in message news:ky32d.6786$lX.202@trnddc04... How can one tell whether a Paph is starting a new spike or growing a new leaf? The reason why I am asking is: I mail ordered a Paph malipoense in-spike. It got delivered today, with a note stating that it is just starting a new spike in the new growth. It looks like a new leaf to me. But then I remembered that my very first Paph also looked like it was going to have a new leaf before I left for vacation, and when I came back it had a new spike. So I am willing to accept that this _may_ be a new spike even though it looks like a leaf ... But I would like to know whether there is a way to know for sure whether this is a spike or just another leaf. Is there something that I can look for to tell? Is this something that people who have been around Paphs long enough just know? Or is it an educated guess, based on the number of leaves for example? What I would like to know in part is, whether or not I may have been ripped off, since the plant was sold to me as "in-spike", and I may not have bought it if it had been listed as "blooming size" but not in spike. I am willing to give it the benefit of a doubt that it may be in spike, but it really looks to me like it is just "in-leaf". Joanna (who can already tell a Phal spike from an aerial root very early on, but alas still has much more to learn about Paphs) |
#12
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J Fortuna wrote: It's a spike! Today when I held it up to look at it in the light I noticed that if one looks into that leaf under a certain angle in the right light, one can see there is a bud in there. :-) By the way, in response to Steve's suggestion: the leaf looked to me as though it would go in the alternate direction not the same direction as the previous one. But I can definitely see a bud in there. Thank you all. Joanna Very good and congratulations! Now I wonder how many months it will torture you before it actually produces a flower? Steve |
#13
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J Fortuna wrote: It's a spike! Today when I held it up to look at it in the light I noticed that if one looks into that leaf under a certain angle in the right light, one can see there is a bud in there. :-) By the way, in response to Steve's suggestion: the leaf looked to me as though it would go in the alternate direction not the same direction as the previous one. But I can definitely see a bud in there. Thank you all. Joanna Very good and congratulations! Now I wonder how many months it will torture you before it actually produces a flower? Steve |
#14
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Woopeeeeeee,
Hope you take a pic for your records. Alan "J Fortuna" wrote in message newsbf3d.348$C8.251@trnddc05... It's a spike! Today when I held it up to look at it in the light I noticed that if one looks into that leaf under a certain angle in the right light, one can see there is a bud in there. :-) |
#15
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Woopeeeeeee,
Hope you take a pic for your records. Alan "J Fortuna" wrote in message newsbf3d.348$C8.251@trnddc05... It's a spike! Today when I held it up to look at it in the light I noticed that if one looks into that leaf under a certain angle in the right light, one can see there is a bud in there. :-) |
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