Phalaenopsis Orchids with small, stumpy new leaves - Possible cause and fix

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Update: I actually went ahead and ordered some gibberilic acid, my superthrive might be expired and I don't know what it contains. Experimenting we go! I'll keep you posted ;)

[@kellyduguay3368]

Look into alfalfa meal...I just ordered some

[@oishd6077]

Danny taught us bio today . We learnt about chemical coordination on plants just a few days ago at school .

[@sharonmarshallswift5360]

I am looking forward to seeing how this experiment turns out. This happened to one of my past phals, too. How interesting it will be if you are right. Thanks for playing around with some ideas, Danny!

[@MissOrchidGirl]

:D oh fun stuff :D

[@derpicorn7945]

Superthrive has IBA and humic acid. It's on the label :)

[@LinardBraslin]

I am an educated biologist and I agree completely with your theory, although I don't know the full story myself.

[@greeneyes121272]

Hi Dani, I would love to see an update on this issue.

[@softspasoundsasmr9048]

This theory ABSOLUTELY consistent with my phal keeping experience.

[@yasinyakupyldz8620]

You should definitely keep up with uploding such informative videos, too smart, whereas other people say that they re just plant and nothing.

[@traciejones3375]

Was there a follow-up to this video? Did the leaves ever recover? I'm seeing this 4 yr old video for the 1st time

[@alvinwhitley8020]

Possible one of the best orchid videos I've Ever seen. Well done ! Please keep it up !

[@brandonholt6717]

This is really something done with most plants. As a grower, myself, it is very common to use growth regulators like paclobutrazol because it helps to create very nice looking, compact plants. It will generally create a very nice, dark green color in the leaves of almost any plant and can dramatically increase lifespan in stores and, as a result, saleability. Something a lot of consumers may not realize, though, is that once these effects have worn off it's unlikely that the plant will ever look like it did in stores ever again. This can be much less to do with the skill of the greenhouse grower vs the at home grower, and much more to do with the chemistry at work depending on the situation. In fact, growers can make mistakes that result in a longer lasting effect than desired. That's where these stunted leaves come in.

[@tashalawson2028]

My mini phal which is vibrant and healthy, purchased over the summer, has been working on growing the same leaf for several months. It's tiny like this, but I kept thinking it was just slow growing. Now I'm not so sure as it's growth seems to have halted and remains a tiny little leaf. It's a beautiful mini phal, now with 8 leaves, but I'll be a bit sad if every new leaf here out is like this. Thanks for the insight, very interesting!

[@mohlarmohlar6989]

In my experience my orchid which was in my care for more then a year started growing very short and thick leaves like cactus after i moved it to very sunny window. I think it was its survival mode against sun as I didn't give any hormone. Older leaves burned and dried off. I didn't know by then that they can burn so I thought it is deficiency and left orchid on that window for more then 2 years :)). My orchid looked like a succulent plant with lots of short leaves but healthy and yes leaves would be on purple colour:)). All that time I didn't realise whats happening but just because I needed sunny space for my jasmine i have moved my orchids to a window with bright light but no direct sun at all and guess what new leaves started growing bigger and bigger to its normal size. Also orchids bloomed on sunny window with very short flower spikes rather then the ones on non suny window. So I think it is related to sun. That orchid is trying to grow itself to find less sunny spot in shorter period by growing smaller leaves and get taller also to protect its moisture by making leaves small. As orchids in nature leave on trees they are protected from too much sun by tree leaves. So with your orchid it could be that at the nursery they put it in very high light condition on its flower spike growing season so the flower spike would grow short. But hormones produced by orchid as a response didn't wear out yet. So light also plays crucial role on how orchid produce hormones. It can change how orchid looks dramatically.

[@mariagillinson8527]

I have one of those and I thought I was doing something wrong! Thank you for clearing that up! I hate that the producers are completely artificially manipulating the orchids ...

[@sunahyun6339]

Great video, I have 2 that’s doing this stumpy leaf, it’s definitely different than just growing a small leaf. Stumpy leaves are thicker and almost folded or creased look to them. One of the phal is starting to grow more normal looking leaf now after 2 stumpy ones. Thanks for doing this video and doing all the research. Even if you’re not 100% correct you have pointed me in the right direction.

[@brandonholt6717]

I'm a grower and I think you are completely correct. All of these things are symptoms of a growth regulator. As another commenter here mentioned, you may find the roots look strange as well. Washing out the soil or changing it may help. A small application of giberilic acid will help too. You can't expect that merely watering and fertilizing will end the problem, though. If you do nothing at all it should eventually wear off and new leaves and roots will grow normally.

[@tammyjohnson7401]

Awesome information. Nothing in the grow industry is ever left to be. I get it but I agree consumers need to know and what they could do to rectify problem. Thank great research.

[@paulsaunders6492]

Hi Dani It was me who contacted you a year ago about my singolo which had two stunted leaves. A year later, and I can tell you that the two stunted leaves remain unchanged ( no surprise there) but, a new leaf has now grown and it's normal: large and spatulate, so it looks like it's cured. What did I do? Nothing really except to treat it right: repot it, feed it, water it and talk to it! However, when I repotted it a few months back, I noticed such bizarre roots: they're really fat and stumpy. I remember you, in a previous video, noticing the same. There has to be something in this too - it can't be a coincidence?

[@ericascheepers299]

Thank you Paul here in South Africa all my phal's do that and I have no place to buy stuff , good to know that the orchids will grow normal after a while, without difficult treatment.

[@naay495]

Hey Dani, my Singolo did produce only one small compact leaf, and now it's producing normal ones. It did not take a long time in my case. The second leaf did look kind of small and compacted in the beginning, but in the end grew normally. Also your attempt could work, if both hormones are competetive to each other. It could definetly weaken the effect of ABA. But it could also be, that there is not enough ABA in the system of the orchid, and it just grows normally by itself. It all depends on the dosage of ABA and also no one knows how much they dosed and if they really did treat the plant with ABA. These are just points to keep in mind, but you think like a scientist, so I'm sure you are aware of these points. :) Keep us posted! Can't wait for the results.

[@thephalaenopsisqueen6960]

Good morning Danni! I am also experiencing this (tiny leaves, but not stumpy per say) with some of my complex hybrids this year. I thought it was due to stress as I loose lots of roots on my Phals when I convert them to semi hydro. I made many new purchases this year. Seems the larger/older the plant, the harder it is for them to adjust. I suspected the plants are using a lot of their energy making new roots instead of large proper leaves. I will include them in a new video this weekend just in case you are interested in getting a visual of what I am experiencing. As always, LOVE your videos! You are one smart cookie!

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Hi, think you are experiencing some setback. That is normal under stress periods, but gets corrected within the year with Phals, no worries :)

[@elisanir87]

I have been looking for a video like this for months. This year 3 of my orchids out of nowhere started to grow tiny leaves. Only difference is that they are not new. One is over 10 years old. I didn't know what to do so I just waited and now 2 of them are growing normal leaves. We'll see about the third. Thanks for explaining.

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Hi, there is an article which suggests this is a Zinc defficiency due to too much phosphorus (p). Did you fertilize with a high middle number? (The npk values written on the bottle).

[@elisanir87]

@@MissOrchidGirl I just used a simple fertilizer from the store. I'm trying to find the one you use but they're impossible to find in stores. I will look online. Thank you for the reply and all your videos. I've learned so much.

[@ofoufoutos7110]

i got back home a neglected but hearty phal. orchid which imidiatelly started blooming , after all the buds bloomed ( around june ) it sprouted new growth of two leaves that stayed very small almost like the ones shown in the vid , after she droped the flowers she started growing the studded new leaves in a great pace , all "orchid focus " bloom, grow and spray used in the proscess

[@gemini0808]

Can u make a video about phalaenopsis orchid keikis with no roots?? How do I promote root growth on them? Why aren't roots growing but the leaves are?? I have a phal with an old stem and 2 keikis are growing but no roots.

[@faseena1398]

Can u update this experimental result

[@michaelparsons2744]

Hey Danny, I used to work for a phal mass producer and I can tell you they do use growth inhibitors on them! I can't remember the exact hormone that was used but I'm certain the product name began with an A and sounded kinda like agar. As for using it to control flower spikes they simply noted the growth inhibitor promotes more flowers. They don't apply anything to the plants once they begin to bloom other than water and fertilizer, although I left that place four years ago now so practices have probably changed. Hope this helps in some way :)

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Thanks for sharing, good to know :) wish we knew the substance, maybe it can be reversed :)

[@TY-ob7fz]

Hi Michael, thanks -very interesting. Thats why my phal reblooms are so puny compared with what I had bought from the flower shops though I must admit haven't rebloom enough of these (sorry newbie) guys to have a decient track record. Do you know if they also use hormones to make it create another branch off original spike. Btw, isnt agar used for sprouting orchid seeds when they're flasked. Thanks again 👍and Danny thanks for such an awesone subject.

[@popup854]

Please please Please try to contact them and see if they will give You the name !!!

[@michaelparsons2744]

hey tom, yeah that's a very common thing, they are given stimulants and a fertiliser that has been cooked up in a lab at a cost of thousands of pounds! it would be very difficult to recreate for us amateurs. I wouldn't get too downhearted by smaller blooms, i'm beginning to find now that after a 're-adjustment period' (as little as a year or two for some and three or four for others) the blooms do tend to get larger again. When it comes to branching they use selective breeding to control that as its much more reliable and cost effective. A good way to look at it is anything to do with blooms is breeding and controlling size is when they use hormones, if they think a batch is too small it gets a growth stimulant whereas if its getting to large they'll apply a growth retardant. what a lot of people don't realise is a lot of the time growers are given specs from the supermarkets or whoever they are supplying, with max and min heights, widths, number of spikes and blooms.. so their goal is to grow 250,000 phals that look completely identical, which is why they try to control their growth so much. after my experience of commercial growing I've come to the opinion that actually its the demand for perfection and conformity from the supermarkets that push growers to these extremes and in reality they don't really like it anymore than we do.. yes it is, and i know the name of this stuff was very similar to it, and now when I try to remember it all I can hear is agar! its very frustrating.

[@TY-ob7fz]

Michael Parsons Thank you mike for such an interesting insight to the industry. I can imagine with our need to altered reality the strive for perfection, and whatever that definition entails. ...and Luigi, if we want to hear from Micheal again plz don’t ask for names 🙈🙈.

[@jegordejev7914]

Please do a separate video sometime on growing Sedirea japonica and its varieties: "Minmaru Shima" "Minmaru" and "Seigyokumaru". I have had a hard time so far finding trustworthy information on growing these orchids so far. Many thanks in advance !

[@Stumpybear7640]

Hey Danny, how did u get on with this Stumpy leaved Phal? X

[@journeyofgreen3958]

Do you think a hormone issue could be found by taking a sample from the plant (leaves) when abnormal growth is occurring? It would be fascinating to see if there is a difference in the chemical composition between 2 plants of similar lineage, care, and environment when one is showing abnormal/mutated growth, and the other is progressing "normally" Thank you for another great video! Great "food for thought"!

[@msarez]

WOW! Amazing. I thought the stubby leaves were because of trauma such as repoting or temperature change. thank you for finding this great information. So I wonder is the hormonal imbalance permanent or just temporary?

[@ericascheepers299]

Danny thank you for this video . All the time I thought that it was something that I do wrong.

[@Cat-hr7yk]

Yes! this information is good. I like the fact YOU really care! 😇

[@redkim713]

This can happen with a mineral deficiency as well. Can't remember which, I think Zinc...?

[@3_up_moon]

It would only make sense for them to treat all supermarket orchids this way so you have to buy a new one each time you want flowers.

[@yasmine_9748]

I have exactly the same problem with my Singolo which I own since June 2019. And she doesn't want to grow anymore. How is your Singolo today? I would be happy about an update from you.

[@josephr.godinez3133]

I am a inside plant lover and outside gardener. Ive used superthrive for everything. However, once i started using superthrive, is when my issue with my orchids began. 😅 would love to know anyone elses thoughts. I also grow my orchid in water.

[@featherblossom1237]

Same thing is happening with a regular phal I bought about a year ago. It grew a stunted leaf over summer and now is growing another small one. Your explanation makes sense, my plant had a lot of very small flowers when I bought it but huge leaves. Maybe they applied inhibitors before the buds had formed? Hopefully there is a way to reverse it!

[@tanyav2289]

Hi Danny, I know for sure some orchids are inducted with ‘ Colchicine’ .... it causes mutation/ pelorism , sometimes gorgeous one , in flowers. Hope this helps.

[@derpicorn7945]

Colchicine causes polyploidy, it's used when orchids are cloned in labs.

[@tanyav2289]

Derpi Corn , I’ve seen an amazing double petaled peloric cattleya from Taiwan, that looked like a rose. Pelorism on her was achieved by the use of ‘Colchicine’...according to her breeder.

[@MrOllie716]

Did this plant “fix” itself?

[@marioroz3142]

I have to thank orchids for introducing me to the fantastic world of plant biochemistry

[@roxanneparker9126]

Hi Dani, great and Interesting video. Please keep us updated. I don't know how old this video is. If you have came up with a solution or not. Thank you in Advance Roxanne

[@mathie2037]

I appreciate this video. I have observed this thing happening in my Den phals. Thank you Danni.

[@vicar6225]

I purchased a stuartiana a few months ago in bloom and since it grew 3 new leaves at the same time. This also happened with my sogo Vivian growing two leaves. I don’t use any boosters.

[@brokenkeys1112]

Do you think mass produced orchids are made to die after flowering so people buy more unless if you are a experienced grower.

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Hi, no I think you can achieve that only with a genetically modified hybrid, it's hard to select a gene with a self destruct mode ;) there are sensitive hybrids which are boosted and then go energyless after blooming, but not just perish, they can be saved.

[@emjolurad9]

broken keys111 well in my case my orchid died on me and I went out and purchase another just like it only to have it grow the same way. I consider myself a new grower

[@emjolurad9]

Thank you Dani for this informative video at least I’m assured it wasn’t something I did or didn’t do.

[@JP-ve7or]

Not exactly, but I'm sure there's an assumption people will just dump the orchid when it's done blooming and buy a new one. Happens all the time 😕

[@johnmcneill923]

It would be nice if orchid nurseries came clean and added a disclaimer plus an antidote to fix “stumpiness”. The exercise of “tampering” is not proprietary. The antidote would be good PR!

[@iliamarielugo]

Very interesting! I’ve never seen this before, but all of my orchids have produced much bigger leaves than the original ones, even the ones that were supposed to be smaller orchids. Is it normal?

[@iffetorbay6356]

Any idea on what may cause a tubular leaf and what to do with it?

[@granne6886]

Hello! Thank you for this video. Just wondering what have you come up to boost the growth of the leaves? I have the same issue with my Phalaenopsis.

[@peggymarvelle6520]

So can you use Superthrive along with the Orchid fertilizer from Repotme? If so how often? Thanks Dani

[@christinaleung858]

My orchid has been growing new leaves, but the first two leaves haven't grown completely and now I'm getting a third new leaf. Is this normal for phalaenopsis orchids? How long does it take for phalaenopsis orchids to grow their leaves fully?

[@memyself6506]

I have 2 stumpy leaves then more normal leaves since. but I also have a basal shoot/ keiki as well. so I don't know if the basal shoot/keiki? caused the plant to take energy from the leaves into the side shoot? I honestly don't recall when I got the stumpy leaves.

[@orchidsnlyme1564]

I have a little phal with same issue. Some of its new flowers are a bit deformed as well 😕!!! Also it used to have a reddish color to its leaves!?

[@harshageorge252]

Could you please guide me how to make leaf grow. I broke the leaf by accident. That is my only orchid that I have, it was my first orchid gift

[@theresakrider6361]

Sorry what is that? This is is my first attempt at growing orchids. Should I leave alone or should I snip off. Thank you for the vids and help

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Here's a video where I explain more hope it helps kzbin.info/www/bejne/r5vRqqmdpLWKgKc

[@OanhNguyen-by8qr]

Can you tell me how can I buy orchid Grow mix from your post

[@mariagillinson8527]

I think the nursery messed up! Interesting that we might be able to fix it

[@Zahri8Alang]

Poor thing, hope it get the growth spurt in the future!

[@Justusorjustone]

Very near to 1 lakh mark subscriber,I am extremely happy ........plss god add 3500 more subscribers as soon as u can🙏...

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Haha, I am not in a hurry I am here for the ride :p plus my giveaway is not ready, I need one more month ;)

[@Justusorjustone]

@@MissOrchidGirl 😄❤😍.....

[@ChameleonSoul]

I can’t grow orchids that die on me, i tried changing them from moss to orchid bark but they still die😭

[@ChameleonSoul]

I can’t grow orchids they die on me, i tried changing them from moss to orchid bark but they still die😭

[@j.d.8075]

The technical term is "growth inhibitors" and it promotes flowers and some roots but not leaves...

[@MissOrchidGirl]

well we were talking about stunting leaves here, not not promoting, did I miss something?

[@j.d.8075]

The growth inhibitors kind of prevent leaf growth... your leaves are stumpy as they are not being prompted to grow... the prompting is going into the roots or the flower spike. Plants might not have a brain as such but they do have a kind of nervous systems that allows different parts of the plant to talk to other parts. It is how the plant knows where to send extra water or nutrients.

[@MissOrchidGirl]

oooooh.. nope you are thinking about set back :P it's not set back, I ran a text across the screen. What you are presuming growth inhibitors do is a bit false, what you said happens in lack of an inhibitor and with a functional orchid directing energy into vital components. If you'd watch the video you'd see I also have inhibited flower spikes and if you watched my previous video you'd know the roots are stumpy too. In this video we name the growth inhibitors, how they inhibit and why nurseries might want to use them :)

[@theresakrider6361]

When my orchid was done flowering I left the stocks now on one stock has small leaves growing. ??? Is this normal?

[@MissOrchidGirl]

yep no worries, probably a keiki :)

[@sprattbrotherskitchenbedro6709]

Sounds like a Keiki to me :)

[@kateamericana]

This happened in the past few months with my ~7 year old phals

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Hi, do you have a pic you can send on my email? did you make any changes in your care? any new products used? do you have some before and after pics to share?

[@marialavdas1450]

@@MissOrchidGirl After 3 years and some normal looking leaves, all of mine started doing the same thing this year. Mine are split between 2 environments (11 at work on a south-facing ~24C window with no artificial lighting and 9 at home on an east-facing ~20C window with a top-mounted grow light and heat matts). Orchid+ or Orchid Bloom (depending on whether they're in spike) fertilizer with Cal-Mag and Epsom Salts. One thing I've noticed is that the roots are similarly thick to the leaves. I'm NOT losing any lower leaves. MASSIVE root balls with very few (if any) rotting roots. Because of the two environments being so drastically different, it is obviously something that I'm doing... but what???

[@TY-ob7fz]

I can imagine passing your house half past midnight while heavily thundering overhead and hearing you scream “ it’s alive, the monster’s alive !!! “. I can imagine what Boris Karloff had sound when he screamed to Frankenstein. What would Danny sound like to Singlo. Stay tune !! 😜 🙈🙉🙊