I can't tell from your photo. They look like roots to me. I don't see the mitten...

Jane

I second that, it looks like a root to me. I would suggest give it more light and most likely come late fall it will throw a spike. Depending on the breeding it may even throw a spike earlier in the year.

They are both definitely spikes. I know it's hard to tell from the photo, but they're pointy and thin, not rounded at all, and each has a little pointed groove along its side.

The question I was posing was why one spike would break through and then just quit. Could it actually be TOO MUCH light? My building is glass, and though I try to keep the plant out of full sun, this south-facing "window" is all light, all the time. Temperature could be a factor, I guess. It gets really warm on this end of the building sometimes. I'm just hoping to prevent it from happening again.

If they are truly spikes, I would guess its temps. Too warm.

Jane

Patience, Obi Wan. Rome wasn't built in a day and spikes aren't bourne in 2 weeks. Give it time, they move quickly but not that quickly. Turn your back and let the plant do its thing.

Patience is a virtue completely foreign to me!! :)

Anyway, the second spike has taken off, but the first, for whatever reason, has chosen to give up. It never really made it past breaking through the leaf (it's not visible here in this pic, the new root is blocking it). It could have something to do with that lowest leaf dying off and a new one coming in. Regardless, at least I have one spike of pretty new flowers in my future!

I thought I'd post a follow-up, now that all 10 buds have opened. I love it!

Well based on that lower leaf’s color and general texture, I would say the plant isn’t receiving enough nutrients or is deficient in minerals i.e., calcium, magnesium to be able to sustain leaves, flowers and a second spike. To grow the first spike, it had to pull nutrients from that older leaf but there just wasn’t enough for the other spike. Nutrition issues will also affect the color, volume, and size of blooms. Sometimes we think, oh it is blooming, it must be healthy but I have seen pots of rotten roots from the big box loaded in blooms. I have had spikes form on unhealthy plants due to cooler temps cause them to spike but I steadily lost leaves because those blooms needed the nutrition and pulled it from the leaves. I have had to cut the blooms to save the plant. When the plant has been giving the emphasis to bloom it has to find the nutrients somewhere. If it loses that leaf altogether or another one, I’d cut and put that stem in water to enjoy. If your not already feeding this plant well, I would do so. Better Grow Plus is a good one and recommended by the American Orchid Society. Make sure the ph after mixing solution is around 6 and keep fresh bark or moss if using those. If it is below 5.5-6.0 add a smidge of baking soda, if above 6..0-6.5 then use a smidge of citric acid. Smidge means just grains and creep to the right setting using your PH meter. You will most likely need to add Calimagic (calcium and magnesium) and a little additional magnesium via epson salts too. But you need to know your water is it hard, what about TDS, if tap. If using tap, try to switch to rain, or distilled or RO. Rain is best and don’t use water run through softener due to salts. I also use RAW potassium in summer, KelpMax year round, and Inocucor Garden Solution Probiotic year round. If you use tap water, fungicides, pesticides, etc, you might as well skip any microbes because the chloramines and chlorine will kill them. The same with mycorrhiza added to potting mixes. The same goes for products like Physan 29 - I checked with the mfg - they said it kills both bad and good microbes. If you want great info on feeding via ppm and calcium, magnesium, etc see youtube Rick l and for water culture see youtube Orchid whisperer. Other great sites are First Rays, St Augustine Orchid Society and the American Orchid Society. Not to mention your local orchid society - in almost all states and many cities in each state. They have meetings you can check with long time growers for help.

I'm in Dannies camp. I don't jump through hoops for flowers. Phals will bloom when they are happy. Obviously, dannie is giving his Phals what they need to bloom.

Beautiful plant!

Jane

Well that is excellent - hope you are enjoying the meetings. Dannie, thanks for your follow up. Since it was from 2013, I really assumed I was giving the info to others who might be having the same issue and want to know what could be going on. I would imagine anyone in your orchid group would give a beginner the same info and that nutrition is the main reason plants abort spikes. I certainly understand your not having the time - everyone is very busy these days. Growing orchids and trying to reach the elusive specimen plant does require a little babying but nothing I said adds much time to taking care. I don’t know how many I have but it is about 10 minutes a week of time to mix up the nutrients in the bucket and then spray everybody down. You aren’t using everything at the same time and like many orchid folks - I enjoy puttering with them. One thing you mention was using Jacks Classic (made by JR Peters) - you didn’t say which one - they have a Orchid Special 30-10-10 which would affect blooming numbers due to the high nitrogen. Peters has a bloom formula too where the nitrogen will be much lower i.e. 10-30-20 when you first see a spike starting until the blooms are fully out. Just a thought for others. I bought this same fertilizer and quit using it because it is a almost wholly urea based nitrogen. The American Orchid Society and just about everyone else (including Peters) recommends not using urea formulas. I don’t know why they exclaim they don’t use urea in their professional formulas but then use it in the hobby formula. Maybe because urea is cheaper - only reason I can think of. Many people have the issue of losing the older leaves on their orchids - phals in particular. They should know it really isn’t normal though it happens quite often. Plants well fed with the trace minerals and the critical magnesium and calcium very very rarely lose their leaves because they don’t have to sacrifice the older leaves for the new ones coming in. Thus fed, they turn into huge plants as opposed to just a few leaves. The issue and challenge is to find the balance for each environment. Dannie, you must be really enjoying your orchids since you have increased your collection. Good for you - they are certainly addictive - my love began in the early 1970s - 45+ years later and they still enchant with their versatility.