--- title: "My phalaenopsis, Franklin, has had this wee tiny leaf since I got him…" description: "My phalaenopsis, Franklin, has had this wee tiny leaf since I got him from Lowe’s. It hasn’t gotten any bigger, just stays like that. I’ve repotted, got the…" url: "https://getplanta.com/community/JmTUi1iSQr6-tX35luAMXQ/650ae21aae74dc42e8f29d9c" community: "The Orchid Oasis" author: "Bigredamazon" published: "2023-09-20T12:14:18.232Z" language: "en" image: "https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/iRoTHlu5zTI-xRf77vEbPXyNentiOd5nF6irsGMTHIU/3c776ad2aadb499298307b2a9ff29d56.webp?size=large" --- [Community](https://getplanta.com/community.md) / [The Orchid Oasis](https://getplanta.com/community/JmTUi1iSQr6-tX35luAMXQ.md) # My phalaenopsis, Franklin, has had this wee tiny leaf since I got him… _Posted by Bigredamazon on 2023-09-20_ My phalaenopsis, Franklin, has had this wee tiny leaf since I got him from Lowe’s. It hasn’t gotten any bigger, just stays like that. I’ve repotted, got the good stuff to pot it in, scoured all of MissOrchidGirl’s videos and can’t find anything on it. Now I did have to cut off a lot of root rot down to where it’s got only a tiny new nub growing. I’m starting to wonder if this pot is just a bad orchid pot since this would be the third one I’ve repotted into it and… (yes I cleaned it thoroughly after each passing) ![Attachment 1 of 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/iRoTHlu5zTI-xRf77vEbPXyNentiOd5nF6irsGMTHIU/3c776ad2aadb499298307b2a9ff29d56.webp?size=large) ## 8 comments ### MeasomerPi commented on 2023-09-20 First - I adore the name! From your description it sounds like your plant is dealing with setback. If that is the case, tender loving care (but not too much!) is the best option. Your plant will devote energies to root growth for a while, then work on adding some leaves. Blooms are a few years away… if it is set back. But the photo has me stumped. It doesn’t really look like a new/tiny leaf to me. It almost looks like a healed cut but not sure. Can you provide more background info on the plant? I did some innocent stalking of the plant and it looks like it is planted directly in a glazed orchid pot (lots of nice big holes). If that’s the case, it could be the conditions are too dry for a Phalanopsis. Orchids as a whole do like to dry out but Phals seem be the lushes of the group. You might consider topdressing with sphagnum to hold a little more moisture closer to the plant to help new roots as they develop. Hopefully Jen will jump in. They are much better at systematic diagnostics than I. #### Jen replied on 2023-09-21 You’re sweet M, but I think you covered everything I would have mentioned. The new leaf, if that’s what it is, does look a little odd. How long has Franklin been at this growth stage? If it’s been a year or so, I’d be more concerned. But if it’s only a couple months, it might be ok. Let it focus on root growth. Maybe when we get back to spring and summer warmer temps, you’ll see more of that little leaf. #### Bigredamazon replied on 2023-09-23 It has been like that since I got him from Lowe’s back when he had flowers. I noticed that his roots weren’t great, so even with flowers, I repotted him. Of course, the flowers quickly did what they do when you repot whilst flowering, but the roots were BAD. I watched a bunch of MissOrchidGirl, ordered media from repotme and here we are. Still with mystery spot where a new leaf would typically be. His leaves have gone leathery which is a sign of needing more humidity, but he is right next to the humidifier (right?). His orchid sister, Frenchie, is right next to him, showing off growing a new leaf and roots (she also got trimmed down to none after rescuing her from Lowe’s). The only difference is she’s in a plastic slot pot. But her leaves are leathery as well. ![Attachment 1 of 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/iRoTHlu5zTI-xRf77vEbPXyNentiOd5nF6irsGMTHIU/3903fa0b9a5d4a7093ad6724b81890fc.webp?size=large) #### MeasomerPi replied on 2023-09-23 Hmmmmmm… I equate leathery with thirsty which tracks with significant root loss. If you aren’t keen on the sphagnum (which I totally get) you might consider repotting into plastic and using the ceramic pots as cachepots. Or you could try tenting them while they rehydrate. That would help retain a little media moisture and up the humidity. PS - I am hoping Frenchie is pink orchid named in honor of Didi Conn’s character in Grease 🤞 ![Attachment 1 of 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/JLf1LdLd_hy8kN4fR58e7t9Oig2pM4DXxlM-d7xORAQ/5c2e7df4dee142eea861849a18cb55a8.webp?size=large) #### Bigredamazon replied on 2025-04-03 Yes, she was. ### Juanis commented on 2025-04-02 Hi! Did you ever figure out what this was? My orchid has something similar! #### Bigredamazon replied on 2025-04-03 No, sadly. I gave up on having orchids in the house. #### Juanis replied on 2025-04-03 Aww that’s a bummer! I’m going to give mine a couple months to see if I notice any growth 😬😬 but I think I should have learned to take care of it as soon as I was gifted it 😭 --- _Source: the Planta community (https://getplanta.com). Reading is open to everyone. To post, comment and like, get the Planta app: https://getplanta.com/download_