Phrag. Unexpected unusual flower growth and appearance

[Michael Bonda]

This is a Phrag. Leslie Garay from my collection that I found while watering and doing my daily upkeep with a flower emerging from a mature growth with no inflorescence spike or sheath and the flower is very deformed.


Can someone advise why this could have happened (my conditions of growing and fertilizing? Or just an oddity) and will the growth ever send a normal spike in the future?
I assime I should cut off the flower to encourage better growth from the plant.
Thank you

 

[abax]

To me it looks like the stem was broken some way or other. The plant looks very
healthy and quite capable to putting out new growth. I Usually stake my spikes as
they lengthen.

 

[Michael Bonda]

No spike. Just the stem of the flower that protrudes from the center of the growth without a spike.

 

[abax]

O.K. what'd you do to scare it???!!!! I've never seen a Phrag. do that before.

 

[Michael Bonda]

O.K. what'd you do to scare it???!!!! I've never seen a Phrag. do that before.

I watered it with rain or RO water. I fertilized weakly weekly. I gave it fresh media. I provided medium to high light. But at least I did not kill it! Most of my slippers that I “scare” just try to die on me rather than attempt to flower. I’ll give this plant less attention and wait till the next season for a better flower.

 

[abax]

Since you didn't do anything terribly wrong, do you suppose it might be too
warm for this Phrag. in your neck of the woods?

 

[Michael Bonda]

Yes it’s too warm for everything in my part of Florida.
I keep my growing area under 85-90 with misting system and fans during the heat of summer June-September.
This plant is from EquageneraUSA just North of my location in Florida and their greenhouses are kept in similar conditions (fans and cooling system - not an evaporator cooler).
I bring my species like humboldtii and wallisii inside and grow under lights (max 78 degrees) during the summer.
Hoping for a better spike next time.

 

[cnycharles]

For some reason seeing that makes me queasy…