small and narrow leaves

[monna lisa]

Hi everybody,
I grow under a 200 W CF 6700k bulb (added by a reflector),and my orchidarium is 120cm x 100cm.
I bloomed a Vanda and a Cattleya intermedia,both placed at 10 cm from the bulb,and a Phalaenopsis hybr,a Paphiopedilum lowii and a P. nivaeum bloomed at 100 cm far from the light,so I thought the amount of light to be quite good...
but after a year and a half of cultivation,I can see most of my plants being affected by a strange phenomenon:new leaves are dramatically smaller than the old ones;my Phalaenopsis appendiculata (40 cm from the bulb)made two leaves which are 1/2 the old ones' size,and so did my Laelia longipes (10 cm from the light),a Phalaenopsis hybr. and a Kingidium (50 cm from the light).
It seems they are all becoming dwarfs,and I can't figure why.
Have you got any ideas?Did any of you have the same experience?Light?Too much/poor fertilizer?
Thanks

[RSS]

I've had similair experiences with plants I've received from various vendors. They arrive with 4" dark green leaves, the new growth leaves are 2" light green leaves. I'm assuming this is basically what you are refering too. Sometimes the leaf shape will change a bit too. With ferns the leaf shape changes can be quite drastic.

Well its just the plant adjusting to the different light levels, in our cases we have much higher light levels than the prior grower.

If you had the means you could reduce the light level and test it out for yourself. Its much easier to see with faster growing species such as Scaphosepalum microdactylum, the first species I noticed this with. Once I reduced the light levels the leaves started growing longer and darker, I personally liked the shorter plant so I left it in the brighter location.