Baby was sleeping so I ran out to get a photo! OK, here it is. YOu can just see the white specks that look like sap or something on the buds and ends of buds. It's not scale or mealies. I know them. Water does not blast them off.
Any ideas? The buds seem to drop off early. Maybe there's no relation between the white droplets and the bud drop?

Here's a closeup. I know it looks sort of like mealie bugs, but it's not.

I hope you get your answer. I had one that aborted buds back in the spring, but I ended up cutting off the inflo.

Marsha

Could be thrips. John

Here is a link that might be useful: Pests and Diseases

Are they growing in pots only, or are the pots plunged in the soil with free root run?

When I first started with Plumies, I kept them in large pots and a similar thing would happen - aborting buds. The following year, I plunged the pots in the garden and no problems ever since.

I believe in a pot, the roots may get too warm, and the soil moisture level is more unstable because it dries out very quickly especially since Plumies are very thirsty during heat.

In the ground, roots are cooler and more evenly moist. Consistent moisture is important for sustaining bud development.

X

John, that description sounds spot-on. After further reading on thrips it sounds like they can be difficult to control. Great. Just when I get lots of inflos, I get bugs that destroy them.

X,

They are in pots that are buried a few inches.

How do you explain the white sap?

D

Welcome to my world!!

Good luck Dave...Hope you are well by the way..:-)

I'm not having a problem with buds aborting but the flowers on a Nebels Rainbow aren't opening. They begin to unfurl then just stop and turn brown after a few days.

Karyn,

Is your Nebels Rainbow well-rooted and in a large pot? I find some of them like lots of root room (large pots) to keep the roots happy. Happy roots = happy plants = blooms.

Dave I hope you get it under control!

Karyn I was asking you to post pictures when they open...so now I guess I know why you have not done it. Sorry. Hope you also will be able to get them to bloom for ya.

Lucy

Dave maybe it has to do with pot size as it's in a fairly small container. It bloomed fine last season but really should have been repotted in the spring. Several of my plumies need repotting but I never got around to it.

My Gardenia aborted a good deal of its buds. I was told it did that because I touched them. Anyone know if that is true? If so are Plumies like that too? I doubt it but I figured I would throw in my input.

OK, I bermed up more mulch around the outside of the pot, put a layer of mulch on the pot soil, and I've been lightly spraying the inflo with Triazicide in the evenings. It all seems to be helping. The buds seem to be growing and not falling off. We'll see if I get more blooms.

How long since you gave them epsom salts or sulpo-mag. sometimes lack of mag can make your plants not process fertilizers well. I had a friend who had this problem and we added some epsom salts and presto- happy blooms. This may not be your problem but something to consider if it has been awhile. Bill

I'll sure give it a try. Thanks Bill.