it could be any number of things that have caused the buds to drop. Maybe they need water, maybe they were in the way of a draft, or there could have been a temperature change. I know when i have brought them in the past, some of the buds that were not yet opened or still forming just gell off.

Probably because they were moved to a different location.
(the store to my house).

But i dont think it is very typical.
they are always in bloom at the stores and look beautful.

Good Luck!

•Posted by tlbean2004 none (tlbean2004@yahoo.com) on Mon, Jan 19, 15 at 12:57

The Phal was bought 2 years ago and the buds are developed in my cultivation. I examine the growing medium daily and I am very experienced. As I have said in my first post "none of my Phals purchased before 2010 has significant bud blast problem". My best guess is that you could not understand what I wrote.

This post was edited by jujujojo on Mon, Jan 26, 15 at 22:03

Well they're definently being mass produced- I've seen videos and it's like a factory. Even the potting is done by machine sometimes. So it's probably just that the new ones you're getting are all grown in the exact same way.

You have to remember that there are at least 60 Phalanopsis species. The hybrids are sometimes of quite complex parentage and this can cause conflicts in what the plant needs. Some phal sp grow in hot conditions, low light and very high humidity, others grow intermediate and like cool nights. Some Phals are even leafless for the dry season or hold only one pair of leaves, others can have four or five leaf pairs. Some species have few flowers, others can have massive sprays of flowers. Now imagine mixing these different traits and you get a contemporary hybrid. There are probably thousands of reguistered Phal hybrids now so it's not really possible to group them all together when speaking of care requirements or trouble shooting.

Maybe check out some of the Phal websites, Phals.net is a good one.

Mike

That's true. Mass production though would mean that one small mistake in the growing process would effect thousands. Everybody makes mistakes but if it's on just one plant- no big deal.

New orchids are produced two ways when it comes to mass production. You have seed crosses where plants are raised from seed, each plant having different characteristics and many being inferior in growth and flowers. These are much less desirable hybrids.
Named hybrids are most often selections from seed raised plants, plants that show strong growth or desirable flower characteristics. The most desirable plants are reproduced by tissue culture, essentially cloning that one plant and producing hundreds or thousands of identical plants.
The plants mass produced for sale in big box stores are not necessarily high quality, could be seed grown plants of questionable quality, often sold without name tags so you can't even research the plants parentage.

Also remember plants will drop flowers if exposed to ethylene gas from ripening fruit, some plants are very sensitive. Just something to consider.

Mike

•Posted by mikedahms London Ontario (My Page) on Thu, Jan 22, 15 at 20:12

Thank you so much Mike. I still have two buds and I will try my best.

•Posted by CooperDR 6a (My Page) on Thu, Jan 22, 15 at 18:49

Thank you so much.

At the market, the Phals are always blooming like there is no tomorrow. Is there any trick?

Ok, here are some updates on the remaining buds. I moved it from previous location. Now, the location receives less sun and even more humidity. The leaves immediately turn very green, but I am sure the light is enough for phals. The front of the spike has been growing again. The two remaining flower bulbs are not aborted yet, but they are not opening so far.

Sorry about the quality of the picture, it was dark in the bathroom.
{{gwi:2118068}}

I hope this isn't a distraction. Notice the one leaf that grows strangely toward the camera. It has a hole created by a thirsty squirrel in the early summer of 2014. Squirrels are pests for me; but there appears to be nothing I can do about it.

One of the remaining buds appear to be opening. I did the following:

1- I significantly increase the growing humidity. I spray the buds twice a day.

2 - I gently make sure the petals are not sticking together.

3 - I moved the plant from receiving all day direct winter sun to receiving morning direct winter sun in a bathroom.

Thank you for all of your help. Let me know if you have any comments.

One of the reasons I haven't had much luck is that they often come with their roots crammed into moss. They do great like that but for how long? So I'd repot them and they didn't react well. I think maybe if I'd done it in the spring it would've worked better.

Here is the latest update. The remaining 2 buds failed to open even after I moved them to high humidity. But the orchid produces 2 new buds and they opened beautifully.

HOW WONDERFUL!

The REASON for my bud blast is air too dry. Phals are okay to grow in dry environment, but blooming requires high humidity. My blasted Phal buds were hardened on the outside, they will not open; and eventually failed.

This is not caused by genetics.

In contrast, buds produced in high humidity maintain several flutes on the edges of petals as "handles" to open the flower. The buds open very quickly and continue to grow large after it opened.

The failed buds in dry environment lack the flutes, and the entire bud is sealed with petals "glued" to each other.

cooperdr_gw(6a) , mdahms1979 , cooperdr_gw(6a) , tlbean2004 thank you so much.

Now, the two buds are fully open. How beautiful is that!

juju jojo's photos · More Info

juju jojo's photos · More Info

juju jojo's photos · More Info

juju jojo's photos · More Info

juju jojo's photos · More Info

The REASON for my bud blast is air too dry. Phals are okay to grow in dry environment, but blooming requires high humidity. My blasted Phal buds were hardened on the outside, they will not open; and eventually failed.

This is not caused by genetics.

In contrast, buds produced in high humidity maintain several flutes on the edges of petals as "handles" to open the flower. The buds open very quickly and continue to grow large after it opened.

The failed buds in dry environment lack the flutes, and the entire bud is sealed with petals "glued" to each other.

Conclusion, this is NOT genetic.