Stuck Buds in Limbo

[RJSquirrel]

okey we have all had them buds that should open but dont for some reason.. I help mine some when I find they have a mechanical issue like a curling edge holding back the lip or a petal thats in the wrong place being held back. Blooms open Im convinced bec they start to dry up. The buds are full of water when growing. When its time to open they start to dry out and thusly pulling together and in all the fibers that result in the bloom opening up.. I think its okey to help a bloom open. Im not going to perform surgery but its okey to squeeze them ever so slightly to get them to "pop". Agree? Disagree?

[Daethen]

I have never squeezed them, but I have helped a stuck petal or two.

[WhiteRabbit]

I haven't a clue - I look forward to seeing what others have to say

[RJSquirrel]

well _ seems I am alone again in my orchid culture. No one else has ever had a "sticky" bud that wouldn't open and helped it out? Another absolutely amazing Fact...

[glengary54]

Originally Posted by RJSquirrel

well _ seems I am alone again in my orchid culture. No one else has ever had a "sticky" bud that wouldn't open and helped it out? Another absolutely amazing Fact...

Just so you don't feel to lonely, yes indeed, I have had buds that just don't want to open by themselves and need a little manual encouragement.

I can think of at least two of mine that will not open with out help. My Epi oerstedii which I have had for 6 years has never opened a single flower without my help and then there is my Cty Melvin Bates, its problems start even sooner, it has trouble breaking thru it's sheath. Once I help it out of it's sheath so that the spike doesn't malform, a good number of flowers need to be manipulated in order for them to open.

At first, I thought culturally, I was doing something wrong. I moved them around to different spots in the greenhouse and still the problem continued. After doing some research I found that Epi oerstedii has a reputation for being a plant that has problems with opening it's flowers and the same goes for Cty Melvin Bates.

So, in order to enjoy the flowers, I help them along.

[tuvoc]

A couple of mine seem to need help on a regular basis. My Epc. Rene Marques always has a bud or two that won't open fully without some help. Since we grow these guys for our own pleasure, why not help them out a bit, if they need it?

Kim

[isurus79]

I've noticed stuck buds can often become unstuck if you give them extra water for a few days when they are about to open. I'm guessing they need a little extra hydraulic pressure sometimes to help them pop.

[RJSquirrel]

thats more like it ..no surgery performed but just some help. More water for buds is always seems to help if they seem a little dry. I haven't had that many home grown buds give me trouble. But havent grown that many either ..

I'm humidity challenged and I think that has a lot to do with the overall health of a bud for it to open properly, inside or out.They are going to reach some kind of simulation to open, but thats not always the case. Ill post my Sc Mini Collins that needed some help to get open and why I think it happened. If it is a known plant that seems to have been bred needing some help opening up bec of a larger or more fleshy thick bud than the plant actually is able of moving along, helping it out is part of the culture

But yes I think sometime they need a little help from us. Just a little though. Don't wait too long to give them a hand or you will end up with one like mine with one not so pretty flower that by the time I unraveled it the flower had already started to fade out and turn brownish.. The 2nd one is fine and really nice look for it!!!

[loblolly90]

Ok, so I have a psychopsis mariposa that won’t open without encouragement. I usually use a small wire or tweezers to GENTLY peel the petals open. It seems that the waxy surfaces of the petals stick to one another. It usually happens when my mist/fog collects excessively on a bud in a hot portion of the day.
Idk
Hope this helps!