Sickly buds

[Viperalus]

After 5 months of blooming, my multiflora has produced more spikes as extensions to the previous ones and also some small new spikes from the old ones.

Of course she produced also buds but some of them got withered (or sickly is the correct word?)

They don't open. Especially at the first photo you can see one bud it was just one to two days before opening and started to wither.

Is this normal to occur some times or it is me that I am not doing something correctly?

[Blueszz]

Hi Grigoris,
knowing the current weather in NL I think the problem might be caused by not enough light. Were do you grow this plant and how far from the window? Does it get heat (dry air) from the heating?

Another thing that I'm thinking of is a cold draft from a window. During the nights close to window the temps might be too low and cause bud blast.

Nicole

[Undergrounder]

I agree with Nicole's diagnoses. Especially check the light. Often people buy Phals from the florist, for instance, and put it in their home and the lower light causes the buds to blast.

[Orchid126]

I was plagued with bud blast due to my dry hot air heat. I found that misting the air over the buds a couple of times a day helped. Mist the air above the buds and let it drift down onto them rather than spray a blast directly at them. Use room temperature or warmer water.

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[Blueszz]

The current conditons, dark cloudy days and plenty of rain, with shortening day lenght still lets me think lack of light is the highest suspect.
As it isn't too cold, we don't need to heat the houses a lot this month and the rain keeps for most of us the humidity high enough, unless the plant is directly above a heater. Orchid126 might have a point here but potted Phal's seem to cope pretty well with the overall humidty in NL. Spraying on the blooms/buds might cause Botrytis.

You don't have ripe fruit nearby the orchid that suffers from bud blast? Forgot to mention that as possible problem.

Nicole

[Viperalus]

Hi all. Hi Blueszz, I hope everything is fine with you

This orchid is at the same spot (at the bathroom in front of the window) many months ago. And this bud blast started to occur while here in Netherlands we had sunny days.

Let me give you clues to help clarify the conditions in which the plant live. I never open there a window, the temperature is room temperature and some times a bit lower (since I am opening the radiator only when I will have a bath). There is nothing else there (rotten fruits or something). I think that was you asked at your last post Blueszz. The orchid is close to the window (15 cms away from it).

And I have also a question here to ask. The artificial light has the same effect as the physical light if the luminosity is the same?

For example in a corridor where I work they recently (3 weeks ago) have put a Phalaenopsis where I don't think there is enough light. The last week I saw she had a new bloom and today that I seen today was open. This is a photo of the orchid I am talking about:

And also the conditions there are like in most offices (quite enough heat).

I have remembered now that a couple of weeks ago I have put a new supporting stick for the spikes. Did I possibly accidentally damaged any part of the roots?


As with her first blooming the orchid were at the same location and she was blooming like crazy! Too many blooms even for a multiflora orchid (as you can see here)

I don't know what else to think.

[Undergrounder]

If its after the main flowering i wouldn't worry about it, plants don't often have enough energy to flower out those additional small buds.

And yeah that office Phal. might look fine now, but it won't reflower and the current flowers might not last the distance in its current spot.

[Blueszz]

Hmmm, just thinking....

* Is the window 100% transparent or not, is it for instance decorated with plastic to give you some privacy when you take a bath?
* North, South, at which side of the house is this window?

In the other post I read that you have that Phal blooming there since May 2009? Is that correct? I just looked up day length in May and that is between 15 and 16.5 hours (beginning/end of month). From October 15th the day length is reduced to 10.5 hours and this week we even have less than 9.5 hours day light!
That could be a reason the Phal decided to stop blooming and blast buds...

I found this here: Weerstation Uithoorn daglengte tussen zonsopkomst en zonsondergang It's calculated for Uithoorn but should be almost the same for entire NL.

Besides the day lenght, the light intensity is also getting less this season.

My 2 :-)

About artificial light. I grow my Phal's under artificial fluorescent light. It's possible to do that but the distance to the lamps is for instance 20-30 cm. No way the plant in that office is getting enough light by the lamps above it. Maybe it's a very 'pimped' hybrid that is very tolerant to it's conditions. Maybe enough to survive, never enough to thrive. IMHO.

Currently my Phal's under lights are spiking. They grow fast and strong... but by the time the spikes got realy long and have buds on them, or started blooming and I want to display them in my living room, it's about January/February and I'm sure some will blast buds as a result of lack of light (and much lower temps).

Nicole
PS Yes I'm OK despite I had a rough time. I'll send you a PM later this week OK?

[Blueszz]

Originally Posted by Undergrounder

If its after the main flowering i wouldn't worry about it, plants don't often have enough energy to flower out those additional small buds.

And yeah that office Phal. might look fine now, but it won't reflower and the current flowers might not last the distance in its current spot.

Good point... with all my blabla and searching for answers I forgot to tell some basics.

Nicole

[Viperalus]

Originally Posted by Blueszz

Hmmm, just thinking....

* Is the window 100% transparent or not, is it for instance decorated with plastic to give you some privacy when you take a bath?
* North, South, at which side of the house is this window?

Yes it has this privacy semitransparent plastic and the window looks on the East side. But as I mentioned earlier, the orchid remained at the same position so nothing changed from the last time she was blooming.

Originally Posted by Blueszz

In the other post I read that you have that Phal blooming there since May 2009? Is that correct? I just looked up day length in May and that is between 15 and 16.5 hours (beginning/end of month). From October 15th the day length is reduced to 10.5 hours and this week we even have less than 9.5 hours day light!
That could be a reason the Phal decided to stop blooming and blast buds...

Yes that is correct Nicole. Hmmm I feel confused (let me explain why). From what I have heard the season of blooming for Phalaenopsis orchids is mainly winter. And something else that I have heard that in order for an orchid to bloom it is good if we give her a few days of lower temps (I don't know if that is correct though) If those are correct then how can these come together: (lower light and temps on winter/bud blast when not enough light).

Originally Posted by Blueszz

No way the plant in that office is getting enough light by the lamps above it. Maybe it's a very 'pimped' hybrid that is very tolerant to it's conditions. Maybe enough to survive, never enough to thrive. IMHO.

Yes, I think you are right. Maybe that location is very new for this Phal and still haven't "realized" how poor it is to support blooming conditions.

Originally Posted by Blueszz

PS Yes I'm OK despite I had a rough time. I'll send you a PM later this week OK?

OK take your time Nicole