Does removing flowers as they fade preserve the life of the other flowers?

[astrid]

Hey everyone!

I am just wondering about this.
If my flowers are starting to drop on a spike, if I remove the flowers as they begin to fade, will that preserve the lifespan of the other flowers?

My logic here is that the plant will have a tiny bit more energy to put into the non-faded flowers, so that they will stay maybe an extra day or three.

What do you think? Does it make a difference?
I have mostly oncidium types and phals.

At any rate, I am going to keep doing it because faded flowers depress me, haha

[Subrosa]

Probably doesn't matter. However in the unlikely event that the flower was pollinated you would be saving the plant the energy expenditure of developing a seed pod.

[camille1585]

I don't think it matters. Most of the plant's energy went to producing the spike and blooms, and maintaining the flowers is not particularily demanding, at least for a healthy plant.

The only reason why removing blooms would extend the lifespan of the others by a little bit is that you are removing an ethylene source. As a flower ages (or a fruit ripens), it starts to produce ethylene, which is a gas which triggers the aging process in other flowers. That why, for instance, it's bad to keep ripe fruit (especially bananas) near blooming plants. I lost an entire spike of Phal blooms once because I did that...

But as the senescence process is likely largely underway in the neighboring blooms, I don't think that removing a wilted bloom will make much of a difference. I've never seen much of a difference on my plants anyway.

[astrid]

Originally Posted by camille1585

I don't think it matters. Most of the plant's energy went to producing the spike and blooms, and maintaining the flowers is not particularily demanding, at least for a healthy plant.

The only reason why removing blooms would extend the lifespan of the others by a little bit is that you are removing an ethylene source. As a flower ages (or a fruit ripens), it starts to produce ethylene, which is a gas which triggers the aging process in other flowers. That why, for instance, it's bad to keep ripe fruit (especially bananas) near blooming plants. I lost an entire spike of Phal blooms once because I did that...

But as the senescence process is likely largely underway in the neighboring blooms, I don't think that removing a wilted bloom will make much of a difference. I've never seen much of a difference on my plants anyway.

Oh gosh, I know about that darn ethylene gas.
I go nuts when my family puts bananas on top of the apples because it just makes the bananas go brown SO fast!! Grr!
Now I can freak out if I see someone putting apples near my orchids as well!

As a chemist, I should really have a better understanding of how ethylene gas contributes to ripening... off to the science databases I go!