what to do with store-bought orchids?

[Dorothy]

I personally avoid misting the flowers and buds. During the winter months here in the Northeast, the air surrounding my orchids is very dry - I will mist the top of the medium in the morning and mist the foliage. I avoid misting in the late afternoon into the evening so the orchids aren't 'wet' going into the night. I determine misting by the 'dampness' or humidity of the air. If the air is humid, the medium won't dry as fast as it would if it were dry ..

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[tokidoki]

oh ok good to know so il just try to keep the area more humid on a hot day.. btw here is a picture of the orchid iv been trying to take care of lately.. isnt it a beauty? hehe.. if u look closer, u see a bud that is opening.. that is the same bud that has been trying to open since i first got it.. its not fully opened yet until now... id says its 40% opened.. what could be the cause why its taking so slow to open? also i discovered that one of the small buds turned pink...

[InspirChid1712]

I think your Phal is just a bit shocked by the change of environment from wherever it was raised to now being in your home. Keep it warm, give it lots of bright indirect light, and mist mist MIST! Just think like a Phal to keep it happy, just like this:

"I am a Phalaenopsis and I love my warm, sticky tropical forest. The damp air circulating around my leaves feels so good! My favorite part of the day is early morning when I can get some dappled sunshine through the canopy above my home... I love growing on the side of this tree!"

Hehe, something like that! (You'll soon learn that we're all a bit crazy around here!!!) The bud turning pink is called bud blast, and it only happens when the plant is exposed to temperature change, different lighting, or certain gasses produced by decaying organic matter. Don't worry too much about it, the plant will be fine and probably flower normally next winter. It is a lovely bloom on your plant... I have one similar but with more bold reddish-purple spots. Hope the advice helps!

[tokidoki]

thanks for the advice.. yeah temperature changes do make the buds fall out i learned that from my lesson when i had my first orchid almost 2 years ago which was a dendrobium.. it was winter time and i kept it in my bedroom but since it was cold i would turn on the heater etc.. but this time, the temperature in our house has been allright, we havent been turning on the heater because the weather got warmer.. but the bud blast i discovered got me thinking what could be causing it.. i left the orchid in between the kitchen.. so maybe fruits? could old flowers also cause bud blast?