Bud blast from low humidity?

[greenpassion]

I'm hoping my pics will show it well enough, but the tiny little end buds on one of my phals are in the blasting phase. I've read enough about this issue that it's generally some sort of change in culture that causes it. The only thing that has changed even minutely is lower humidity here. I posted well enough about my problems with humidity in this house, and even with three humidifiers going my humidity now is around 20% 27 sometimes 30 other times. So my guess is that must be the cause.

[No-Pro-mwa]

Could you have let it get to dry? I find for me that's what happens to cause bud blast.

[greenpassion]

Originally Posted by No-Pro-mwa

Could you have let it get to dry? I find for me that's what happens to cause bud blast.

. I'm not really sure. This one is potted in a 7 inch square Rands pot. So there's a lot of bark that has to dry out. And I know had I been doing the skewer method there wouldn't be any question. That said, I water this about every 8 to 9 days. It is potted in bark and it is on a warming mat. I'm so terrified of over-watering that I suppose there's a possibility of underwatering here. But I looked very carefully to see if there's any condensation or moisture that I can note on the sides of the pot and I I always check the color of the roots that I can see as well. Aside from these little new buds blasting, the plant appears very very healthy. No sign of dehydration in the leaves. Maybe I will stick a skewer down in there. Better late than never at all?

[Dollythehun]

My humidity is okay and I've had that happen occasionally. I don't' think this is a cause for concern. I'm not sure you can over water in coarse bark.

[JScott]

When I first started growing orchids, I read so much about the dangers of overwatering. Everything I read said that the best way to kill an orchid is with too much water, and that may often be the case, but I too was terrified of overwatering.

My plants didn't grow well. The new growths and leaves were smaller than the previous ones, and there certainly weren't any blooms. I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong. Finally, somebody suggested that I water more. That blew my mind. I read so many times about overwatering that it had never occurred to me that you might be able to underwater. I started watering more, and it made me feel uncomfortable at first haha, but my plants started doing better.

Even my big Cattleyas in 8 inch pots in medium bark and charcoal get water about every 5 days when they are inside in the winter. I think you might consider the possibility that watering every 8 or 9 days just might not be enough. Allowing a plant to dry out very well may cause bud blast.

I can't tell you how many days should elapse between waterings for you, because it varies so much based on growing conditions, and may vary for the same plant from one time to the next. Use the skewer method, or feel the weight of the pots, and don't let them get too dry. Overwatering is a big problem, but underwatering is possible too.

And like Dolly said, sometimes a bud here and there just doesn't make it, and there isn't any reason or anything you could have done. Sometimes it just happens.

[greenpassion]

Thanks JScott. I'll take all this under considation for sure. This isn't just a random bud here and there, it's all the tiny little buds that are on the very tip of each branch. I watered this plant today, after reading all this, and I'm not sure I should have. IT's in a large pot as I mentioned earlier, and I'd watered it just 4 days ago. Anyway, I'll begin the skewer method starting tomorrow. I can better judge with the smaller ones, but these big ones are a bit different.

[Leafmite]

It is always disappointing to have that happen. One of my orchids has a little tradition going of bud blast. Every year, my Angraecum leonis gets buds and every year, I lose them (and every year, I try to grow my leonis in different conditions to try to keep it from happening). I have no idea what is going on with your Phals but the flowers that did bloom are beautiful.

[camille1585]

Some Phals seem genetically predispositioned to blasting at the slightest change, I have one that loses a few buds nearly every blooming.

Other bud blast cause aside from those already mentioned: do you have any ripe fruit within a few feet of the plant? I learned the hard way not to keep budding or flowering orchids need ripe bananas or other fruit. The ethylene they emit sets off ethylene production in flowers, and ethylene is what drives senescence and riping in plants.

I thought that you had mostly solved your humidity problems with the addition of a new humidifier?

[greenpassion]

Originally Posted by camille1585

Some Phals seem genetically predispositioned to blasting at the slightest change, I have one that loses a few buds nearly every blooming.

Other bud blast cause aside from those already mentioned: do you have any ripe fruit within a few feet of the plant? I learned the hard way not to keep budding or flowering orchids need ripe bananas or other fruit. The ethylene they emit sets off ethylene production in flowers, and ethylene is what drives senescence and riping in plants.

I thought that you had mostly solved your humidity problems with the addition of a new humidifier?

I just posted this and then my phone did something weird so I guess I'll do it again and hope it's not a double post. I thought so too Camille. But since the cold snap I have not been able to get the humidity above 37 or 39%. With 3 humidifiers. And a lot of other plants. It is because it is an open room and an old house. And it looks like I'm going to lose the buds on the lower branches that have come out from the main Spike. Also the tiny end buds on the main spikes. I do however have too many cells that have bloomed everybody and they are glorious. I will take pictures of all the plants on this glass tray once they are bloomed.

[No-Pro-mwa]

It really is too bad about the blast. I have the same phal and mine is blooming away right now. It's the one that this year is branching all over the place very crowded bunch of blooms. I'm not sure what my humidity is but I know it's not very high.