New buds drying out...

[French323]

Hello all,

I have this beautiful, healthy orchid (phal) that has a couple of branches off of the main stem, and I was excited when I saw that the branches were starting to put out new buds.

Only the main stem has any flowers, and now the new buds on the branches are shrivelling and dying away after getting about pinky finger-tip-sized.

Any thoughts as to why?

Plant is currently planted in sphagnum moss and is regularly damp but not soaked. Roots look healthy, no black or soft spots anywhere I can find.

Perhaps the plant simply can't sustain so many blooms?

I'm going to fertilize them this week so my hope is that that will give them the resources they need to keep blooming.

Thanks for your intuition!
-Dave

P.S. Note that the new buds on the main stem have so-far stayed healthy. Although now look to be at the critical "pinky finger-tip-size".