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".

[Paphluvr]

If that is where it is usually located in your office please realize that while it may seem bright enough to you, the light level is actually pretty low. Also, could it be located below a heating or cooling vent? Exposed to any industrial fumes? All considerations.

[rbarata]

Usually, at least with me, when it happens I tend to think the prime cause is low humidity.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by French323

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?

Yes, I have a few...

Originally Posted by French323

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.

How do you know the "roots look healthy"? How were the roots checked? Were they checked by just look through the clear pot and/or the top of the pot, or was the plant removed from the pot and you can actually see what the entire root system looks like?

Originally Posted by French323

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

It is possible. Particularly if the lighting is not strong enough to facilitate photosynthesis for the plant, as Paphluvr had said.

Try providing more light.

Originally Posted by French323

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

Fertilizers will not do much to promote blooming, maintain the orchid's blooms, or prevent bud blast, especially when the buds have already been compromised. I recommend just sticking to a regular fertilizing regimen, but think of it in terms of just promoting the overall health of the plant instead of focusing on it being a possible preventative of bud blast.

Originally Posted by French323

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".

Those buds in the photo you posted do not look like they will make it. They appear as if they will fall off eventually.

Another hunch of what another factor could be is what rbarata had mentioned - be low humidity. This could be a possibility since the plant is in an office building, and the air in these office buildings tend to be rather dry.

Improper temperatures can also be a reason why buds blast.

[French323]

Hello all, thank you for the input.
To answer some questions and add some more background...

The roots were checked by gently lifting the plant from the pot in order to inspect what couldn't be seen otherwise.
The roots visible (hugging the outside of the moss and not buried in it) were all thick, frosted-green, and looked to be in good condition.
Any roots running through the moss wouldn't be able to be seen without pulling all of that media away.

The lighting in the office is on ~14hrs a day, and is flourescent in nature. There is also a small bit of reflected natural light that sneaks into the overall office area (not much though).
I expect that this is not the ideal situation, but it is what I'm working with currently.


The humidity is definitely not ideal. I am kind of testing the waters to see how the orchids fair for a couple months in a ~25% humidity environment.
My solution to this issue is to just make sure that the sphagnum moss is never allowed to dry out completely.
A little bit of water everyday seems to be working so far.

Finishing up, I don't expect to be able to save the already shriveling buds, but I do have a few healthy buds on the main stem that I'm hoping won't go the same way.
(Picture attached).