Bud rot in sheath - Orchid Board

sailor · #1 11-29-2006, 10:24 PM

I recently had a couple of BLCs with buds that rotted while still in sheath. I found one reference from a grower in Florida that says this is a common occurence. They suggested cutting open the sheath as soon as the bud is apparent. The idea is to provide ventilation to the emerging bud. Is this a viable technique? How else can bud rot be avoided?

justatypn · #2 11-29-2006, 10:43 PM

I have heard the same, the shealth is prone for holding moisture causing rot to its inner anatomy. When I mist or water my plants I try diligently to avoid the sheaths and if the end results from being sloppy I merely grab for the bigger picker upper paper towel and soak up the moisture. Maybe another member has a different reference on the cause, hope this helps...

Oscarman · #3 11-30-2006, 11:28 AM

One of the past presidents of our society used to grow a bunch of Catts in her greenhouse. As soon as bud growth was evident, she would cut off the top 1/2 of the sheath to prevent moisture accumulation.

I have slit open sheaths to accomplish the same result. Moisture collection and rot seemed to be more of a problem when I grew on the windowsill and had larger variations in day/night temps.

littlefrog · #4 11-30-2006, 11:42 AM

I have never cut a sheath... And never noticed a problem. But that doesn't mean I haven't rotted any buds, just that I haven't noticed it. I think that it is largely cultural, if you were growing under perfect conditions you would never blast a sheath. But of course most of us (including me) aren't growing under perfect conditions. A cool snap or cloudy spell at the wrong time might be sufficient, and I have no control over that...

I would think that as a breeder, it would be useful to select against plants that required extra 'fussing' for proper bloom. I certainly wouldn't use a plant that had a tendency to blast in sheath for stud. But I'm not a cattleya breeder, either. And I suspect most of the people that are hybridizing have very near optimal conditions, so they probably wouldn't know if a particular plant was prone to blast under sub-optimal conditions.