Waiting patiently for bud to open

[SJF]

another shot

[CR7cristiano]

Finally!

[SJF]

Here are pictures of the one that blasted. I sprayed it with Earth-tone 3n1 Disease Control two days ago. Sprayed the bud area and surrounding plants too. I took the buds off, opened them to see what was inside

Picture 1: bud bent over
Picture 2: took bud off
Picture 3: forced bud open, some dry "crunchiness" in areas
Picture 4: liquid area inside, not sure if it is from the spray
Picture 5: area with 2 buds, this one is partially open
Picture 6: stem of buds turned a different color
Pictures 7, 8 & 9: tried to zoom in
Picture 10: again wet area inside bud

[SJF]

Originally Posted by CR7cristiano

Finally!

It was worth the wait. One more bud too. This one is leaning on it

[SJF]

Picture 8 is where the plant has been residing. Another orchid is blooming next to it. An oncidium on the same shelf has a spike. The last picture is another stand I have in the same area, but closer to the window

[CR7cristiano]

Just looking at the location I would think nothing else. Unless you have no air flow n no humidity then that could be a problem. Pests are very likely the culprit.

[SJF]

Originally Posted by CR7cristiano

Just looking at the location I would think nothing else. Unless you have no air flow n no humidity then that could be a problem. Pests are very likely the culprit.

Thank you

[james mickelso]

Air flow. Not enough air flow. Corners are notorious for still air. Some moisture got into the bud and rotted it. Either from the outside but most likely from the inside. Moisture collects on the inner part of the flower between the sepals and petals and condenses when cool air gets around the bud. Good airflow is key. And don't water so much. Excess moisture from watering will also contribute to bud rot. This didn't blast. This just rotted in-sheath. This is the reason I pot in a coarse media. It is always humid here at the beach and cools down at night. Moisture forms on the inside of the flower bud when it gets cool. So I use a coarse bark mix and water only in the day time and have a large fan blowing continuously. Helps dry things out.

[SJF]

Originally Posted by james mickelso

Air flow. Not enough air flow. Corners are notorious for still air. Some moisture got into the bud and rotted it. Either from the outside but most likely from the inside. Moisture collects on the inner part of the flower between the sepals and petals and condenses when cool air gets around the bud. Good airflow is key. And don't water so much. Excess moisture from watering will also contribute to bud rot. This didn't blast. This just rotted in-sheath. This is the reason I pot in a coarse media. It is always humid here at the beach and cools down at night. Moisture forms on the inside of the flower bud when it gets cool. So I use a coarse bark mix and water only in the day time and have a large fan blowing continuously. Helps dry things out.

Thank you for your help

[NYCorchidman]

The flower is so pretty! I like the color.
You don't really need loops to look at most bugs. Even thrips, they are quite small, but if you can see small aphids, then you can see them too and actually easier to spot since thrips move around.
Also, as I mentioned in my earlier post, thrips leaves very distinct damage, tissue scar, not this brown/wet bud drop.

I'm with James that something environmental factor like air (but then again, unless you have crazy draft or other plants in buds are affected in the similar fashion, this probably isn't the cause either).
Physiological maybe.
Watch for this plant and see what happens next time it set buds.
Plants can do crazy things sometimes.