I was absolutely crushed. My little Phal Mini Mark 'Holm' had been progressing beautifully. A few weeks after the first spike appeared the plant sent up a second one; between the two, by the end of last week, there were 10 healthy buds swelling on the two stems. And I mean healthy!
Then I got home on Tuesday and discovered that the older, larger stem was missing three buds! Yes, missing. They'd seemingly vanished. I fretted, worried, and stressed over what could be causing this. It couldn't be bud blast, because only the day before I'd looked at healthy, plump buds. I scoured the plants, top and bottom, for insects on the OUTSIDE chance that some sort of bud-eating weavil had gotten into my plants - which would mean, of course, that they would be on others, too (a horrible thought!). No bugs, anywhere. I looked all around the plant stand for bud-debris but there was none to be found. And so I was ready to go into a complete Phalaenopsis panic.
Just as I was ready, though, to call my doctor and beg for sedatives I discovered the Phalaenopsis culprit! See that wonderful beast sitting there as my avatar? Last night I was sitting on my living room sofa, and Sully walked over to the plant stand where Mini Mark resides. As I watched, too shocked to ever make a sound, Sully gently plucked yet another bud from the stem with his rather huge mouth! Four buds! Into the mouth of this 80-pound beast!
Sully is lucky I love him.
Phalaenopsis bud loss
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