Oncidium Bud Drops

[JAllenGomez]

Hello from Atlanta,

My oncidiums(and related) never fail to bloom. However, invariably the top three or four buds on the spike always seem to drop before opening. Any advice as to what might be the cause is appreciated.

Thank you,

Jody

[Leafmite]

Are you growing under lights? Are the top flowers too close to the lights? I grow very few from this group so if it is something specific to the Oncidium family, I am, unfortunately, not much help unless I know your growing conditions.

[JAllenGomez]

Originally Posted by Leafmite

Are you growing under lights? Are the top flowers too close to the lights? I grow very few from this group so if it is something specific to the Oncidium family, I am, unfortunately, not much help unless I know your growing conditions.

No, I grow them outdoors during the summer and windowsill in the winter. The only thing that I can think of is that possibly moving them to a display area indoors before all the buds open up is doing it. Maybe the change in conditions and temperature...

[rbarata]

What are your conditions outdoors in the summer?
Temp and HR?

[Leafmite]

Do you have air-conditioning in your home? How large of a temperature change are they getting?

[estación seca]

Change in temperature and humidity can do it. Also they need more water with open flowers than in spike - the flowers transpire more water than do the buds.

[JAllenGomez]

Thanks everyone. I'm going to try leaving them outdoors until all the buds are open and see if that changes things. Inside they receive almost constant 72 degrees with lower humidity, so perhaps that is the culprit.

[silken]

Not much help here, but I move my Oncidiums inside when they only have a few buds open and I don't lose the top buds. My house conditions sound similar to yours. They don't get a lot of bright light once in the house tho. I keep my Oncidiums fairly well watered. Do you water them before they go completely dry? I never have real high humidity.

[JAllenGomez]

Originally Posted by silken

Not much help here, but I move my Oncidiums inside when they only have a few buds open and I don't lose the top buds. My house conditions sound similar to yours. They don't get a lot of bright light once in the house tho. I keep my Oncidiums fairly well watered. Do you water them before they go completely dry? I never have real high humidity.

Thanks Silken. Sounds like you are doing almost exactly the same thing I am, and in similar conditions. I also do not allow them to completely dry out between watering. Maybe my indoor/outdoor difference is more extreme than yours, causing more of a shock when I bring them in. It's still 90 degrees here during the day and in the upper 60s/low 70s at night.

[silken]

Originally Posted by JAllenGomez

Thanks Silken. Sounds like you are doing almost exactly the same thing I am, and in similar conditions. I also do not allow them to completely dry out between watering. Maybe my indoor/outdoor difference is more extreme than yours, causing more of a shock when I bring them in. It's still 90 degrees here during the day and in the upper 60s/low 70s at night.

I guess it could be a drastic temp change. We do have warm summers here and several of mine bloomed this summer, so then came in the house. But we don't consistently have 90. More like 80's and a few 90's. But in my greenhouse where one that bloomed was, it does get that hot a lot. And it is not real humid in there either.

How are you feeding them? I do about 1/2 recommended dose of a balanced fertilizer when I water, and I flush the pots quite often too, just to really soak the media as these drink a lot. that clears out extra fertilizer salts as well. But I do add a cal/mag supplement to the fert water, mostly for the Catts, but they all get it. I think it makes for stronger plants.