bud blast on psychopsis

[danjdob]

Originally Posted by jrodpad

Someone said that they don't like to have their roots disturbed. So true! Now that you've taken it out to check the roots - leave it alone. Make sure it's rock solid stable. I hold mine down with rhizome clips so that it doesn't move an inch.

What ever you do, leave those spikes alone and put down the snips.

Good luck!

-J

i have a rhyzome clip on it now, because the growing medium is not packed in so tight,..i didnt clip it before but it was pretty stable in the pot because i had packed it in very tightly, probably too tight, so there wasnt any air circulation at the roots at all...maybe thats why the bud blasted,..i dont know,..

but the plant seems ok...no new growths yet but it has 4 bulbs and leaves,... one leaf got burnt in the sun a month ago when it actually had a flower, had to cut it in half to prevent the damaged part from rotting...its now protected from any direct sun...the leaves otherwise look fine,

one question though,....this is a psychopsis mariposa green valley,...the psudobulbs are wrinkled some, not totally smooth, is that normal?

...i know that some other psychopsis have wrinkled bulbs, but i read somewhere that mariposa should not be wrinkled but smooth and round-ish,...these dont seem so wrinkled that it concerns me,..they are still pretty thick and hard and green,...they are not flatened and very wrinkled like i see on some other psychopsis.

[jrodpad]

I don't know about mariposa specifically, but for most orchids that are supposed to have smooth plump bulbs, if they go through a period of extended drought (or if the roots shut down for some other reason - like rot or mechanical damage), the pbulbs will wrinkle a bit. They will never go back to normal, but the new pbulbs will be smooth again if the plant is returned to normal culture. Time will tell if mariposa should be smooth or wrinkled.

Good luck!

-Jason

[RJSquirrel]

mariposas are bud blasters for me too so dont feel badly. I have an alba that blooms and blooms and even grow back broken spikes and blooms on them again. the mariposa made one flower that I got with it from the greenhouse and has been bud barren since blasting the last bud a few months ago. That flower only lasted about 4 or 5 days before it fell off. These 2 are grown under the same conditions. I will scrap the mariposa if it continues like that for no good reason I can figger. Ive had several of the mariposa's and this is the last one Im going to fool with.

Grow or Die in my garden!!! I keep a trash can close by

[danjdob]

well i bought this one at a local "green market" that we have every saturday at a nearby park....it was inexpensive and i was dazzled by the flower, and it had a second spike emerging off an older cut spike....

it seems to be working on a new flower bud,..and the other spike is continuing to grow slowly....ive been treating it with some superthrive and KLN in hopes this will encourage new root growth...thats all i can do at this point...it doesnt apear to be dying...lol....the leaves are not yellowing and falling off or anything like that...nor are they turning black (cept for a burn on one leaf when i left in full morning sun once)...nevertheless i worry about its health....

i kinda want to get a psychopsis with the attractive redish markings on the leaves,...and i think ide prefer it mounted over potted...at least then i can see the roots and know exactly whats going on with them....ive seen these mounted before and they look quite nice on a treefern board.

[Brenda Aarts]

Danjdob,

I was having trouble with my psycopsis, either the bud would be there forever and not open or grow (like a year and a half), or on another plant the buds blasted occasionally. About a year ago I started to mist 2 or 3 times a week, buds and all....and the non growing bud started growing....and I've had a feW flowers on the one that was blasting. So I think that extra bit of humidity worked for me. Good luck, careful not to be throwing too many fertilizers at it too often. If it was mounted you could soak it every 2nd day and mist it a time or 2 on the other days.

[Bud]

I put a saucer with water under the pot....when the water in the saucer is dry its time to water the plant

[danjdob]

Originally Posted by Brenda Aarts

Danjdob,

I About a year ago I started to mist 2 or 3 times a week, buds and all....and the non growing bud started growing....and I've had a feW flowers on the one that was blasting. So I think that extra bit of humidity worked for me. Good luck, careful not to be throwing too many fertilizers at it too often. .

i mist it about 3 times a weeks....im not really fertalizing it...superthrive has some nutrients but i use a pretty dilute solution....KLN is root hormone...it seems to work with some of my back bulb devisions and at least im told reduces plant shock for repotting.....we'll see....worse comes to worse ill kill it and ill have to buy another and try again....lol...uhhg.

[Franco24]

Originally Posted by RJSquirrel

I will scrap the mariposa if it continues like that for no good reason I can figger. Ive had several of the mariposa's and this is the last one Im going to fool with.

Grow or Die in my garden!!! I keep a trash can close by

Don't trash it!!! I recently fell in love with psychopsis and all of the mule-ear oncidiums. I've got a total of 19 different plants - all but Psychopsis mariposa!

I'd be willing to give you some $$ for the plant and pay for shipping if you're willing to mail it out here to the east coast?!

But, back to the main topic:
I hate, hate, hate when a bud blasts on psychopsis. They like to take their good old time to form the bud - and it always seems to blast days before opening. I have found that my psychopsis like to stay evenly moist. I've repotted all my plants in a standard orchid mix with some added sphagnum moss. They love it!

I've got Psychopsis kramerianum sending up two spikes, a 'monstrous' Mendenhall Hildo's, Psychopsis sanderae x papilio has 6 new leads and 4 spikes ...

I wouldn't disturb your plant again, but I would let the plant stand in a tray of water for added moisture and humidity. When no more water is left in the tray (usually once every 8-14 days) - it's time to water again.

Don't cut the spikes either! I've only cut spikes on psychopsis if they are browned out - or if the plant is showing other signs of stress.

[danjdob]

here in st pete a tray of water evaporates in 2 days depending on the humidity...im just going to nurse it along...mist it every day keep it a little moist at the roots...i got a nice mister that puts out a very fine mist...its got another bud swelling gradually....i not expecting it to open, but ya never know...lol

[Arenalbotanicalgarden]

Originally Posted by danjdob

damit!!!, the flower on my psychopsis blasted!
all that waiting and anticipation, watching the bud get larger and larger,..then it started to yellow slightly, i knew it was going to happenat at that point...and sure enough when i went out to check on it today,..it was wilting and drooping and soft, collapsing in on itself....

ive got two spikes on this plant, one has been cut by the privious owner and is growing a new spike off the old one,..the other (the one that just blasted) is much taller it seems like this last bud was only the second or third flower,.. there still apears to be a growing tip on the spike so i gather it send out a new bud,

wouldnt it be healthier to cut both spikes off completely
so the plant can redirect its energy toward some new growth? doesnt producing these large flowers in succession over and over, expend alot of energy that could weaken an already struggling plant?

Papilio or Kramerianum ?
Like with many types of pepper plants, the hot weather can cause bud blast.
When it's a little cooler you should get better results.Wait on the next buds .
I never had much luck with them in Florida and down in Tamarindo beach they are hard to grow too.Up here they're weeds.