bud blast on psychopsis - Orchid Board

danjdob · #1 07-28-2012, 01:45 PM

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?

bellini girl · #2 07-28-2012, 02:54 PM

First off..DO NOT CUT off spikes from your psychopsis unless they are brown. Read this motto somewhere...If it's brown, cut it down. if it's green don't be mean. Psychopsis usually have sequential blooming habit. Secondly many of us here have have long awaited buds blast. I feel your pain. But chances are it'll spike again . Hang in there. If it's any consolation, same thing happened to me this week. Long awaited vanda started to spike, I went on hols for two weeks before, on my return spike just aborted.

james mickelso · #3 07-28-2012, 04:32 PM

Psycopsis bloom sequencially. They bloom just like phals. Just take a lot longer. Most orchids bloom in the dry season in the habitat. Little rain. Stable temps. Wind (to dry what moisture does come). Something you did (water, fert, breeze temp) something caused the plant to think it was in danger. (I know plants don't think). But something set up a chemical response within the plant and it aborted a very energy intensive process. Don't cut anything off. If the plant is otherwise healthy, it will resume blooming. Are the roots healthy?

Bud · #4 07-28-2012, 04:43 PM

where did you get the idea to treat psychopsis like a Phal? Phal spikes need to be cut off to send signal to the plant to produce roots and leaves to gain energy for a new spike....but not Psychopsis.... You leave the spike alone or it will take you a couple of years again before it will produce a spike....Psychopsis do not trigger itself like Phals do.... they produced a spike so it thinks its job is done; it will be years again before they will give out one....you will notice that if you leave the spikes alone on Psychopsis; it will keep on producing buds for you....this plant is grown on the dry side=if you overwater ; it will rot=the roots must not be disturbed and it must be steady on the pot not wobbly...and dont keep on moving it about or the flowers will blast

danjdob · #5 07-28-2012, 05:04 PM

i dont really know how the roots are, but im assuming they are ok,...there is an older spike that was cut back to about 7 " and it is growing another spike off that one, its grown about 4 inches since ive had the plant...so there are two spikes on the plant, one thats mature and putting out buds ( this last bud was the one that blasted) and the other spike is still growing and isnt mature yet....i just assumed that if i cut them both completely off at the base of the bulb, it will induce new vegitative growth, and new root formation, and eventually a new spike..which seems perfectly logical to me....lol..i understand psychopsis is a sequental bloomer,..but i worry that these spike will drain the plants energy because as long as they are green it will try to push blooms out even if none of them survive....

james mickelso · #6 07-28-2012, 05:12 PM

I said it blooms sequentially like phals. One flower opens at a time. The psycopsis just takes a longer time to do this. They are very easy to grow if you give them the correct conditions. They like it very bright and airy. You should water them freely and give them good air movement. They like either a very course bark mix or you can mount them. Psycopsis flower when it is time to do so. Psycopsis flower readily when conditions are right just as any other orchid. Root rot is prevalent in this orchid. I had papilio and it flowered every year usually for nearly the entire year. The old inflorescenses should be leaft alone as they may flower again if conditions are near perfect. They flower from the base of the pbulb and flower one after the other like phals. Although phal flowers will eventually all be open at the same time. I keep looking for some but no one throws them away. I guess I'll have to break down and buy some. They like a cool rest period which is unusual in that they come from the tropics at low elevations. And you don't need to cut off the old spikes on phals to get them to grow anything. They will dry off when the plant is finished with them. Yes they will, just like psycopsis, grow a new spike from an old spike if condiditons are right. And just like phals, psycopsis like an airy media and don't like their roots to be wet. Just moist. Both do well mounted and if they are grown like this they can be watered nearly every day.

danjdob · #7 07-28-2012, 06:17 PM

ok i pulled it gently out of its pot,...the roots dont look great but there are a few growing ends, ...i put it back in the same pot, but i packed the medium around it more loosely than before for better air circulation...and clipped it in for stability

when i initially got the plant it was growing in just sphagnum...so i repotted it in a sphagnum cocconut chip mix moistened with a water and superthrive solution. and thats what its in now.

i didnt cut the spikes,...so i guess we'll see.

Bud · #8 07-28-2012, 06:42 PM

the plant gathers energy to provide for a spike to bloom....once it does that its done....it wont provide anything more except the moisture you give it in watering.
that is why you can see that sometimes orchids bring out spike and a new leaf at the same time: it means its got enough energy for a spike for blooming and a new leaf for manufacturing nutrients
but if it doesnt have enough energy it will abort and blast your flowers

jrodpad · #9 07-29-2012, 11:21 AM

You are getting great advise in this thread. Never cut a psy spike unless it's fully brown. It will continue to bud and flower for years. I have a Mendenhal that's been blooming off of the same spike, on and off, for 4 years. I've only had my psys blast if they get and stay too wet while the bud is forming. They really do like to dry out between waterings - and air circulation is key. Both of mine sit in front of a fan that runs for 12 hours or so a day.

Right now one of my psys has a big fat bud and is also pushing out 2 new pseudo bulbs - all at the same time. If they have the right conditions, they can do it all at the same time with no problems.

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

Vanda lover · #10 07-29-2012, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bellini girl

First off..DO NOT CUT off spikes from your psychopsis unless they are brown. Read this motto somewhere...If it's brown, cut it down. if it's green don't be mean. Psychopsis usually have sequential blooming habit. Secondly many of us here have have long awaited buds blast. I feel your pain. But chances are it'll spike again . Hang in there. If it's any consolation, same thing happened to me this week. Long awaited vanda started to spike, I went on hols for two weeks before, on my return spike just aborted.

I agree. Don't cut the spikes.
I hate it when a spike aborts! That happened to an asco that I bought last year in spike. Now it refuses to bloom, even though it is in perfect health!