Sheath removal causing bud blast? Stress hormones in Orchids
 

:hello
Is this bud blast? last week I popped open the sheath. (greenbuds all good) then yesterday I attempted to remove the sheath entirely by pulling upwards on it but only partially detached it (see where spike attaches to pusedobulb) (FYI this is a large white Cat)

https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0hGrq0zwJIv4TK

I've just noticed a yellowing in the buds and Sheath the day after. I also see some more pronounced veining in the bud which has me worried sick.

I carefully removed the entire sheath just now and treated the wound with cinnamon. Was the damaged sheath tissue alerting the plant to stress?

What plant hormones/chemical messenger causes the buds to blast? is it like a stress hormone? has anyone looked into this?

---------- Post added 02-24-2016 at 01:42 AM ---------- Previous post was 02-23-2016 at 11:54 PM ----------


https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...14733917,d.dmo
"There is a report that 2-napthoxyacetic acid (2-NOA) at 40 mg litre−1 prevents bud drop in Dendrobium bigibbum. It has been shown that GA3 at 50 mg litre−1 overcomes ethephon-induced bud blasting in a Cymbidium hybrid. These studies indicate clearly the potential of using plant hormones to control bud drop in orchids"

Removing the sheath may have caused the bud blast. I usually leave sheaths alone & let the plant's buds push through the sheath naturally. The only exception is when the sheath has gone brown already or when the buds seem so crowded that they may finish developing on very crooked stems.

OW is right...the removal could've cause some damage to the developing buds.

Those sheaths are there to protect the buds so the only time I remove any is, like OW said, when there is clearly a problem and the buds are getting stuck. Which doesn't have very often.

I suspect the same. The sheaths should mostly be left alone. Even brown ones on some Catts will produce a spike 6 months later. If they are filling the sheath and can't get out I will carefully pry it apart to let them emerge. Or possibly make a small slit at the top before they get quite there to avoid nicking them. Never, fully remove or peel wide open a green sheath with buds in it.

I agree with the others. I often have to slappa my hands to stop myself from poking to much. But if I think there is a problem with them coming out...and I have had them ....I will either hold them up to bright sun light or use a flash light to show a shadow into the sheath and most of the time then you can see if the buds are have a problem getting out. Then I take a sharp knife and be very careful to just start slitting the sheath but I never remove it all I just open it up a bit then let the buds do there thing.

And like silken say's lately I have had 3 Catts either come out of or coming out of dried sheaths.

https://cvws.icloud-content.com/CAEQ...7n2wYc_OZAjjYo

looking worse this morning (above) so tragic I am tempted to toss the plant. I dont want to wait another 9-16 months for it to bloom :((. I never encountered sheath removal issues. before bewarned

Why on Earth would you be tempted to toss a blooming-sized Cattleya because of a small mistake you made?

Being able to wait several months for the next set of flowers is just part of orchid growing. I have plants 30 years old and I wait and grow patiently in between each bloom event. At very least, If you can't wait those several months, find a fellow plant enthusiast & gift the plant to them.

It is a pale (white) Cattleya. There is some chance that the pale color may be natural at this stage of development.

Why do you want to remove sheaths? They grow for a reason so to remove them before they are dead and the bloom is done is too soon.

Please pass the plant onto someone else rather than toss it. It seems to me growing orchids requires a lot of patience and trial and error. You are not alone in having the plant develop buds and then they blast for one reason or another.

You shouldn't feel so bad. My big white cattleya was going to have 2 growths this year with 2 buds in each one. I am a big under waterer and I let it get to dry and I have lost one bud. So I will still have one growth with 2 buds on it. I also had a red mini Cattleya that was going to have it's first bloom around Christmas time and I was poking at it as usual taking off dried stuff and broke off the bud. Yes I did, but I'm persistent and it will bloom again, and I will indeed see that bloom.

I'm not 100% convinced that it's blasting. Buds don't stay green forever, and it could be simply starting to change color as the bud matures.

Why on earth would you want to toss a good healthy plant because of a simple mistake? And even if it does flower normally, after that you're still going to have to wait a year for more flowers. Instead of tossing it, just buy another orchid ready to bloom!! :)

Bud blast or not, this is a good lesson about what happens when you mess with sheaths. I also only intervene only in the buds are clearly stuck, or snip it off when the flowers are open and the sheath completely dry.