Bloom Fading After One Day of Being Open.

[Wade Coleman]

Tis the season for Phalaenopsis blooms! I have several plants right now that are just beginning to open up their buds, but one in particular has got me confused. It’s a plant that I’ve rebloomed before and I don’t remember it having this problem. It’s first bud opened the other day and it was beautiful throughout that day, but I woke up the next morning and noticed that it was beginning to look like it was already fading. The colors were a little smeary looking and it began to wilt. As time went on it only got worse. It opened up another bud, which seems to be doing fine, but the first bud just continues to slowly fade. Nothing appears to be wrong with the plant. It’s unopened buds are getting bigger everyday and the leaves look healthy and green. I watered it just the other day, so it’s not dehydration. Could it have gotten pollinated? I do leave my window cracked about 3 inches day and night. Any ideas?

[aliceinwl]

I wonder if it did get its pollen knocked off. I played with pollinating some of my Phals and this is what their blooms did.

[camille1585]

I was going to ask you that as well, did the pollen cap get knocked off? They come off quite easily if something brushes against them.
It could also be the open window, depending on how much of a draft and change in temperature the plant is getting.

Last possibility, did you have any ripe fruit close to the plant? Ethylene gas emitted by ripe fruit triggers ethylene production in fruit/flowers that are exposed to it, leading to senescence. I discovered how powerful this effect can be when I once moved a newly blooming Phal to the kitchen countertop, right next to some ripe bananas. The next morning all the open blooms had wilted.

[aliceinwl]

I’m having a “duh” moment. I’ve been wondering why one of my Phals dropped its flowers so fast...

I put it next to our bowl of ripe apples