Hi ,to be honest I don't have facts but what I have noticed is that phals are more prone to bud blast than other varieties. I bought all my phals from orchid shows and they suffered bud blast just the same, I think they are very sensitive to changes, and in order for them to bloom successful they need to be in one place, meaning not moving from store to home or greenhouse to home or one environment to the next. I am sure everyone who has ever grown a phal has suffered bud blast at one point or the other.
You also need to find out the reasons which can be tricky.not enough moisture, light humidity and others. Velleta

I agree with Velleta.

Jane

•Posted by philpet (My Page) on Wed, Jan 21, 15 at 11:16

•Posted by jane__ny 9-10 (My Page) on Thu, Jan 22, 15 at 1:04

Velleta and Jane, thank you so much for your thoughts. Here is more information: this Phal is not just purchased, i.e. it is not transported from the store to home. It failed all previous blooms produced in my house, but, since I moved them around in the house, I believed I was the cause. This time, since the Phal grows its spike, I have not changed its location, environment or cultivation method. The location receives dappled winter sun, humid and consistent.The buds grow happily to very large size. It is as if the buds, six of them at the same time, can open any time, but these large buds are held for almost a month and then, starting from the base of the spike, four of them have shriveled.

This post was edited by jujujojo on Thu, Jan 22, 15 at 10:48

I've seen cases where buds are kinda stuck together and I've gently teased them open. I'm not sure if it's a genetic defect, or if it's the environment.

You might consider giving them a warm shower in lieu of watering once...and see if it forces buds open (heat, humidity, water, removing sticky substance, etc).

Just a thought.

•Posted by dbarron Z6/7 (Arkansas) (My Page) on Thu, Jan 22, 15 at 11:35

Thank you so much. I still have two buds and the tip of the spike is still valid. I will try your methods and pray.

•Posted by philpet (My Page) on Wed, Jan 21, 15 at 11:16

•Posted by jane__ny 9-10 (My Page) on Thu, Jan 22, 15 at 1:04

Miss orchid girl has some thought on the subject as well. Here is the youtube link http://youtu.be/FUxnbXaxh3I.

Interesting discussion...

I don't buy many of my phals from box stores and I still have bud blast at times on phals from very reputable vendors. I will say I have some that seem to do it more often than others.

As an example: I have a very nice white phal in bloom now, one side of the branch is fine with 5 or 6 open flowers and some buds, and the other side has dropped/blasted 2 or 3 of the 6 or 7 buds? Same spike, just on different sides? I don't think it was something mechanical I did, but not sure why just one side.

I personally think it is an environmental thing most of the time, but there may be some that unfortunately "lean" that way.

Bob

•Posted by westoh z6 OH (My Page) on Fri, Jan 23, 15 at 6:39

Bob, that is too sensitive. Maybe more selective crossings can remove this?

Don't fertilize the Phals while the buds are forming.

Jane

Have you checked for spider mites or scale? Sucking insects seem to be attracted to buds sometimes, maybe there's more sugar or sap at the bud or something.

Look where the bud and bud stem connect. I've found bugs hiding there and not see them anywhere else on the plant. You will need a strong magnifying glass to see spider mites.

Air quality can also be an issue, even the gas given off from ripening fruit can cause bud blast. When I lived in a city environment I had a lot of bud blast issues. After moving to the burbs it happens less and flowers last longer.

A few weeks ago I had a phal drop all of it's flowers a day after opening. They didn't wilt or shrivel, they were just laying on the floor like they were cut off. Still scratching my head on that one.

•Posted by lumpy_j 6 (My Page) on Fri, Jan 23, 15 at 15:43

•Posted by jane__ny 9-10 (My Page) on Fri, Jan 23, 15 at 15:26

Thank you so much for your thoughts. No, I did not fertilize. The plants have no bug or mites. Hmm...

Lumpy, your phal's dropping of all flowers is very rare. I have never encountered. Do you have cat or dog as pets?

I've had the problem and didn't really find a cause. Now growing them in Florida I'm running into it again. I have moved them around because the weather got cold and I moved them inside. Then they went back out when it warmed up. I'm losing a few buds, nothing drastic but its still annoying.

Who knows what causes it. When I lived in NY I noticed if I fertilized I would get bud loss and stopped doing that. But, I'm still getting some bud loss.. Could be from moving them inside and back out.

Unless you are losing all your buds, I wouldn't be too concerned.

Jane

I have quite a few Phals setting spikes, I hope I don't get bud blast! Mine are close to a window with more sun than is typically recommended and a heat duct above them. I made the mistake of adding more holes to my pots so they are drying out quicker than the ones without extra holes. I have to water them every 5 days, I guess I better keep a close eye on them,, so they don't over dry out once they set their buds.

I'm in zone 5. (PA)

•Posted by jeannie01 (My Page) on Tue, Jan 27, 15 at 21:13

•Posted by philpet (My Page) on Wed, Jan 28, 15 at 3:17

I once used a large pot and watered regularly, but the Phal was not happy. The second year, I used a large, tall and transparent bottle, slightly larger than a large coke bottle (party size). I can see that when the pot is large, there is persistent moisture in it. When the bottle hit a little cool window side, you can see condensations. This way, I do not need to water my Phal for months, and the roots are happy and dry with only moisture. Through the transparent pot, you can see the roots need water when they are white (having silver skin like garlic); if they stay green for too long, they may rot away.

This post was edited by jujujojo on Wed, Jan 28, 15 at 16:32

The remaining buds are quite large, but they are still not opening.

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One of the remaining buds appear to be opening. I did the following:

1- I significantly increase the growing humidity. I spray the buds twice a day.

2 - I gently make sure the petals are not sticking together.

3 - I moved the plant from receiving all day direct winter sun to receiving morning direct winter sun in a bathroom.

Thank you for all of your help. Let me know if you have any comments.

jane__ny, dakota01, philpet, dbarron, westoh Z6, James AKA lumpy_j etc, thank you so much.

Now, the two buds are fully open. How beautiful is that!

juju jojo's photos · More Info

juju jojo's photos · More Info

juju jojo's photos · More Info

juju jojo's photos · More Info

juju jojo's photos · More Info

The REASON for my bud blast is air too dry. Phals are okay to grow in dry environment, but blooming requires high humidity. My blasted Phal buds were hardened on the outside, they will not open; and eventually failed.

This is not caused by genetics.

In contrast, buds produced in high humidity maintain several flutes on the edges of petals as "handles" to open the flower. The buds open very quickly and continue to grow large after it opened.

The failed buds in dry environment lack the flutes, and the entire bud is sealed with petals "glued" to each other.

Conclusion, this is NOT genetic.