Your orchids are ready to flower again. But when the buds are big enough to bloom, they dry and fall off. What’s going on?
How it happens
- 2-3 days before blooming, well-developed flower buds become parchy, they dehydrate and the green stems become reddish in color.
- Slowly it becomes evident that the buds will be aborted.
- The phenomenon is very strange, especially when it happens to buds situated in the middle of the clusters, while open flowers and end buds remain healthy.
Why it happens
- An orchid aborts its buds due to a shock, mst often to a termic shock.
- When exposed to temperatures under 10˚C, the plant will abort buds that are just about to bloom, and it keeps opened flowers and smaller buds.
- This incident happens when you buy an orchid in the winter; the plant is exposed to clod while transported.
- Another dangerous situation for your plants is when you air out your rooms in the winter with the orchids placed nearby the window.
Other causes that hinder blooming
- You water your plants too much or too little.
- You keep your plant in a place either too dark or one that receives lost of glaring sunlight.
- You use too much fertilizer during the blooming period.
Conclusion
Once flowering begins, you must make sure that your plant is protected from temperature, light and nutrition shocks.