HELP!! Psychopsis (Butterfly Orchid) Flower Dying

[woaini1116]

Hello everyone,

I just bought a psychopsis on Monday and now the flower seems to be dying. It is browning/drying on the bottom edge of the flower and the antennas (?) are drooping. I'm not sure if it's dying because of something I've done or if it's just naturally dying. I am growing it indoors and using a 400 watt metal-halide light. It has complete light all the time. Only the leaves are getting complete light though, the flower is above the lights now.

Here's a couple questions I have:
-Is the new growth next to the flower going to be a new bud after the other flower falls off?
-How long do psychopsis flowers last before dying?
-Does the plant need periods of darkness?
-How often should it be watered?
-Should I put the plant on a tray of pebbles?

The first picture is what it looked like when I purchased it, and the other three are from today.

Could anyone tell me what's going on? Please help!! =)

[jay]

First of all, Welcome to the forum!

Next, that is a very nice Psychopsis. Do NOT cut off the spike when the flower falls off. Psychopsis is a sequential bloomer and can bloom many times from the same spike. If the plant is doing well, then leave the spike until it is completely dead and brown.

As for the care, it would help to know where you are located because we are from all over the world and our environments offer us different conditions that we have to work with. If you could update your profile it will help in the future with questions.

As for the Psychopsis, it should receive general Oncidium care as far as light and watering. Here is a link to some culture sheets.

[exasperatus2002]

When you say does it need a period of darkness.....are you running your light 24/7?

[woaini1116]

I am located in Pennsylvania, USA (Zone 6 I believe), but the plant is located in my utility room, so it's an indoor grow with my artificial lights. The plant is getting direct light 24/7 without aid from natural sunlight. There also is a fan blowing on it. The temperature in the room is around 78-85 Fahrenheit and the PH of the water is about 7-7.5.

Does it look like the flower is naturally dying or is it stressed?

[woaini1116]

Originally Posted by exasperatus2002

When you say does it need a period of darkness.....are you running your light 24/7?

Yes, the lights are on 24/7. Is that a bad thing?

[jbigio]

All plants need rest it is just as important that orchids get the right amount of rest/dark time as it is for them to have the right amount of light. They should be getting between 12 and 16 hours of light and the rest dark. Your goal should be to mimic the natural environment as close as possible. And that includes day and night.

[Lucinda Brown]

Hi Woaini1116, I just wanted to say that the pscychopsis plants love semi-hydroponic pots and that system for watering,also.Killed my first one-many moons ago:{.Tried again in semihydro,fancy words,easy,inexpensive method of growingYou simply purchase a plastic semi hydroponic pot and the growing medium for or make your own from a semi-clear plastic container-I use a soldering gun to melt the 2 little holes about one inch up from the bottom of the homemade pot that are all you need for drainage w/this method.A lot of those good old disposable or dishwasher safe,reusable leftover containers-Gladware-for instance-make good semi-hydro pots. There are some sites you can go to for more info. Or check the threads here using semihydroponics as keywords. Mine loves it,now have 2 in it.One bloomed consecutively for about 6 months.I was very proud! Such a delightfully interesting looking bloom they have.Good luck-wish you well!

[Rocinante]

Welcome 1116! Beautiful bloom you chose to buy, I think I want one too. Just like the sun setting in nature, your Psychopsis needs a nighttime, so give it a rest . As far as your dying flower goes, don't forget that you just brought it home to a brand new (and harsh, with all that light!) environment. The adjustment to it's new home is also a source of stress. With watering, you must observe daily the condition of your potting medium. (There is a good sticky post about the skewer method.) Once your medium begins to dry out, then water. I would also definitely put it on a tray with pebbles. I like your determination to do well.

[woaini1116]

Thanks for the input everyone! I'll try to skewer method today. Does anyone know how long it takes for another flower to emerge after the other one dies?

[norris]

Hi woaini116, I recently bought a Psychopsis myself. It had 2 buds starting to open, and as far as most orchids go, the flowers didn't last too long, maybe only about ten days. Like other members have wrote, don't cut the spike, mine is already forming new flowers :-)

[norris]

It has been about three weeks since my first flowers dropped off, and a new bud is just starting to swell. Here is a few pics of my first bloom and the new bud.

[woaini1116]

Originally Posted by norris

It has been about three weeks since my first flowers dropped off, and a new bud is just starting to swell. Here is a few pics of my first bloom and the new bud.

Wow! Looks nice. I hope mine will be alright. The flower finally fell off completely today.

[Rocinante]

Originally Posted by woaini1116

Wow! Looks nice. I hope mine will be alright. The flower finally fell off completely today.

Fear not, woaini1116...just keep to the proper culture proceedure and that frown will turn upside down. Keep working, learn by your mistakes.

[woaini1116]

Originally Posted by Rocinante

Fear not, woaini1116...just keep to the proper culture proceedure and that frown will turn upside down. Keep working, learn by your mistakes.

Thanks for the words of encouragement!

[Rocinante]

I think someone on this board has a saying, "Don't worry, they'll grow more for you."

[woaini1116]

Originally Posted by Rocinante

I think someone on this board has a saying, "Don't worry, they'll grow more for you."

I sure hope so! My orchid seems ok I suppose? I put the plant above a plate of water (not in it!) and have given it about 14 hours or light and the rest in darkness. I hope the spike starts growing soon!

[jerrymeola]

I raise and sell a lot of Psychopsis. I have about 40 in bloom this month.

Your experience is natural, because the movement of the orchid to a show and then to your home has a tendency to dry it out. The first thing a plant does when lacking water is to drop its flowers. For this reason I like to sell younger plants in first bud spike. It makes for less disappointments. I spray all mine with worm tea to extend the life of the flower especially outdoors.

Still they have this great growing feature of putting out new flowers from the same stem for years - 3-5 years of continuous flowers are common. The new bud sometimes forms before the flower drops, and if you see a growth at the base of the flower expect the flower to fall off soon. If the flower drops first, the new bud appears to come out of the end of the old stem.

Never cut the stem unless it dies and dries out hard. I have seen broken stems put out a new side growth.

The normal period for the flower is about 3-4 weeks with a new flower starting about 2-3 weeks later.

I had two with 4 foot stems in bloom at a show this weekend in Tampa with 40 MPH winds. It was easy to see where the name butterfly orchid arose. They looked to be in flight and never in danger of braking. Consider placing them in a breezy area to enjoy.

Care is like any other Oncidium which was the old family to which they were identified. I think they can take higher light levels like Cattleya since the leaves are thick. I seldom have them long enough to flower more than once or twice.

Psychopsis papillo is the original species, which looks to be what you have. Hybrids do not vary much, some are longer, some thinner, some have different proportions. The biggest difference is in Psychopsis Mendenhall (usually sold as Oncidium Mendenhall - the name is valid for 5 years after reclassification), which has beautiful mottled leaves.