Phalaenopsis: Is this suppose to happen?

[kb5916]

Hi again from your newbie inquirer!
This is a picture of the last bud of my white phalaenopsis that I waited for to bloom. In the beginning it started opening but then it turned to the yellow bud you see below. I guess it will fall of from the spike!

[img][/img]

Can anyone please tell me if anything is wrong and if I can do something to reverse it?

[mehitabel]

Hi, KB. Well, maybe not "supposed to happen". But yes, it does happen. What your picture shows is called "bud drop". It happens for a lot of reasons, and it happens to the best of us. I have a phal Queen Beer that right now drops a bud every so often, even tho other buds keep opening. I've no idea why it's doing this, but I decided not to worry about it yet.

Sometimes bud drop happens because the roots are compromised, and plant can't get enough water to sustain blooms. But usually when this is the cause, all the flowers and buds more or less go at one time, so you get a big wake-up call.

But bud drop can also happen because of apples or other fruit nearby, being moved, being a little too dry for a day, etc etc. Maybe even because it just feels like it, who knows?

So there's no way to tell you definitely if anything is wrong or not.

I would suggest you read up as much as you can on good phal culture. The best sources I know are

The Canadian Orchid Congress phal culture sheets, which discuss root problems and how to determine whether you have them, repotting and etc.

Secondly, Peter Lin of Big Leaf Orchids had written culture sheets for new indoor phal growers on how to grow and bloom phals.

Read all you can. It will repay you handsomely in healthier plants and earlier blooms.

Confidence in what you're doing is a lot harder to get, even if you are doing everything right. It takes time, some successes and dealing with a number of problems to feel confidence in what you're doing. After three years and lots of successes (and failures) I still fret sometimes about watering, or optimal lighting, or whether to repot.

Oh, and by the way, your phal privately told me it wants company

[kb5916]

Thanks!
The picture doesn't show it's ''friends'' around!!! My plant has a lot of it's roots outside the bark (it has outgrown it's pot) and maybe it's telling me it's time to re pot!

[mehitabel]

Well, yes, if it's pot bound, it's much harder to keep it hydrated. And if most of the roots are outside, it's also hard to keep it hydrated.

Phals actually like being repotted. There's usually a burst of growth for about three months after a repot, and some authors recommend a repot several months before spikes are expected.

Point is, repotting won't hurt, and you will usually notice a boost to the plant. This is because the fresh medium doesn't have the accumulated salts that old media often has. Use a pot just a little bigger than the root mass.