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Phalenopsis orchid
On 2014-08-24 11:42:47 +0000, Spider said:
On 24/08/2014 07:39, Sacha wrote: On 2014-08-23 18:24:39 +0000, Spider said: On 23/08/2014 16:29, Pam Moore wrote: On Sat, 23 Aug 2014 12:31:26 +0100, "Bob Hobden" wrote: "Sacha" wrote I bought one of these some time ago and it has bloomed from around March until a week ago, when the flowers started to wither and drop off. Pretty good value, I'd say. BUT having transferred it to the 'hospital' window in the kitchen, I glanced at it the other day, wondering if the stem was dying back, To my surprise and pleasure, one withered flower was still clinging on but further up exactly the same stem, new buds are forming. I've never seen this happen before on any of my other Phals. Quite normal. It's why you should never cut the flower stem off a Phal unless it goes brown and dead. The show experts use this trait to enable them to produce lots of flowers by changing the temperature at which the plant is kept so extending the flower spike a number of times. You may find the spike branches onto a number of extended spikes before flowering, I think that is when they are at their most beautiful. I have 5 plants. One did just this, made new stems of buds after the previous lot died off. However, the buds have failed to open, having veen there a few months. Then the buds started dropping. Could this have been the very hot weather? They are in the same place where I always keep them. One has had a wonderful spray of flowers, also for a few months. Sometimes the old stems go woody and then I cut them down to the base. Buds can abort if the plant is turned to face a different direction. They are unable to turn with the stem, so drop off. This is why orchids are invariably bought with flowers open. Drought and dryness can also have the same effect. That's interesting, Spider. I bought one recently from Morrisons, a double-stemmed one with flowers open and with buds. Three buds have dropped off andI was about to write here, asking why! I assume there's nothing I can do to prevent this? Yes, I've had that happen occasionally. When I get mine home, I look closely to see which direction the buds are facing and try and mimic that, so they don't have to 'travel' and dislocate themselves. It's also possible that the supermarket has not kept up with the watering, so check if yours needs a drink. The other possibility (especially now that the weather is cooler and frosts are already forecast in some areas) is that your Phal. suffered from a draught or chill as you brought it home. Stores and gcs often put the pot in a carrier bag, but I often take an extra bag and gently put it over the head of the orchid until I get home. I get some odd looks at the till, but I'm well beyond worrying about such things! Of course, when you get home and your frozen peas thaw because you've been tending your orchid, you'll just have to tell Ray plants have priority (he'll understand that) and would he like pea soup for dinner? (He may not understand that!):~)) I don't think it got cold! I brought it straight home from Totnes, which was a 20 minute or so journey and Morrisons supplied one of those very long poly bags which went over the whole plant. I'll follow your advice for any moving! No pea soup so far! ;-) -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.com South Devon www.helpforheroes.org.uk |
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