Can anyone tell me why my house orchid buds have dried up and fallen off befor they bloom, it took me a year to get blooms and now all the buds have falled off? Please help, thanks!
I don't really know much about orchids in particular, but I know that in many other flowering plants changes in tempurature or water stress (over or under) can result in the dropping/drying of flower buds. Could that have been it?
yes Globalist is generally correct. there are a number of issues you need to consider. first off: has there been any sudden changes in your treatment of the plant. any changes in the environment. generally bud blast occur as a result of a cold draft or a sudden temperature change. also changes in watering or lack thereof can be a threat to the plant and may induce a number of responses including dropping buds.
All very accurate causes for bud blast. Additional considerations include changes in humidity (guilty here on occasion) especially during change of seasons, and one frequently overlooked...is indoor pollutants, from space heaters or leaking fireplace flues, parties where guests smoke, to the heavy use of indoor room fresheners (the latter is occasionally the cause of the mysterious death of many pet canaries and parakeets). Simply put, orchids are not fond of drastic changes nor tolerant of pollution. I can't begin to count the number of times friends asked why the plant they bought at an orchid show or a range in magnificently promising bud lost them all within a few days of coming home. My bet was always to suspect the car exhaust first. My suggestion was to buy their "prize" plant in full bloom, or buy the clone that hadn't set buds yet...it's cheaper and the buds when they do set will do so under your conditions, increasing their chances to survive. I am delightfully surprised by the high caliber of the posts and the responses, and definitely impressed by the extremely knowledgeable contributers to these boards. After years of hosting boards on AOL (ack) this is like stumbling upon Nirvana!