Noid Cattleya buds turning yellow

[GregorK]

hello guys

So i have the problem. I have a very nice Noid Cattleya and this year, 3 new pseudobulbs have grown, and all of them have sheaths. the one has started to develop buds and they have been growing nicely inside the sheath. Then i decided to cut off the sheath as i read it can sometimes cause mold to appear and damage the buds. And after that everything went downhill. After few days the first bud turned yellow , about a week later another one, and now i think the last one is turning yellow too. I am just so sad and dissapointed. I've been waiting for that flowers whole year

What could be wrong? I've been reading on the forum but i cant really find the right answer. temperature drop? I have it on a east facing window. we have a central heating in the apartment. could this be the reason? I personely dont think its hot or cold inside. Its just the right temperature. but i have the radiator underneath the shelf where my Orchids are.

I have no rpobelm with wattering and fertiliser. its all on the regular basis. though its true i didnt feed with a fertiliser for about two weeks. i decided to give it a little rest.

Could the reason for buds dropping be the fact that i cut off the sheath?

Thanks in advance for the answer. sorry for beeing so long.

Gregor

[euplusia]

Cutting off the sheath is not the reason. The reason is some kind of stress, maybe radiator heat, dry air, lack of light - I cannot exactly tell you.

[james mickelso]

Are the buds turning yellow or just the cut sheath tissue? Were you very careful when you cut the sheaths. I usually wait until the buds have fattened up a little. Usually if you have been careful cutting the sheaths won't cause any harm. Radiators and central heating on the other hand can. How do you water your plants? Once you cut the sheaths you never get water down into the sheath. Also sometimes sheaths appear and then turn yellow and dry out without ever producing flower buds. They are called blind sheaths. They can be caused by many factors. Too much nitrogen. Too warm and then too cold. But the main reason is the plant is just too young.

[GregorK]

No, the sheaths were green when i cut them. and i did it very carefully. Its the buds that turned yellow. all of them. one by one. i will post a picture when i get back home. I water it carefully. I just misted maybe 2 times in the last week arround the orchids. and thats it.

I doubt this could happen because of central heating. The radiator is barrely warm.

hmmm could it be bevause its too cold?

[james mickelso]

Sounds like bud blast then. It isn't so much the cold as warm/cold. The orchid doesn't want to expend energy on flowering if it is going to turn cold. It blasts the buds and saves energy for the next seasons growth, and flowering.

[GregorK]

ahh... I'm so dissapointed...

I am also including pictures this time... You can also see new growths and sheats.

Thanks James for the answers!

regards
Gregor

[My Green Pets]

Sorry your buds blasted! Hopefully you've got something else in bloom?

[GregorK]

yes i have 3 orchids that are in bloom now. But I'm still sad because of this one. well i guess I'll have to wait a little bit longer to see her flowers.

Gregor

[tucker85]

I'm sorry about your new buds. It's always disappointing to care for a plant all year and then have that happen. Many environmental factors can cause bud blast so you'll probably never be able to determine exactly what happened. The fertilizer certainly wasn't the issue. Personally I never cut off healthy sheaths. Occasionally I'll cut old dried up sheaths if buds form in them and get large without breaking out. Otherwise I leave it alone and let nature take it's course.

When I have bud blast problems, it always seems to be the same plants each year. That's led me to conclude that those particular plants are not well suited to my environment. They're probably just marginally adapted and the slightest stress will cause it to blast. I have other cattleyas that never lose buds. I've learned to appreciate those plants.

[GregorK]

Thanks Tucker for the tips and kind words. Yes its sas.. i'll get over it eventually

have a nice day

Gregor