Cymbidium bud blast symptoms?

[landesign]

Hello,

I am new to orchid growing and am trying to grow a cymbidium in Wisconsin. It was outdoors all summer under a lilac bush where it got dappled sun all day (the bush is trimmed like a tree so it did get some sun) until the temperature regularly got down to 30. The instructions I have say to fertilize it with 30-10-10 from February through July and 10-30-20 from August until it starts to bloom, using the fertilizer every other watering, which I did.

In November I brought it indoors and put it in the coolest room I have in the west window, watering it once a week. It made a huge flower spike with 14 buds and then just sat there for a month and a half.

It didn't seem like the buds would open in the cool temperatures (55 during the night and low 60's during the day) so I brought it into a warmer room (high 60's during the day and low 60's at night and put it in the south window. There are also large west windows in that room.

I gather this was my mistake because the buds started to turn red at the base of the bud and then the bud stem turned yellow and all the buds eventually fell off without opening.

Is this bud blast? What should I do in the future? How long does it normally take for the buds to open? The cymbidium is now making new leaves. Thanks for your help.

[CodiMN]

Hi landesign! : Welcome!
I'm posting a reply, in hopes that someone with cymbidium experience will see it as it pops to the top of the list!
They are amazing orchids, but I currently do not have one...yet...
Sounds like bud blast to me, but again, haven't experienced it myself with a cymbidium.

[Ray]

"Bud blast" is when the buds just suddenly fall off of an otherwise healthy inflorescence due to a drastic change in conditions - quite often a chill.

Your description does not sound like that, but I'd guess that something in your culture stressed the plant sufficiently that it aborted the entire inflorescence.

[landesign]

Thank Ray,

How long does it normally take for the buds to open? Was I too impatient?

[Ray]

I have some cymbids, but am not enough of an expert to say for sure, but the month and a half does seem excessive, which suggests that "the problem" - whatever it was - had already begun.

[orchids3]

Have a lot of cymbidiums in Florida outside. When it got cold (freeze expected) I carried them inside. When the plants went inside is when I got the bud blast. The last three years the plants have stayed outside but have been misted to prevent freezing. No Bud Blast. Now in Wisconsin I am sure you cant leave cymbidiums outside year round but you can keep them in a cool place with a lot of air flow. Avoid changing temperatures more than absolutely necessary. I do have plants that blast after they spike in the spring when temperatures rise outside. This all has to do with heat tolerance - some plants are more sensative than others to temperature both when spikes are initated and the ability to hold the buds. Good luck

[betwixtimes]

I have a cymb.

ITS BEEN MONTHS!!! the spike took a long time (two months) and it's been almost 3 weeks---and the buds are still developing on the spikes---I've decided that they'll bloom when they do, and there's nothing 'wrong' with them taking a long time.

From what others have told me, it can take up to 2 months for them to bloom.

The turning red and falling off, is definitely bud blast. Sounds like it's going into it's grow cycle now---new leaves and such. You might be able to get it to spike again, I've been told that some of the cymbs have dormant eyes---so they can grow at various times.