degarmoara bud blast

[leslee]

I have a winter wonderland that has spiked up beautifully, 3 spikes! It looks really healthy but the buds on one of the spikes are starting to blast- I've lost 2 so far. Could this be temperature related? I live in the pacific northwest, it is fall now and a lot less natural light coming in. I had all my oncidium alliance outside in the summer and they did really well, but now they are indoors and the fall light isn't great tho I do have incandescent light and they are near a large window. I am also wondering if being too near the window might be causing temperature change issues. I also have a colmanara that has blossomed on 2 spikes, but 2 more spikes are sulking and won't open.

any thoughts to get these buds open? I would hate to lose them all.

Leslee

[BikerDoc5968]

What I have found with phalaenopsis and blasting is change in enviornmental conditions. I see it when I bring home a new plant and go from the retail store situation to my GH. Also change in air temp moving across the plant has caused some of mine to blast...some seem to be very random.

[Sun rm.N.E.]

Leslee

I agree with what Doc wrote.
To be more specific, in my conditions in the house low humidity in the winter seemed to be the most important factor for bud blast.

I have mostly solved this problem by growing Oncidium alliance hybrids by the semihydroponic method. There is a special forum for this on this board. The good news is that the Winter Wonderland hybrid and Onc. Sharry Baby are in the most tolerant group for me. There is a separate forum for Semihydro here.

However, the transfer is stressful for the plants unless I do it when there is new growth with little root nubbins just showing. It has also been most succesful in the Spring.

[leslee]

thanks for the thoughts, I am going to try the semih in the spring on a few and see how it goes. I've moved the deg and will see if that saves the buds.

leslee

[leslee]

well I found the culprit in the bud problem, there were nasty little caterpillars eating them. I hope I got them all! will post photos when these finally open

[Sun rm.N.E.]

Leslie

Thanks for the reminder. Good observation is essential even getting out the magnifying glass.