Does pollination end the life of the bloom?

[Stray59]

Hello everyone - hope you are having a great day!
I was wondering - When you pollinate a flower, or remove the pollina, does the flower start to die off? Doesn't the pollination end the need for the petals and scent? I want to cross some plants, but hate to lose the blooms; I will if I have to, but it will be with moist eyes when I do! I have been wondering this for a while, but keep forgetting to ask.
We are snowed in in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, so I have a day to watch the hometown football team, the Colts, play rivals Houston, Texas, drink coffee and post on the board!!
Have great New Year!
Steve
Thanks for any input you have on this -

[SlipperGirl]

yes your plant will lose its blooms after it is pollinated. have fun

[Stray59]

Thanks mothorchidgirl:
I thought that th plant would invest the energy into the development of the seed pod, but was not sure. Well, that alright - I will just have to get pics and enjoy the seed pods!
Thanks again -
Steve

[escualida]

I don't think removing the pollinia will do anything, but the one that is being pollinated will start to whither.

[Stray59]

Thanks for the additional info - good to know!
Happy Holidays!
Steve

[Call_Me_Bob]

Taking the pollen off of a flower will usually reduce the life span of the flower. When you pollinate a flower, the petals will usually dry out, they usually don't fall off though. With some novelty Phals, I don't know if any other's do this as well, the petals will actually gain substance and turn green!

DSC_0218 by orchidman10, on Flickr

[Stray59]

Beautiful seed pod Bob - and I have not seen the petals re- color and re-form like that! How cool.
I know when I crossed a Cat, the mother plant just lost it's petals like an aging flower. My Pescatorea however retained it's flowers until they just dried up like thin cardboard until I removed them.
By the way, do you have any idea how long it takes for a Pescatorea pod to mature do you?
Hope your pod ripens well in 2013 - I can't believe it's a new year already.
Steve

[Call_Me_Bob]

Originally Posted by Stray59

Beautiful seed pod Bob - and I have not seen the petals re- color and re-form like that! How cool.
I know when I crossed a Cat, the mother plant just lost it's petals like an aging flower. My Pescatorea however retained it's flowers until they just dried up like thin cardboard until I removed them.
By the way, do you have any idea how long it takes for a Pescatorea pod to mature do you?
Hope your pod ripens well in 2013 - I can't believe it's a new year already.
Steve

Thanks! Thats an old picture, the pods a lot larger now, its been on for 4 months!

I have no idea about the pescatorea, sorry!

[Wrebbitrocks]

ive notices that when i accidentally knock the pollen cap on my flowers (usually the oncidiums because of the closeness of the blooms and easy to knock off cap) that they start to die faster like when a bee stings someone. so i ALWAYS have a hard time watering blooming plants to avoid knocking the caps off. what i did want to know is that if a flower is pollinated on the spike does the rest of the spike wither. i tried this once on a phal with the first flower to get the bloom as fresh as possible and it grew a pod but the rest of the flowers on the spike after it died...

[Call_Me_Bob]

In my experience, on a healthy Phalaenopsis, pollinating one of the flowers (assuming it has more than one) shouldn't cause it to drop the others flowers on the spike.