What causes orchid buds to wither and drop

Through many years oforchid growingpractice, the author has found thatorchidflower bud differentiation occurs during the maturity period of new shoots and lasts nearly 1 year. Generally,orchidsafter 1 year of nutrient accumulation, the flower buds emerge from the soil. The flowering period of each variety is different;Cymbidium goeringii、Cymbidium faberi、Cymbidium sinense、Cymbidium kanran, Chun Jian,Lianbanorchids and others, after the buds emerge from the soil, undergo a relatively long process of growth, bud gestation and vernalization. This process lasts as short as five or six months, and as long as 7 months.Four-seasonorchids, summerCymbidium kanranand others take only a short time from bud emergence to flowering, as short as just over 20 days, and as long as 30~40 days.

Whether or not the variety has a vernalization period, attention must be paid to the management of fertilizer, water and light during both the vegetative growth period and the reproductive growth period. There are many reasons for orchid buds to wither and drop. Most are caused by excessive humidity, excessive fertilization, poor ventilation and so on. Generally, flower bud differentiation is enough to show that nutrition is sufficient, so there is no need to continue applying fertilizer to the roots; only foliar spraying is needed. The so-called attention to fertilizer and water management during the flowering period means attention to foliar topdressing. After the buds emerge from the soil, if fertilizer and water are applied indiscriminately, and poor ventilation and other conditions occur, buds will wither and drop.

During the bud gestation period of orchids, phosphorus and potassium fertilizer topdressing should be strengthened to promote the swelling of the buds. Whether for sterilization and disinfection or foliar spraying, the interval should be 7~10 days; it must not be too frequent, and the fertilizer solution must not be too concentrated. Give them appropriate exposure to sunlight, otherwise the buds will be damaged and the centers will rot. In addition, attention should be paid to controlling water and fertilizer before flowering. When the buds are small, water should be withheld once or twice to keep the potting soil on the dry side, which can promote flower bud differentiation; this is directly related to the quality of subsequent flowering.

During the vegetative growth period of new shoots, fertilizers mainly based on nitrogen should be applied to promote robust plant growth, achieve disease resistance and drought resistance, and ensure normal flower bud growth and development.