Why do Phalaenopsis orchids drop their flower buds, and how should you choose one at a physical store?

When you go to a flower shop, the biggest star at the entrance is surely the Phalaenopsis orchid, because its layer upon layer of waxy petals are quite alluring. Buy a few pots and place them in the living room, and they can instantly elevate the whole home's ambiance, so in the plant world they truly deserve the title of "rich and beautiful." However, after you bring one home, it starts acting finicky in all sorts of ways, such as dried-up buds, split or blackened leaves, whitened roots and other such problems. So how should you deal with all these unusual issues?

Recently a flower lover left a message for me in the backend. She said her Phalaenopsis orchid was really worrying her: the buds had not yet opened, and the whole buds were already starting to drop. Every time she saw this, her heart ached. Was this because she had not watered it enough, or had not applied enough fertilizer?

Regarding your Phalaenopsis orchid's situation, I do not really suggest you fertilize it again. There may be several reasons why the buds keep dropping. First, it may be that the environmental change is too great and it cannot adapt. Because think about it: before the Phalaenopsis orchid is sold, it is either kept in a greenhouse or in an air-conditioned forcing room, where the temperature and humidity are relatively constant. Now that the orchid has arrived at your home, the environmental conditions have suddenly changed, so it will inevitably have trouble adapting, which means it will drop buds.

Second, during transport, some varieties that do not tolerate being knocked around easily drop buds because of severe temperature differences. Also, if the placement location is near the kitchen, where the temperature is relatively too high, it may also drop buds.

In addition, if you find that the Phalaenopsis orchid's leaves also look sickly, it is very likely that the roots have rotted. If the root system cannot keep up, the buds will definitely drop.

Finally, it may also be a matter of variety. Generally, when flowers are sold on the flower market, the selected varieties must not only look good but also be easy to cultivate and have a long flowering period. Varieties like these can usually only be found at dedicated brick-and-mortar stores. If you go to some mobile stalls, they usually do not meet the standards for commercial orchids, so the chance of bud drop is also higher.