It is impossible not to fall in love with the beauty of orchids. According to one of the ancient legends, they are nothing more than fragments of a rainbow that fell to the ground. German botanist Ritter von Blume mistook orchids for living butterflies. Flowers of some species are truly similar to these fabulously beautiful creations. Orchid owners love them and are proud of them. Unfortunately, sometimes a plant cannot bloom. Why do orchids drop buds? What is she missing?
Species diversity
Many will be surprised to learn that orchids are spread all over the globe. They are not only in the Arctic Circle and in Antarctica. And the variety of orchids affects no less than their beauty. According to recent data, there are about 35 thousand species of these flowers. There are even those that bloom underground! But the vast majority still lives in the tropics. One of the main reasons why buds fall on an orchid is that its conditions do not correspond to natural conditions.
The sizes of different types of orchids vary greatly. Some are just crumbs, only a few millimeters, others are real giants growing up to 30 meters. And their life expectancy is also different. Some live a little, others delight with their beauty up to 70 years. In indoor conditions, unfortunately, this period is much shorter and ranges from 7 to 15 years, depending on the type and proper care. It happens that orchids drop buds due to her advanced age, although she still throws a flower arrow. After all, when buying, the seller was unlikely to tell her date of birth.
Aerial roots
Despite the enormous species diversity, all orchids are divided into epiphytes, that is, those that live on other plants, lithophytes living on stones, and terrestrial. In our homes, you can often find epiphytic orchids, for example, phalaenopsis. The intricate weave of their
aerial roots seems marvelous to some of us
. But they breathe phalaenopsis. In addition, in the roots of orchids that are unusual for the eye, there is velamen, a special suction tissue. With its help, the flower is stored in moisture. Such “light” orchids live for about 2 years, then die off and are replaced by new ones. It is important that everything is in order with the root system of the plant. This applies to aerial roots, and to ordinary underground. If there are few living, healthy roots, then the area of absorption and respiration decreases. This is another reason why orchids drop buds. This is especially true for species with thin leaves. Therefore, the root system must be monitored and protected, both from an excess of moisture, and from excessive dryness.
Flower stress
It often happens: you buy a magnificent flowering handsome man in a store, but brought home, he stood for a day or two and wilted. There may be several reasons why in this case the buds of an orchid dry. One of them may be that the environment habitual for the flower has changed. Do not be surprised, plants are also subject to stress. If this is only the case, the orchid will certainly bloom again. Much worse if you have a diseased plant. A healthy orchid on leaves does not have any spots, the airy roots are silver, slightly green after watering, and the underground root system is rot-free and well developed. Some may ask, why did the plant bloom at the seller, but did not want to at home? Because in the store he had a familiar environment, and maybe he was stuffed with various stimulants there. At home, it lost all of it, so it dropped the buds.
Sun, air and water
In our apartments, the most common
Phalaenopsis orchid. The buds of her, even those of a completely healthy one, fall due to improper lighting. It should be enough, so you can’t put a flower pot deep into the room. If the flower throws an arrow in a period when there is little natural light, you need to organize illumination for it. But a large amount of sun is detrimental to orchids. In the summer they need to be hidden from direct sunlight, which drains the roots, harm the leaves. To do this, a plant is shaded, for example, a curtain. If the window faces the sunny side, it is advisable to rearrange the flower in a place where it is warm, but not hot.
But in winter, you can damage the plant by overheating. In many homes, batteries are "big deal". The heat coming from them greatly dries the air. Orchids do not like this. If possible, it is better to rearrange them to another place. If this is not possible, you can install humidifier devices near orchids. You can also regularly spray the plants. To do this, you need only purified water.
In addition to proper lighting and humidity, an orchid needs proper watering. It is clear that with an excess of water, the roots rot, and with a lack of water they dry. Experts advise checking the humidity of the substrate in a flower pot by touch. Water the plant when the soil is only slightly moist. Some recommend not to water the orchid, but to put it in a basin with warm clean water for 40 minutes. The plant itself will take as much moisture as it needs.
Heat and cold
Improper temperature conditions are another reason why orchids drop buds. Firstly, it can get cold on the way home from the store, especially if it is cold outside. Secondly, it is possible, where the pot with an orchid is standing, a window for ventilation often opens. Thirdly, drafts annoy the flower. And fourthly, the temperature in the room does not match the one that the plant needs.
As noted above, orchids are common in almost all climatic zones. To correctly determine the temperature for each orchid, you need to find out where its natural habitat is. For residents of the tropics in the summer, 26-30 degrees Celsius are suitable, in the winter - 15-20 degrees. For those plants that are distributed a little to the north, in summer the air temperature should not exceed 22-25 degrees Celsius, and in winter - 12-15. Well, for cold-loving beauties, the temperature regime is maintained in the summer at 20-22 degrees, and in winter - up to 15.
For all plants, a temperature difference of more than 5 degrees Celsius, for example, day and night, is extremely undesirable.
Disease
Sometimes the owners comply with all the rules of care, but all the same the buds of the orchid fall. The reason may lie in small parasites that settled on the plant. One of them is a
mealybug. This insect sucks the juice from the orchid and injects poison into it. Spotting the pest is easy. The leaves of the affected plant change color, and a white coating appears on the buds. It is necessary to fight the worm mechanically, having cleaned the leaves and pruned all the flowers.
The second pest is gray rot. It is a fungus that appears due to improper care. If the leaves of the orchid have spots with a gray coating, and on the flowers and buds - watery dewdrops, darkening over time, it can be assumed that the flower is sick. You need to start treating it right away. The success of plant conservation depends on this.