Once a rare and expensive plant – the orchid- is no longer a curiosity; it can be found more and more often on the windowsills of lovers of exotic flowers. And it would seem that there is nothing special about it: you bought a blooming specimen, brought it home - and admire it. No such luck! Suddenly you discover that the long-awaited beautiful flowers are withering and falling off. Why does this happen and what should be done to prevent it? Studying this issue in various sources, we tried to collect all the most common reasons for such behavior of orchids.
Possible causes of the withering of orchid flowers
In order to understand the true reasons,which cause flowers to wither and fall off, analyze whether all the necessary conditions for the favorable maintenance of the orchid are met. To help you figure it out, we will focus on the most common mistakes in plant care, and also consider ways to eliminate them. So, what can prevent an orchid from blooming?
- Stress or shock
Usually, when we bring a flower home from the store,we try to create better conditions for it, but instead, without noticing it, we worsen the situation. The most common reason why flowers suddenly begin to wilt is a sharp change in "place of residence", and therefore a change in the conditions in which the orchid was. Even we, moving from one climate to another, sometimes experience discomfort, what can we say about such a delicate flower! A change in maintenance conditions for the worse has an adverse effect not only on flowers; the leaves and roots of the orchid also experience discomfort. Treatment methods: optimize the "living" conditions according to the recommended rules for the care and maintenance of the plant.
- Natural aging of flowers
"Morning sun never lasts a day!".Unfortunately, we cannot influence the duration of flowering inherent in a particular type of orchid. Of course, some varieties can last more than three months, but for some, even ten days is a holiday. The situation is complicated by the fact that when you buy an already blossomed orchid in a store, you do not know how long it has been in this form. It is quite possible that it has been there for a week, or it may be that the flowering period is already ending. Therefore, if only the flowers have withered, and the plant feels satisfactory in general, then there is no reason to panic. Treatment methods: fortunately, this is not a disease. Treatment is not required, carry out further measures for subsequent flowering.
- Insufficient lighting
Orchid is a light-loving flower, and the disadvantageLight is very traumatic not only for flowers, but for the entire plant. Often, newly acquired flowering specimens are sensitive to sudden changes in light saturation. You must admit that in greenhouses, where they are grown, the light intensity is much higher than in apartments. And amateur novices, inspired by blossoming flowers, do not attach much importance to this issue, naively believing that all the conditions for the orchid have been successfully created. With the arrival of autumn-winter, when daylight hours are shortened, we curtain the windows earlier, and the orchid can react to this by withering even unblown buds, or shorten its natural flowering period. A protracted winter is a difficult period, both in the general maintenance of the orchid and in relation to its flowering. The flower stalk "shoots", as a rule, in the midst of sunny summer, and the buds begin to bloom by sun-poor October. In this case, further growth of the flower stalk will stop, and, having stood in this state for a month, the buds will begin to wither and fall off. This process is explained by the fact that the amount of absorbed light directly affects the chemical reactions necessary for flowering. Therefore, not receiving enough light, the flowers begin to wither. Treatment methods: move the orchid to a sunny place, install additional lighting (phytolamp). For a less demanding phalaenopsis, a fluorescent bulb is sufficient.
- Overheating of the plant
Excess can have similar consequencesbright saturated sun. Fortunately (or unfortunately), our latitude is characterized by stingy light in winter and scorching sun in summer. And the intensity of sunlight in summer is several times higher than normal. Orchids are epiphytes (that is, they use other support for growth), and in nature they can easily hide from the scorching rays under the crowns of trees. In an apartment, orchids standing near windows often overheat, and their flowers wither. In addition, overheating negatively affects the condition of the entire plant as a whole. The roots weaken, dry out, and in a short time the flower becomes dehydrated. As a result, the leaves turn yellow, the flowers wither and the buds fall off. Treatment methods: it is necessary to shade the plant from direct sunlight. And blooming orchids should be placed away from windows.
- Artificial heating
Enemy number one is dry hot air,coming from central heating batteries. This problem is familiar to almost every gardener. Not only the flowers themselves dry out and wither, but also the unblown buds. Treatment methods: If you keep your orchid on a windowsill, place it away from the hot air flow. As a last resort, cover the radiator with a wet towel.
- Lack of humidity
Low humidity in the apartment is not recommendedeven to the people living in it, and the delicate tissues of flowers and unopened buds instantly dry out and wither. It is necessary to constantly monitor the air humidity near the flower. Treatment methods: use a humidifier directly near the flower. A good option is to build or buy a ready-made tray with wet moss, expanded clay, sand. Being above the flow of hot air (for example, above the battery), the water evaporates, creating the necessary humidity. Just do not forget to moisten the expanded clay in time.
- Subcooling of orchids
This is possible when transporting orchids in winter.or when the room temperature is below the permissible level. Even if carefully wrapped in cellophane and paper, the flower may freeze, and as a result, the flowers will wither and the plant may die. Treatment methods: if the plant is very cold, it will not be possible to save it.
- Draft
It is useful to ventilate the roomaction for both people and flowers. Thus, we provide air circulation. But a cold draft leads to disastrous consequences, the orchid slowly gets overcooled, gradually fades and dies. Treatment methods: do not place the pot with the plant in the path of cold air.
- The close location of vegetables and fruits
Some foods (nuts, tomatoes,apples) emit ethylene gas, which accelerates the ripening process of flowers, including unopened ones. Which leads to rapid aging of inflorescences. Treatment methods: cannot be treated. Just try not to place the named products near the orchid.
- Unsatisfactory watering
The reason why an orchid wilts is as follows:both a lack of moisture and its excess. The main thing in this matter is a competent balance. The soil should always be a little damp, and for this it is necessary to water often, but little. The consequence of improper watering is damage to the root system: its rotting or drying out. When the plant does not have enough moisture consumed from the roots, it will begin to redistribute minerals from one organ to another. And first of all, the flowers and buds will suffer, then the peduncle, and then the whole orchid will begin to wither. Treatment methods: treatment of the root system is a troublesome and slow matter, and it is unlikely that you will be able to save the flowers, but the orchid itself still needs to be treated. At the initial stage of root damage, it is difficult to determine the degree of drying out. To do this, move the plant in the pot: it sits tightly - it means that not all is lost. Place the flower in a basin of water at room temperature for about an hour. Then take a shower, avoiding water getting on the peduncles. After the water has drained, remove the accumulated moisture from the leaf axils and core and place it in a bright place at a temperature no higher than 25 °C. If the plant has not recovered within two or three days, then the degree of damage to the roots was greater than expected. If the orchid does not stay tightly in the pot, you can pull it out and examine the roots. Determine how many living roots are left. Living roots are always dense and light, rotten ones are brown and hollow. Remove dry and rotten roots, disinfect the cuts with activated carbon. And then everything depends on the presence of remaining roots. Replant the orchid in a new substrate, put it in a warm, bright place and water it in the traditionally correct way. It may happen that your favorite will please you with flowering again.
- Pollination
And this happens!Bees, wasps, flies and other flying insects can be the culprits. Treatment methods: if pollination is successful, a seed pod will appear in place of the wilting flower, otherwise the flower will wither and fall off.
- Pest Control
A possible cause of wilting may be smallpests. Mealybugs love to suck the juice out of buds and flowers. They look like cotton wool and leave behind a sticky residue. Treatment methods: daily inspection for pests. First of all, isolate the orchids from other plants. Then, it is necessary to carefully remove the mealybugs, one by one. The next step is to use insecticides. And once again, we emphasize - daily inspection!!! In this article, we looked at common causes of wilting flowers and buds. Do not forget that often the loss of flowers entails the death of the plant itself. And to prevent this situation, provide your favorite with competent care and proper maintenance.
