pigmentation: izumi question for the sake of curiosity

[LeGray]

I've been treating my blooming mtssa izumi with great care. watering it when it seems it needs it, leaving it alone otherwise, giving it as much light as I can... I happened to mist it today -- a thing I don't normally do, I think I was just being a busybody -- when I noticed that the blooms became a richer color after the water touched the petals. Is that normal, or am I suffering from an overactive imagination?

[Forrest]

I think most things look more vibrant wet. Think that is pretty normal.

[LeGray]

it's very interesting to watch. the tips of the flower immediately goes from pale white to vibrant purple, and the whole flower itself becomes more striking. maybe this is a sign i need to water the poor thing...

[Tanya]

it's very interesting to watch. the tips of the flower immediately goes from pale white to vibrant purple, and the whole flower itself becomes more striking. maybe this is a sign i need to water the poor thing...

Hmmmmm..... interesting. I always take good care not to wet the blooms of my orchids whenever I water them because I was afraid that the droplets of water would cause spotting on the petals.

[LeGray]

i had about the same fears, which is why i never did it... then i was misting everyone's roots, happened to mist above izumi (aiming for some dends), and looked down at the blossoms. i noticed it appeared... richer. i thought i was imagining things. then i realized i wasn't. then i purposefully aimed right at it, and misted it. like i said, it's fascinating to watch. especially at the tips, the tips are usually whiteish, but as soon as the water touches it, it becomes a dark, rich purple, and the contrast goes up on all the colors, and the bloom itself doesn't seem so "washed out".


i'd seen pictures of izumi online, and noticed that my flowers seemed pale by comparison, but i just figured it lead a different life, and didn' worry too much about it.

[LJA]

If the water is "soaking through" the first thin cell layer on the flowers, it's probably turning that layer transluscent so that the pigmentation beneath becomes more visible. It's best if you can avoid getting the blooms wet though--there's less chance of botrytis and the flowers will last quite a bit longer. Here, getting them wet is mostly unavoidable, so we water early in the morning so that they're dry by the afternoon.

[LeGray]

I gave it a nice, 1 hour soak and the blossoms darkened, and stayed that way. I suspect it just needed a drink.

[LJA]

They stayed that way? Wow. These things will never cease surprising me...

[LeGray]

ever seen one? its smell is vaguely reminiscent of pepper. not UNpleasent, mind you, but not something i'd readily stick my nose into, repeatedly.i think that it was just giving me a large visual clue that it was dry. it seems happy enough so far, it's forming a new pbulb and it's going from pale pale green to a nice, healthy light green. it looked so light before, it was nearly yellowish. i guess the growers before me put it in direct sunglight, or something....

(( just to clarify, i didn't soak the whole plant in water, blooms and all, just the roots/medium/container ))