Bud Blast on a Phal

[kcrane]

I recently bought a phal -- and it arrived healthy and in spike. Fast-forward 3 or 4 weeks and the buds had allllllmost matured enough to open and the oldest buds stopped going any further and the 2 smallest buds withered and fell off. The a/c where I work, which is where the phal is, went on the fritz for a couple of weeks and it got quite hot
(88) by the afternoons, with very little air movement. The leaves and roots look excellent. Is it just a reaction to the heat? I'm thinking of cutting off the top of the spike and seeing if it will rebloom. Any input??

[tucker85]

Bud blast can be caused by several environmental factors but the most common cause is a sudden change in the environment while the plant is in bud. Since you bought it in bud, it's not surprising that it could blast, since your environment is probably much different than the environment at the vendors greenhouse. Oddly enough phals are much more tolerant of environmental changes after the flowers have opened even though they're sensitive to those changes while in bud. The temperature certainly could be the culprit since the vendor was possibly using lower temperatures to induce blooming. The plant itself should be fine though. Good luck.

[kcrane]

Ok, today I cut off the very top of the bloom spikes because the buds there were starting to droop and weren't opening. I cut just above the topmost nodes because there is showing signs of growth at those nodes, and a couple nodes below as well on one spike, so the Phal can direct its energy toward those. Was that correct? The plants roots are plump and green and its showing signs of new leaf growth.

[Brutal_Dreamer]

Ok, today I cut off the very top of the bloom spikes because the buds there were starting to droop and weren't opening. I cut just above the topmost nodes because there is showing signs of growth at those nodes, and a couple nodes below as well on one spike, so the Phal can direct its energy toward those. Was that correct? The plants roots are plump and green and its showing signs of new leaf growth.

I usually don't cut the spike down to get additional blooms but instead cut it off and let the plant grow stronger by making leaves and roots. BUT - if you do, but the spike at the third node from the bottom. This will keep the bloom spike from being terribly long and gangly.

cheers,
BD