fertilizer

Question:

All the buds fell off my new orchid. Could leaving the plant in a hot car for two hours be the cause? The leaves still look good so I’m not giving up on it. I fertilize it lightly and water every 10 days. Pat H.

Answer:

Heat stroke can happen to plants as well as animals! Hot cars are notorious for capturing the sun and can reach nearly 200 degrees under the right conditions. The first casualties involving orchids are the delicate flowers and buds which, technically, the plant can afford to lose since they are replenished each year.

Sometimes it’s nice to share a success story of an everyday guy who grows orchids on his windowsill. I suppose he’s not quite an everyday guy. His name is Howard ‘Buddy’ Wiles III and he is an Obstetrics and Gynecology doctor in Richmond. Although he doesn’t have any professional orchid training, he has figured out a way to grow and bloom Phalaenopsis in his office window year after year.