Dropped bloom

[richard.feldman48]

I'm a relative newbie with a question about a phrag (Eric Young). It seems relatively healthy and has been growing under some good LEDs. A flower was about to open about 3 weeks ago, so I moved it up to my kitchen where it continues to look good. It's a west window, decent light. The bud opened very soon after that and, though it may be a bit pale, it looked good. I woke up this morning to find that the flower had fallen off. It still looks healthy. It's very unlikely that it was knocked off by anyone walking by. I'm wondering why this happened. Any hypotheses? Thanks.

Rich

 

[CarlG]

Yeah, phrags will drop flowers that look perfectly fine. The flower will then sit there in great shape for several more days, disconnected from it's plant. Seems like they're especially prone to doing this just before a show opens, something like that.

I used to joke with phrag exhibitors that an important part of the show kit with these is a bottle of super glue.

 

[MaxC]

Was it only briefly open and the flower fell off? That is less common. As CarlG mentioned the flowers fall off looking perfect, unlike a paphiopedilum. Which can be jarring the first time it happens. Western exposure can be a little intense if it gets a full blast of midday sun. Also, if you keep it at a cooler temperature the color of your blooms will be darker and more intense.

 

[Linus_Cello]

Supposedly a trick is that growers will pollinate a phrag flower before a show, and the flower will stay on the plant foe a little while longer.

 

[richard.feldman48]

Thanks for the replies. I like the glue idea, which my wife suggested as well. The flower lasted a little over 2 weeks before falling off. The plant gets lots of light but direct sun only in the latter part of the afternoon.

 

[littlefrog]

I was judging a show a couple years ago and watched several flowers fall off as we were walking. Perfect condition. They do that. Weirdest thing though, usually I don't see them drop. They were always doing it at the edge of my peripheral vision. Maybe it is my mutant super-power finally expressing itself.

I got an award to one in January that literally dropped as it was being judged. They awarded it anyway, might have gotten a few extra sympathy points.

 

[shariea]

On my Phrag Fliquet the flowers usually overlap by a couple of days, but I never had 2 at the same time for more than a couple of days! Those rat ******** looked perfect when they dropped.

 

[NYEric]

Many Phrags are not multi-floral, they are sequential. It comes from the species they're made of, for example dalessandroi vs besseae. If you want a multifloral Phrag. you have to pick carefully.