Question
Dear Wayne-
I have two Phal orchids which I love and both of them seem to have bud blast.  I am not sure what I am doing wrong.  One of them I got only a week ago and it seemed perfectly healthy for the first few days and then a couple days ago the last three buds became wrinkled and dried out.  The other one I have had for several months and then I noticed that the buds were drying out and becoming wrinkled.  I tried repotting it and seems fine, the buds that are left are not becoming wrinkled but they are still not opening.  I am seriously frustrated!  I don't know what I am doing wrong, I have read a lot about caring for orchids but I am not sure if I am underwatering or overwatering.  I have been watering about once a week but it just seems like the water all pours out the bottom, I don't understand how the chips can retain enough water to feed the plant?  Thanks for any advice you might have.

Answer
Thanks for your question Lucy.  Let me address your last comment first.  Your orchid potting mix should be balanced, meaning it should contain a mix of ingredients designed to both promote air movement but also help to retain moisture. These may include fir bark chips and/or charcoal designed to create air spaces to promote air movement to the roots.  Then there may be perlite, lava rock, some moss, and other particles designed to hold some moisture in the root zone.  Purchased orchid potting mixes are often quite dry and need to be soaked for a couple of hours before use.  Fir bark, particularly, repels water when it is fresh.  That repellancy needs to be broken down prior to use so, when you water, it won't just run through the mix. You may need to just set your potted plant in some luke warm water for an hour or so to eliminate the hydrophobic (ie water repellancy) of the fir bark). Then, set the pot aside to drain and water once per week soaking it real good for the firt couple of waterings. With the proper fresh potting mix you should not be concerned about overwatering as the mix should drain well.

With regard to bud opening, they can appear to be slow to open, especially when we can't wait to see the flowers.  It is not uncommon for a mature bud to take two to three weeks to open.  If the buds are immature, it can take longer.  Bud blast on newly purchased plants is not uncommon because they may be moving between areas of different humidity and/or temperature.  Buds can blast when exposed breifly to colder air or air that is lower in humidity.

Normally, we would not repot an orchid when it is in bud or flower as that can disturb the roots that provide nourishment and plant sap to the flower spike.  It is usually done as an emergency procedure when there is root rot.  So, I expect that it will take a few weeks to begin new root growth.  In the interim, you may still have some healthy buds open.