Question
I have a white PHALAENOPSIS that is starting to bloom. I got this orchid last Feburary and now have two stems with buds.  A flower has opened on one of the stems and another is just about ready to pop.  Some of the buds on both stems have turned yellow and fell off when I touched them and some of them are still nice and green.  The plant itself looks fine so what could be causing some of the buds to yellow and die?

Answer
Hello Lori,

That's great that your phalaenopsis has produced two flowering spikes.  Buds yellowing and dying before opening can be caused by several things but the most common one is sudden temperature changes, either hot or cold.  Once the buds are fairly large and mature, they are not as easily affected by this but when they are small and immature the buds are very sensitive.  

Another cause is ripening fruits nearby.  Ripening fruits produce ethylene gas which can be deadly to buds and flowers.  For this reason, it is best to keep any fruits at least 10 feet away.  

Hope this helps.  Good luck.

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.