# Bloom drop on phrags



## ALToronto (Aug 30, 2014)

What causes a perfectly healthy (looking) flower on a perfectly healthy (looking) plant to break off after only a week or two? No bugs, no disease, no physical damage. A nice flower opens up, and then one morning I find it on the floor, broken off right at the top of the flower stem. Then a second bloom opens up, and the same thing happens a week or two later. 

This happened to a schlimii last year, and a Hanne Popow just now. The schlimii is going to bloom again soon - how can I keep the flowers until they wilt on their own?


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## mrhappyrotter (Aug 30, 2014)

That's how nearly all phrag flowers work. The individual flowers don't last as long as paphs, and they fall off looking perfectly healthy & fresh. Slightly cooler temps might help them last longer, but 10 - 14 days is fairly typical, but depending on the plant and your conditions it can be slightly less, slightly more. So, the only thing you need to do is enjoy the blooms while you can, knowing that your plant and its blooming behavior is perfectly normal.


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## mrhappyrotter (Aug 30, 2014)

Also, if you want to enjoy the flowers longer, you can float them in a dish of water after they fall off. They'll continue to look fresh for anywhere from a few days to a week or so.


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## Linus_Cello (Aug 30, 2014)

Or another trick is to pollinate the flower. That 's what some folks do before bringing them to a show.


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