# Phrag. bessae ('Balance' x 'Curvy')



## abax (Jun 15, 2014)

I was so proud of my first Phrag. bud and I put the whammy on it when
I bragged...I just knew I'd do it. The bud pinched off at the bottom of the
stem and just fell over. It didn't look like water had rotted it and I've
been very careful watering so I don't think the problem was water. Anybody got any clues about what could have caused the pinching off?


----------



## mrhappyrotter (Jun 15, 2014)

Are you saying that the spike looks okay, but that one of the buds fell off before even opening up? And the bud looks okay? It's not brown or dried up?

Is there any possibility there may have been some mechanical damage? Like, maybe a bird, snake, lizard, or other critter might've come in and knocked it off?

Have you had any sudden, large temperature or humidity changes in your area? What are the typical temps this time of year in your growing area?


----------



## NYEric (Jun 15, 2014)

besseae jinx. bottom of stem is rot problem or pest problem.


----------



## tomkalina (Jun 15, 2014)

Was there a change in the plant's growing environment during bud development? Sometimes bud drop is a reaction to this; i.e. the plant sacrifices the bud because it's stressed by the change and tries to conserve energy.


----------



## abax (Jun 15, 2014)

The spike with bud just tipped over at the junction where it meets the foliage. The stem at the junction just looked pinched. There's been no
changes to the environment in the greenhouse, except summer heat is
coming on, but no higher than 80F with lots of air movement so far. I can
see no rot at all. I have one very small frog and a few skinks that visit the
greenhouse, but they've never done any damage in 15 years. The bud
looked fine...no rot or drying out and turning brown. I was being oh so
careful of that bud!


----------



## tomkalina (Jun 16, 2014)

Have you checked the roots? If they're dead or dieing, that stress would also cause the plant to sacrifice that inflorescence and the buds on it.....


----------



## abax (Jun 17, 2014)

I didn't think to check the roots by unpotting, but it seems very stout in
the pot. Thank you. I'll do that a bit better tomorrow.


----------

