From my perspective as an orchid, light is my sole source of energy. I use it to create the sugars needed to fuel all my processes, including the incredibly energy-intensive task of producing and sustaining flowers. If I am placed in an environment that is too dim, I simply cannot generate enough energy to see the blooming process through. My survival instinct is strong. Faced with a choice between expending my last reserves on a flower or conserving that energy to maintain my leaves and roots for future growth, I will always choose survival. Therefore, I must abort the buds, a process you call "bud blast," to redirect my limited resources. Conversely, sudden, intense, direct sunlight can scorch my leaves and shock my system, also causing me to drop my buds as a stress response.
My roots are highly specialized organs. They need a cycle of ample water followed by a period to breathe. When you water me too frequently, the growing medium stays saturated, suffocating my roots. Without oxygen, they begin to rot and die. A rotten root system cannot absorb water or nutrients, leaving me severely dehydrated and malnourished from my own point of view. In this state of crisis, supporting buds is impossible, and I must let them go. On the other hand, if you allow me to become bone dry for extended periods, I become severely dehydrated. The water pressure within my cells drops, and the delicate, developing bud tissues are often the first to suffer and wither, leading to their demise.
I am a creature of habit and prefer a stable, consistent environment. Drastic temperature changes are a significant shock to my system. A sudden cold draft from a nearby window, the blast of hot air from a heating vent, or even the heat generated from a nearby appliance can trigger a stress response. This shock disrupts my internal processes and hormone balance. From my perspective, such erratic conditions signal an unstable environment where reproducing (flowering) is too risky. To conserve energy, I will jettison the buds. Furthermore, a consistent temperature that is significantly too high or too low outside of my ideal range can also prevent the buds from developing properly, leading to the same outcome.
In my natural habitat, the air is often moist. My tissues, especially those of my delicate, unfurled buds, are adapted to this. When I am placed in an environment with very dry air, such as a room with active heating or air conditioning, I lose water too rapidly through transpiration. The young bud tissues are incredibly vulnerable to this desiccation and will often dry out, turn brown, and fall off. Similarly, I am very sensitive to airborne pollutants. Ethylene gas, which is released by ripening fruit (like bananas or apples), or volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from paints, cleaners, or aerosols, can be toxic to me. Exposure to these gases can directly force my buds to abort and drop prematurely.
The journey from the perfect conditions of a greenhouse to a store and then to your home is a massive environmental shift for me. The light, humidity, temperature, and air movement are all different. This is a period of immense stress. If I am already in bud when this move happens, the shock of the new environment can be too much to handle. My priority becomes acclimating to the new light and water levels, not supporting flowers. Dropping the buds is a survival mechanism to give me the best chance of adapting to my new home and thriving for you in the future.
