I have a number of epi's I've grown through the years (from seed!), and this year was the best show yet with dozens of buds on several plants. Many have bloomed beautifully, but after a recent watering, I noticed many buds begin to droop and ultimately drop from the plants. Is this a symptom of overwatering (my suspicion), or, could it be that I let them get too dry before I last watered??
Thanks, cmd
OK all you epi-heads, howzabout a little help???
Since I only have 2 (which have seldom bloomed) plus some new cuttings frm last fall, I'd better let someone else answer that question. Now that I've been reading up on them, I think with more attention and regular feeding, I will have more blooms.
Hmmm, I better let Candy answer this one. I've had some bud drop too, and I think some bud drop is normal. What is the soil like when you go to water? Is it bone dry or fairly wet? I believe Candy has said that she never lets hers dry out completely, and she keeps her potting soil moist all the time. Mine is moist all the time also. If you have a well-draining mix, the water should run right through the plant when you water, and overwatering is less of a problem. I tend to water a lot also, but I'm not sure if that is the cause of bud drop.
Jeez Clare you're gonna make me sound like I should know what I'm doing!! LOL
I think I'll start posting a disclaimer with each of my posts:
I am not an expert with these plants. I am willing to tell you lots of things that have worked for me. And I have been successful in getting them to bloom!!!
So in my experience:
Some bud drop is normal. As with any plant if it dries out completely, say during hot weather while it is putting energy into making buds and then you drowned it in buckets of water because you are feeling guilty for having gone on vacation for 10 days.......buds will drop.
I have also observed that in a year when bud production seems to be on overdrive (like this year with my plants), some buds will drop as so many buds open.......it seems like there just isn't enough energy to continue opening the huge blooms and some of the more immature/smaller buds do drop. I can tell you that there were probably over 100 flowers open on my white Epis during any given day over the last couple of weeks.....and yes I lost a few buds. (very few)
My guesses:
Too little water.
Too much water.
Too cold.
Too hot.
Too little fertilizer.
Too much fertilizer.
Does that cover it all????? LOL
The only thing that doesn't cover is the deal about "DON'T MOVE YOUR EPIS while they are developing buds."
I've always moved the pots around during the bud developement and never had any adverse effects. If you look back through all the threads since the end of January when I first posted an image of this year's "baby buds" you can see that they have been moved and turned different directions a couple of times. Remember this is just my experience and may not work for you. :-)
If I had to pick one piece of advice.....so very hard for me to be brief.....I'd say the temp is important, fast draining soil is important, light levels are important, but if you don't feed them well they will not bloom.
I would say never move to another spot! Just leave them alone they're happy to keep blooming. So, Never water while it still get buds until blooming died out then you will water it. Like I do not water for winter time. Unitl it need drink give some little water not heavy. I water 1 time a week cause in soil deep bottom has moist until it completely dry only then give some water.
This message was edited Jun 6, 2005 6:55 AM
Look at epi in old egg basket hang on pipe under carb tree.
That is good advice, Candy. You do know what you are talking about! I've moved my containers too without any problems. I have to move them if I want to see the blooms!
Rusty, some of those leaves look dead. It might be that they got too dry. I would get a ladder and cut the dead leaves off if they were mine:-) I water mine every day without any problems -- even the ones with buds. Here is one that just opened today:
To reiterate, my suggestions have worked for me, but may not work for another gardener.
I move them around and always have.
My Epis live outside year round and survive in our monsoon winter rains. They are in fast draining soil, so the biggest danger of all the water is that it will leach out nutrients in the soil.....on the other hand it will also leach out all the salts and bad stuff in the chlorinated water that I drench them with sometimes twice a day in the warm months.
I never let them get bone dry or "wrinkly."