Question
I just bought a beautiful phalaenopsis with both opened and unopened
flowers. It was so healthy and now some of the unopened buds are dying. My
last orchid died of some sort of rot so I'm wary of overwatering. We have it in
the bathroom next to a north facing window with a curtain covering it. We live
in southern California so the temperatures seem to be within the optimal
range. What could be causing the flower buds to die? Any help would be
greatly appreciated. Thank you!  

Answer
Hello Ann,

I'm not quite sure what is causing the unopened buds to wilt and die on your phaleanopsis.  Growing in the bathroom window with a north exposure in So.Cal., it should be growing gangbusters.  

You wouldn't happen to have some fruits in the bathroom would you?  If you do, that might be the cause as ripening fruits produce a gas that is deadly to buds and flowers.  Is the bathroom temperature kept above 55F, lower than that and the buds can be affected.  Or, were the buds very close to the window, too close and they could be exposed to temperatures colder than the rest of the bathroom.  Have you done any painting recently, drying paint can produce gases deadly to the buds and flowers.  

Hope one of the above is the cause.  

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.