Bloom Watch #5 – Six Degrees of Maturation
June 2, 2016After the long Memorial Day weekend, the major change I’m seeing is more buds moving into the stall stage of development. It appears that last week’s stalls are going to wait for more buds to catch up. There are 7 new starts and one that looks like it is about to move into stall-the next couple of days will tell. On some cereus new growth continues, while others have more arms starting each week.
Because it’s going to get hotter this and the coming week, there may be some interesting activity all around.
I have been asked what the different stages of the bud development look like. I’m not much for taking pictures, but did take the time to snap a few photos to show the different stages of flower development. The terms I use for my observations are small, buds, stall and moving:
- Images #1 & #2 show a starting/small bud
- Image #3 shows an intermediate bud
- Images #4 & #5 show a bud in stall
- Image #6 shows a bud with the subtle crook on the end indicating it is about to break stall and get “moving” into blossom
I will continue to commune with the Queen every day from now until the big day, and hopefully, she will see fit to let me in on the big secret: what triggers the bloom? Keep your flashlights and walking shoes handy for the announcement of Bloom Night. More to come next week.
Until Next Time – Lee Mason, Director of General Services, Tohono Chul
