Sugar sap on Laelia Anceps flowers

[mwvuguy]

Help please-
I purchased a Laelia Anceps last year and it's doing well. I currently have 6 flowers on a very long lead. My concern/problem is as two of the flowers are now opening (trying to open), they are very sticky (from a sugary sap) and seems like the flowers are really having difficulty in opening. Is there anything I can do? I heard misting them with water will help them open but obviously do not want to hurt the flowers? Any suggestions or should i just let mother nature take it's course?

Thank you for the input!

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[WhiteRabbit]

I believe this is a common problem with anceps - Use a stream of water to wash off the sap

[silken]

I agree, L. anceps seems to have this sticky coating and they do seem to need gentle help sometimes. I suppose Mother Nature helps with some gentle rain showers in the wild.

[wuness]

I have the same problem as well. I've tried misting, spraying, and soapy water without effect. The only thing that works for me is to gently massage the buds while I spray water over them. After about 5 seconds the sepals and petals begin to pull apart. I may have to do this over a couple of days to get the flower fully open. For me, it's worth the effort.

wuness

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[My Green Pets]

Nature's solution is ants. They get a sugary snack, and the flower is protected from any slugs or other bugs that would eat the delicate blooms.