Vanda flowers and bulbs drying before time

[Roberta]

Removing the keikis was the wrong thing to do... far from "draining" the mother plant, they were a survival attempt... when the central part of a monopodial orchid (single growth point) like Vanda or Phalanopsis is dying (or is stressed to the point that it senses the danger of doing so) it will produce those basal keikis, which in time will develop roots... and the main plant keeps them going. Once removed, especially with no roots, they don't have that reserve energy going for them. A root stimulant (example the KelpMax that Ray sells works particularly well on Vandas, based on other members' reports) might inspire those keikis to grow roots. But lesson learned... ask BEFORE cutting, after will only help for the next time.