Drying new stems on NoID plants

[Eirael]

Hello everyone!
First of all, thanks to everyone who contributes to this amazing forum. Im a newcomer both here and to orchids, so please excuse my mistakes! 🙂

I have a bunch of NoID plants - from home stores, flower shops, some I got as a gift... All of them looked like healthy plants when I got them (they were in full, nice bloom). They still look quite OK to me - they have big, green leaves (and constantly create new ones) and strong green roots.

I cut the old dried flower stems and waited for the new blooming season. So I got very excited when the plants grew nice, strong flower stems - but all of them started weirdly drying and not creating blooms (I've attached photos) - except for one, which however branches into many smaller stems (which is probably also not okay).

Do you guys have any tips what am I doing wrong or whats happening to the plants?

The "setup" : they all sit on a windowsill oriented to East, I lightly spray the leaves with water every two days. Every two weeks, I shower them in a bath and let them sit in the water for 15 minutes, then I let them dry and place them back on the windowsill. Every week I also apply orchid fertilizer (using instructions on the bottle).

Many thanks for you time

[rbarata]

What is the temperature at the windowsill at night?

[Ray]

First and foremost, stop spraying the leaves. It does nothing to benefit the plants and can set it up for bacterial or fungal infections.

The potting medium should be watered regularly, but must remain airy.

As to the spikes, it looks to me like mite damage.

[Eirael]

@rbarata, hi, the temperature at night is about 18-21C.

@Ray, thank you for the tip about spraying! Actually, Ive checked the stem dying buds thoroughly and I did find two or three very tiny black bugs on some of the stems! I just haven't thought about a mite infection since I didn't see any webs, sticky substance or anything like that. So I guess that could be it... Do you think it's still worth it to try and save the plants (by some store-bought spray against mites)?

[rbarata]

Sometimes, when plants are located on a windowsill, airdrafts make temperature get lower. Also, window glass vicinity is always coller than surrounding environment. That is one of the reasons that may cause bud blast (and it doesn't benefit the plant either, especially if you put water on the leaves as it may cause fungus and/or cold damage issues).

Mites...in fact, looking the photo a little closer, the flower spikes have some kind of white substance that look like mite damage (they are known to be found not only on the underside of the leaves, but also on the buds where they can get easier access to plant's sap due to more tender tissues). If that's what's happening, then you must consider that the whole plant is infested, as well as other plants near it.
In my experience there is no effective treatment for mites, at least in the home-remedies category. The effective ones are those used in agriculture but, as you know, in the EU those products are not allowed to be bought or applied without a formal license.

What I do is to spray the whole plant with a solution of water+ 1 soup spoon of water dish detergent + 3% of alcohol (usually the recommended dosage is of at least 5% but as I use ethilic alcohol it must be lower).

Spray the plant every 5 days for a month and keep monitoring ater that.

[SouthPark]

Absolutely and totally agree with Ray's recommendation about not spraying those leaves with water.

It also gets the water into those pockets, where the leaves all converge at the centre of the plant. The water buildup is an invitation to fungal/bacterial/rotting issues.

Also - the media looks quite dry. You might need to water the media a bit more. And if the media is very dry to begin with, then remember that dry media is good at repelling or rejecting water (until it remains wet for long enough for water to soak into it). So, if watering dry bark - the water can run straight through the bark like water off a duck's back, and out the pot. And the orchid may take a bad turn in health, due to dehydration.

This just means - it's necessary to pre-wet new bark before usage - for potting. And once it is pre-wetted, it is then possible to regularly water the media at suitable times - to keep the bark wet/damp.

[RoryOMoore]

Hi!

I am also a beginner. This is just an observation from a few of the photos. Maybe its nothing, but there seems to be a radiator under the window sill. Could the there be a humidity issue from the heat? Also could this be encouraging the mites since some mites like warm and dry conditions?

[aliceinwl]

You may also want to evaluate your watering regime. The plants look to be in clear pots. If you can see the roots, water when they go from green to silver. If you’ve had the plants a year or more and haven’t repotted them yet, you may want to consider a repot too.

For mites, I’ve had good results with an organic insecticidal soap. I did have to thoroughly and diligently spray my plant weekly for six weeks or so to get rid of the mites.

I’m also curious what kind of fertilizer you’re using if it’s being applied weekly but you’re watering biweekly. Usually, even with fertilizers marketed for orchids, the dosage can be cut by 1/2 to 1/4 the recommended rate. Over fertilizing can lead to “funny” growth: I could see it playing a role in the odd branching.

[rbarata]

Originally Posted by RoryOMoore

Hi!

I am also a beginner. This is just an observation from a few of the photos. Maybe its nothing, but there seems to be a radiator under the window sill. Could the there be a humidity issue from the heat? Also could this be encouraging the mites since some mites like warm and dry conditions?

That's a good observation. Low humidity may lead also to bud blast.

[Dollythehun]

I'm late to the party but, it can't hurt to spray as suggested to be sure. However, this summer I was a very bad waterer. My spikes looked exactly like yours. I also agree with the radiator comment. Spray at weekly intervals, stop misting the leaves, and step up the watering. You can also purchase a small thermometer with a humidity gauge and buy a small humidifier. My plants spiked again normally after I resumed more careful watering.

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