flower stem on vanda stopped growing and shriveled up - Orchid Board

melatie · #1 04-01-2009, 01:49 AM

Hi everyone
I was soo excited when i saw that my vandas were finally going to bloom. Then i started to notice that one had stopped growing

and now it's completely shriveled...Can anyone tell me what might've happened?

melatie · #2 04-01-2009, 02:06 AM

here are two pix. The first is the one that is now gone and the second is now in bloom.

SP2340 · #3 04-01-2009, 10:34 AM

Wow, sorry to hear that, I'm not a Vnada expert so maybe someone else can answer

neb · #4 04-01-2009, 09:41 PM

If the humidity is too low or a sudden cold snap could cause the spike to shrivel and die.

orchidsamore · #5 04-02-2009, 08:33 AM

Your profile does not say where you are from, but this is Thrip season in Florida and your description is exactly what happens when thrips eat the buds. It can happen on any orchid but I find it especially bad with Vanda. The first clue is one bud shrivels while one, not eaten, grows well.

Thrips are a very small insect that you normally can not see without a jeweler's lop.

Thrips hatch on a three day cycle and once they start you need to treat 3 times in a week to break the cycle.

I use worm tea as a year round preventative but many poisons also work, like orthene.