sticky liquid on phal flower stems

[lovesflowers]

Hello. Can anyone tell me what is happening to my orchid? It came from Lowe's about six months ago, and had two flowering stems. The flowers lasted several months, then new stems branched off the old ones and it started to rebloom two weeks ago. This morning I noticed tiny clear liquid drops lined up along both flower stems near the flowers. The liquid is sticky! All the other houseplants including two other phals nearby on the windowsill look fine. Is it bad news? Thanks in advance for any help.

[BikerDoc5968]

It is sugar.... sucrose. Many orchids produce this sticky substance. I notice it most on my cymbidiums.

[Orchid126]

Often called "Happy Sap". It's sweet, like honey.

[Jennyfleur]

Tee hee, never heard the term 'happy sap' before! This won't be a prob with phals but on some of mine (like coelogynes) it'll dribble down and make the leaves all stick together before they have a chance to grow and unfurl!

[lovesflowers]

Thanks to the rapid response team! I'm sorry I didn't see all the old answers to a similar question, but I was in a panic this morning when the drops appeared. My first idea was to ask all you orchid lovers, and I am so glad I did. Obviously I have a lot to learn, and will take time to check out previous discussions next time.

[jrodpad]

I used to dab the droplets away with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol, but it proved to be futile. A few days later there was always more. I'm not aware of any way to avoid these sap droplets.

Also, I haven't figured out why some phals ooze this stuff out and others do not. I'd be interested in hearing if anyone has found a causal connection between some environmental or biological factor and the propensity to secrete this sap.

- J