The most common cause of that problem in South Florida is thrips. Thrips are a nightmare for vanda growers and they've been really bad for the last two years. Fortunately they're pretty easy to control. Get a bottle of premixed Ortho Rose & Flower spray from Home Depot or Lowes. Don't buy the powder, only the liquid spray. Bayer has a similar product that's just as good. Both are designed to be sprayed on buds or open flowers. When the flower spike is about 3"-4" long, shake up the bottle, set the spray head for mist (not stream), hold the bottle far enough from the plant to get a fine mist spray on the spike, and spray the spike from two sides. Wait 7-10 days and spray the spike again. I like to spray the spike 3 times, about 7-10 days apart. That always takes care of the problem for me. The other remedy is to spray your whole collection once a month with Orthene. Orthene is a systemic that builds up in the plant tissue and works very well for thrips. Unfortunately I often get lazy and don't keep up the routine. That's why it's better for me to spray the individual spikes.
Last edited by tucker85; 06-13-2013 at 09:07 AM..
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One had several spikes. I have been keeping them treated routinely since the little buggers pass through the screening.
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