orchid bud problems

[vanda man]

Hi,i've got some problems with one of my orchids and hope that someone here can give me solutions to it.
It was just a week ago that my orchid (vanda)started to give out buds,but now i'm noticing that the buds are turning yellow then black now there are only 3 buds which look alive
can anyone help?
Thank you sincerely

[Bud]

find out if there are sucking insects drawn to the nectar produced by the buds....changing locations when you find out there is a spike shocks and blasts the buds too

[vanda man]

i do see ants walking around the bud.Is that harmful

[WhiteRabbit]

Ants can sometimes farm aphids, so that's a possibility.

Also, big swings in temperature can cause buds to blast.

[vanda man]

so,do i get some type of ant medicine or do i just spray them of with water?

[RosieC]

I sometimes use an ant powder that kills them when I get them coming into the house. I tend to leave them in the garden and have luckily not had problems with them on my greenhouse/outdoor orchids. There are products that you can get that can stop them, not sure water will do it.

Also if they are farming aphids you need to get rid of those as well. Soapy water is meant to be able to get rid of those.

---------- Post added at 08:54 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:53 AM ----------

P.S. I've moved this thread to the pests and diseases area as hopefully you might get more people see it than in the 'About the board' area.

[dendro king]

If its the first time flowering it can sometimes do this just for no reason. But other than that I agree with Whiterabbit about the temperature swinging! good luck!

[vanda man]

thank you people sincerely for all your help

[tucker85]

There are many causes for bud drop. Sudden changes in temperature or insufficient moisture are just two of them. I don't think ants will harm the buds. They're always on my plants. Here in South Florida the most common cause of bud drop in vandas is thrips. They are tiny insects that are almost invisible unless you see them on a white flower. They can be a nightmare for vandas. Fortunately they're fairly easy to control with insecticides designed for flowers and buds. Go to your local garden center and ask for a premixed insecticide that's safe to spray on flowers. Most of them have 'Rose' in the name because roses often need to be sprayed. I use one called Ortho Rose & Flower. When your vanda spike is a few inches long, spray it with the insecticide from two different sides. Then spray it again every 7-10 days for 3 or 4 doses. That always does the trick for me. I always spray each new spike and I've completely eliminated the problem. Good luck.

[vanda man]

thank you，sincerely。