laelia anceps spikes keep aborting
 

I have had it for about 3 years, grows well. Each fall the flower spikes fail to set bud and just stop growing.

It gets plenty of light with some midday shade in summer. It has been sitting in a southern facing window for the past month with the spikes not growing anymore. Just like previous autumns.

Any suggestions? or just give up on it?

I had only one flower on it since I bought it, and that happened in the spring. Definitely looked like anceps

How often are you watering and fertilizing and what is the temperature in your room?
Joann

Every few days it gets watered. There are some slow release pellets in the top layer, so they get lightly fertilized when watered.

about 68F in the room

If you have the same temperature and day length all year round, it might mess with your plant's blooming cycle. Laelia anceps is also know to tolerate very warm and very cool temps (for a tropical orchid), which means that they will probably need pretty large differences in seasonal cues.

It may need more sun...

If you want to give up on it.... send it this way!!!!:rofl:

It stays outside until some of the nighttime temps get into the 40's. I try to keep it from getting cold and wet.

Check out this article, it may have some info for you. L. anceps
Joann

According to Charles Baker's culture notes, once the spikes have started, it needs a fairly cool dry spell but with good humidity to bloom. Night time temps being around 50 degrees and 15 to 17 degrees warmer in day. A dry winter rest necessary for plant health but not so dry that PB's shrivel.

Mine handles night time temps well down into the 40s - and below for short periods. Daytime temps are still getting up into the 60s right now.

This is very common with Laelia anceps. I had the same problem you describe several years running. These buds put out a kind of sugary goop that can cause them to sort of get stuck and ultimately abort. Try making sure the buds get rinsed real well when you water to help disolve the sugars.

Good luck!

Errr, I would try and avoid touching the sugar. It does nothing to slow a spike's growth and is a great way to accidentally snap a spike!! The sugar is just a by product of quick growth and many orchids put this out.

Of course many orchid species produce sweet "honeydew" when they're really happy. I love it. But there does seem to be sometihng about the way Laelia anceps spikes can get a little too "sticky" sometimes.

It doesn't visibly drip out the way it does with other orchids, so you can't really see it. But still, it can get a little "gluely" in the spike. Before the actual buds are very well formed at all. A light rinsing of the spike during watering is helpful.

L. anceps is just kind of funny that way sometimes.

Hmmmmm, sounds pretty strange! I'm always learning new stuff on the OB!! :biggrin:

Yeah, they are pretty amazing, and I'm always learning new stuff too. Like I said, I had this same problem several years running and this tip came to me from Harry Phillips of Andy's Orchids.

My Epi secundum can act this way too sometimes.
Both are outside year 'round.