Brown Spikes on Vanda
 

I live in FL and have recently inherited a bunch or orchids. I have at least three vandas that I keep in my lanai and water every day. They get about eight hours of sun. They all spiked with brown dead stems and buds.Leaves look good.They have nice white roots,green tips(in baskets, no medium) I have a few that are spiking now that look normal(stem and buds are green so far). I did fertilize in March.(Water mixed with a light dosing of fertilizer for two weeks) They did have a few cold nights in February of 40 degrees for several hours.

I'm sorry I don't have their names they were given to me unmarked.

Any ideas?:scratchhead:

First, welcome to Orchid Board! You will find this a very friendly, informative place.:)

Now, have you checked for thrips? They are very tiny bugs that are very hard to see and will cause your flower spikes to turn brown. They are common this time of year.

When I see them, I spray with Orthene once a week for three weeks. That will also control other bugs like mites, etc.

If you just got them. It might be a adaption issue. Not sure how vanda''s react on new enviroment. Mine nearly trown off al its roots but is doing fine by now. Be aware of nasty creatures too.

Does the bottle of fertilizer contain urea?

It did contain Urea. I have since learned that you never use Urea based fertilizers on orchids. Will the vandas spike again this year properly or did I destroy the chances for bloom this year,

It depends on how well you treat the vanda and how it's current condition is. As long as it gets enough water and light expect spiking within two months or less. The fastest respike I have witnessed is within two weeks after flower drop. Vanda's are like batteries, you charge them with light and when the charge meter reaches a good charge all that power is being released into flowering. If the battery is bad (root system severely damaged, foliage strongly damaged) the battery won't be able to get charged enough. Propably your vanda is healthy enough. When you charge batterys too fast they explode. Vanda's simply dry out and die.

Vandas do not like the cold. They shut down when the temp goes below 60C. And they are pretty heavy feeders. At this time of the year I fert. every time I water. I have about eight in bloom right now...zone 8

Yup, urea based fertilizers aren't good for orchids. Urea is a salt that doesn't break down readily in media used to grow epiphytical (tree growing) orchids. Not to mention, epiphytical orchids don't absorb urea easily either. This then leads to many strange problems with their culture.

But I think your Vanda is fine. Give it time, it'll bloom again. I just can't tell you when.

Also in the future, don't grow any Vandas you don't know the names to in temperatures below 55 degrees F or 60 degrees F. There are only a select few that can take temperatures down to 36 degrees F. Those are:

Vanda coerulea

and

Vanda coerulescens

or

any Vanda hybrid with those two in the blood line.

GHehheh thats the reason I only grow blue vanda's and no other.