I have a 7 year old Vanda that I recently purchased.

Over the past month or so a beautiful long spike has appeared. At the
end of the spike are about 4-5 nodules which look like they could turn
into flowers.

The spike is now turning a bit yellow near the last third of the spike.
The little 4-5 nodules / buds seem like they are turning a bit
brownish with a bit of a darker color inside them (could be the
flower).

I have never done this before. Is the spike supposed to do this or is
there a major problem going on where the spike is dying before the
flowers have even erupted / bloomed?

I have watered it every day and fertilized with an orchid bloom
fertilizer about 1/week. Any advice would be helpful. I will see if I
can post a picture sooon. I hope this can be saved. I would like to
succeed in getting an orchid to bloom finally.

On 6 Dec 2004 19:36:29 -0800, wrote:

I have a 7 year old Vanda that I recently purchased.

Over the past month or so a beautiful long spike has appeared. At the
end of the spike are about 4-5 nodules which look like they could turn
into flowers.

The spike is now turning a bit yellow near the last third of the spike.
The little 4-5 nodules / buds seem like they are turning a bit
brownish with a bit of a darker color inside them (could be the
flower).

I have never done this before. Is the spike supposed to do this or is
there a major problem going on where the spike is dying before the
flowers have even erupted / bloomed?

I have watered it every day and fertilized with an orchid bloom
fertilizer about 1/week. Any advice would be helpful. I will see if I
can post a picture sooon. I hope this can be saved. I would like to
succeed in getting an orchid to bloom finally.

Well, until somebody more experienced decides to chime in, my amateur
opinion:

Don't do anything different. Let it run it's course. Sometimes my
vanda spikes look (to me) like they are about to die off, then they
bloom just fine. Even if some of the blooms on this spike don't make
it, wait until the next spike runs it's course before getting alarmed.

Even if something is wrong with the spike, I'd say at this point
there's not a lot you can do to save it.

bb

Pictures of problem spike???:

http://www.consumergroup.com/spike.jpg
http://www.consumergroup.com/spike2.jpg
http://www.consumergroup.com/spike3.jpg
http://www.consumergroup.com/spike4.jpg
What do you all think is going on here?

Pictures of problem spike???:

http://www.consumergroup.com/spike.jpg
http://www.consumergroup.com/spike2.jpg
http://www.consumergroup.com/spike3.jpg
http://www.consumergroup.com/spike4.jpg
What do you all think is going on here?

Pictures of problem spike???:

http://www.consumergroup.com/spike.jpg
http://www.consumergroup.com/spike2.jpg
http://www.consumergroup.com/spike3.jpg
http://www.consumergroup.com/spike4.jpg
What do you all think is going on here?

1.) As the spike grew, each leaf on the spike which surrounds the spike
itself has browned and looks deadish.

2.) During the day I see no bugs on the Vanda. Although at night, I
have been seeing (each night) one or two decently large green leaf
looking bugs which like to hang out on the spike. I have watched them
carefully and they hardly move and do not appear to be eating anything
or damaging the Vanda. This is the kind of tropical bug which looks
like a bright green leaf and just tries to blend in. Not sure how
dangerous this bug is for the orchid.

On 7 Dec 2004 18:16:31 -0800, wrote:

Pictures of problem spike???:

http://www.consumergroup.com/spike.jpg
http://www.consumergroup.com/spike2.jpg
http://www.consumergroup.com/spike3.jpg
http://www.consumergroup.com/spike4.jpg
What do you all think is going on here?

From what I can see in your photos, it is growing and maturing.
My only criticism would be the amount of fertilizer it sounds
like your using. Go gently on the go juice. You can over
fertilize easily. Make sure the plant gets enough water so it has
the hydrostatic pressure necessary to open the blooms when they
develop.
SuE
http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/albums.php

Perhaps it's my monitor, but that spike looks "blasted" to me. Bud blast
has many possible causes: extreme temperatures [over 100F, under 50F];
extreme temperature changes [a 20 or more degree shift] over a short time
period; shipping in fat bud; low humidity; underwatering; thrips ... etc.
To check for thrips, exhale on the biggest bud and then look to see if any
little black specks start jumping around; also examine the roots of the
plant.

Provided that you are watering every day [which assumes that the plant is
not potted in medium], I don't think once a week is too often to feed, with
a dilute solution [1/2 of label recommendation], but I would urge you to go
to a more balanced formula. The "bloom-booster" formulas do not provide
enough nitrogen for good long-term growth, when used all the time.

At this point, I don't see any sense in rushing to cut the spike -- it might
in fact be my monitor making it look blasted, since it looks good to Sue; or
even if it is, you might still get a couple of flowers. Good luck!
--
Kenni Judd
Juno Beach Orchids
http://www.jborchids.com

wrote in message
oups.com...
I have a 7 year old Vanda that I recently purchased.

Over the past month or so a beautiful long spike has appeared. At the
end of the spike are about 4-5 nodules which look like they could turn
into flowers.

The spike is now turning a bit yellow near the last third of the spike.
The little 4-5 nodules / buds seem like they are turning a bit
brownish with a bit of a darker color inside them (could be the
flower).

I have never done this before. Is the spike supposed to do this or is
there a major problem going on where the spike is dying before the
flowers have even erupted / bloomed?

I have watered it every day and fertilized with an orchid bloom
fertilizer about 1/week. Any advice would be helpful. I will see if I
can post a picture sooon. I hope this can be saved. I would like to
succeed in getting an orchid to bloom finally.