What is the cause of this?

[joo]

Hi, can anyone please enlighten me as to what is the cause of this?
And solution?

Thanks heaps.

[kmarch]

It looks like your plant is aborting its spikes. Are these 3 pics different plants? There can be a lot fo different reasons why a plant might abort its spikes, some cultural, some pests, some diseases. I'm curious ot know if you have other vandas that flower normally.

[joo]

Thanks for your reply.

These are Mokara plants. I took different plant pics to show in more detail. They do flower but as you can see, they should be flowering more. Can it be caused by over or under fertilization? Or lack of some nutrients or water?

[digitalgate]

you grow this full sun? With out door weather, fungus is number 1 suspect. followed by thrips. These are tough plant so should under fertilization will produce short spike , not bud drop. If you have not seen it flowering and it has been bud dropping since. you can throw the plant away. It seem to be genetic. If this plant is a mericlone plant, chances of bud drop is rare as farmer will not clone a bud drop plant. If this is a seed pod - plant then it is possible to be so.
The list of things that can caused this , is well pointed by kmarch. Having you been spraying fungicides?

[jerrymeola]

I think that is classic thrip damage. I am not sure of your weather but thrips are most active when it is dry and hot right before the rainy season in Florida. The lack of water makes them search out the buds for moisture.

Heavy rains will wash them off and you do not see the damage except rarely during the rainy season.

And they love Vanda buds. I have seen them eat every bud in my Vanda house in one night.

[joo]

Weather here is hot and humid.
I've tried looking for trips in the damaged buds but there are no traces of them.
Some times, the flower stalk forms but the bud is damaged at the very initial stage.
I am also suspecting fungus, but i've search the net for similar fungus symptoms but i cannot see any close resemblances. Any ideas as to what type of fungus or fungicide i can try?
I do use Mancozeb as well as Captan.

Thanks for all your help.

[joo]

The plants are mericloned.

[kmarch]

If you're already using Mancozeb then it's unlikely that oyu have a fungus problem. Also if all of your plants are doing this, I suspect it is something cultural or some insect like thrips. Thrips are very tiny, often not seen with the eye. Are you currently applying any insecticide?

[joo]

Yes I am, the thing here is that thrips are all year round. I will follow your advice and target on thrips first. I'll see if there is any improvements.

Thanks.

[kmarch]

You might have more success against the insects if you use a systemic. I've never had good results against thrips with topical insecticides.

[digitalgate]

Originally Posted by kmarch

You might have more success against the insects if you use a systemic. I've never had good results against thrips with topical insecticides.

True, but i think a regular spray of pesticides (even non-toxic ones) can keep the population to a minimum.

Jerry, we have heavy downpour here. We are talking about 1 foot of rain in
1 hour . washing away any fertilizer, fungicides...

So i still go for fungus problem as the weather is just URGh!!!!...
Rain , rain .... dry for a few hours. Rain again.

[NancyG]

I would say it is thrips. Even with the rains of Florida if I don't treat for thrips every other week sometimes once a week the little buggers will come back. They love the vandas but they attack my dens hanging in the palm trees too. They just got all the buds on a den just recently.

[joo]

ya, the rain here is way over

[Joe Geoffroy]

Does anyone know of a good systemic to use regularly??.

I change insecticide every week, one week with Safer Soap, another with Malathion and so forth. so it would be good to know of one good systemic to use all the time, or is it the same that the critters get immune to it.

joe

[Joe Geoffroy]

Joo

No there are no children here, but shouldn't I be spraying insecticides every week???

If not how do you control pests?

[digitalgate]

in our hot weather, we spray insecticides every ten day or so. That is to control their population to a minimum , not to kill them all.In smaller collection, i would say it is easier to kill them all. We rotate pesticides , fungicides to prevent fungus/ pest to get resistance to any of the chemical.

[ysanabria]

Originally Posted by Joe Geoffroy

Joo

No there are no children here, but shouldn't I be spraying insecticides every week???

If not how do you control pests?

I live in Miami beach and I don't use any insecticides. If I have a problem with a plant a just treat that one not all of them. I learned that from the forum advice, so far so good
I Try to treat my plants as much as natural as possible as they will do in nature.

[lmartiny]

I bought some Bayre's 3 in 1 systemic and have tried to do better about using it. I also have the 3 in 1 ready spray I use and Natria for spider mites. Can't tell if I've beat the mites or not. I think I have. Poor plant is a shell of what it was. I've only used the systemic on all orchids once. It chalks up the leaves. I only spray plants that have bugs usually.
I've soaked some other plants with the systemic that seem to have chronic bug problems; sego, pony tail palm. I'll need to look up Thrips again.

[joo]

Originally Posted by digitalgate

in our hot weather, we spray insecticides every ten day or so. That is to control their population to a minimum , not to kill them all.In smaller collection, i would say it is easier to kill them all. We rotate pesticides , fungicides to prevent fungus/ pest to get resistance to any of the chemical.

Ya, that is what we do.
"Sign" but we can never kill them all hahaha, also in environmental sense, they are here for a reason.
But I believe in the cooler months of winter in the states, the insect activities are not so high?

[joo]

Oh, joe, what type of place you have, if its not a big area or even a green house, you could maybe keep them isolated from surrounding plants, you probably can keep the insect population in check. If you still feel not safe, use a 3in1 every 10 days or so.
If there is an insect that cannot be solved, you could send a photo here, i'm sure there are lots of people here that can give you some advice.

Last time i was in florida, your weather there is beautiful, warm but not so humid, so if your area is not over crowded with plants, spray fungicide every 2 weeks or so should be enough.

ysanabria...here's a good child of mother earth...

I also hear from a few old timer that the sea breeze actually keeps pests away. Don't know how true is it though, maybe someone could shed some light on it.