Dend stripes, dead Vanda, dend bud
 

Hello everyone. I just have two questions and a pic of dends buds (which is the first orchid to ever bloom for me).

I have a Vanda that I bought 1 year ago. It didn't grow very well until I started giving it a fertilizer with high Nitrogen. Then I read that they'll never bloom with a lot of nitrogen so I switched it to one with low Nitrogen. And around that time a few cold spells came around and this is what it looks like now. Can some one tell me what to do?

http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/r...1/DSC03665.jpg

This one is a dend I got from my mother in law in poor condtion a year ago and now it is gonna bloom... except on this side of the orchid. I don't know if those maroon stripes have anything to do with it but the side that is spiking does not have these stripes. Does anyone know something about this?

http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/r...1/DSC03662.jpg

And finally, this is the side that is going to bloom. I have no idea what the flowers will look like.

http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/r...1/DSC03656.jpg

Thank you all very much.

Hi SP2340,

The Vanda looks like it is dehydrated...the wrinkling that can be seen in the leaves is a good indicator of this. Also, when the leaves start to turn yellow and fall off, it is either due to dehydration or cold...in this case, I'd say it is not enough water. Vandas can tolerate temps down to 50 degrees F…and even a little lower for vey short periods without suffering damage.

I would make sure that the plant is watered every day...I see a couple of root buds forming, so this plant still has a great chance of turning around. When you water, water good until the water is running off the roots....wait about 10 minutes and then water it again. I can't see the other roots on the plant...hopefully there are plenty...If they are still white after the second watering, you may need to repeat the water cycle a third time to make sure that moisture is getting through the velum coating around the roots (the white stuff).

As for the dendrobium...the plant looks very healthy, and I believe the stripes are normal. I'm looking forward to seeing the blooms when they open up. :D

Thank you very much dgenovese! I will start watering the Vanda like you said and hopefully I can save it!

No problem...I hope it helps! :D