Hello,
I have been away for 10 days. Fortunately I have a kind friend who agreed to spray/water my Vandas and Angraecum while I was away. This involved moving the plants and their humidity trays into the kitchen, on the north facing windowsill above the sink. I left solution mixes and instructions. The light was satisfactory, however the temperature did get cold when I was away as there was no heating...
The good news. My Vanda Blue Magic has kept her flower spike (I am saying 'her,' because I romantically like to think that my orchids may have characters), and the progress is looking good. Six definite flower buds are now visible. She is a healthy, happy orchid:
The bad news is that Vanda Exotic Purple is not so happy, and when I got back, I found that she had blasted her spike, which as such resembled a blacked cinder. My friend looked after my orchids well as all the others are thriving, so some other problem caused this. I think it was probably the shock of being in lower temperatures; it is less tolerant that my other Vandas. I have also noticed that since I purchased this plant, it has been very slowly declining; and I am getting very worried. It is systematically shredding its lower leaves, and starting to resemble a palm tree. Also, the leaves are wrinkling and splitting at the ends...This Vanda receives the exact same treatment as the others. It is potted in course bark with polystyrene for drainage, stands on a humidity tray (usually on a west facing window - that is my orchid/art room), receives atleast twice daily misting, and is fed/watered properly twice a week..Once a week when it is colder. The other Vandas are happy and healthy. This one is not. The leaf signs indicate chronic dehydration to me..It gets plenty of water, so my personal deduction is that there is a problem with the water uptake, i.e. the roots. It is finer rooted than the other Vandas, and even though the pot is transparent; it is still difficult to see what state the roots are in. My plan is to take it out its pot and have a look..This will undoubtedly cause stress to the plant though..Here are some photos:
I have cleaned the leaves and trimmed away dead growth. I have now isolated it from the other plants. I would love advice, as I do not want to lose this Vanda. It is very pretty when in bloom. (Purple spots on a white background).
Please help.