Hello! Most orchids secrete honey dew on buds, new spikes and new growths. It's normal, and it indicates a happy plant. If you're worried about it attracting bugs, or gumming up a proper flowering (I once had alot of honey dew that messed up some buds from opening properly) then you can probably just take a damp cloth and carefully wipe it off.

As for the leaf, I only have one paph, but in general I tend to leave dying leaves on my orchids until they are ready to fall off on their own. I think someone mentioned that as long as the leaf is still attached, the plant is still drawing energy from it. I would only remove it if it is somehow impeding the new growth, which happens sometimes, or if it starts rotting.

Spray it with alcohol/soap mix and get double duty. It washes off the sticky stuff and kills any bugs that are congregating.

In some plants, it can stick the buds shut and damage the flower.

Richard,

Alcohol won't hurt the bud? I would have thought that it might dry it out and/or cause blast.

Carolyn

Thanks y'all. Richard, what ratio of water to alcohol to soap should I use? I have 24 oz. sprayer.

1/2 alcohol, 1/2 water, a tiny bit of dish soap. Or 1/2 alcohol and 1/2 formula 409 (ready to use version). It won't hurt buds but I would limit the exposure after the flower is open.

Are your plants outdoors? If not, don't worry about the honeydew. It's perfectly normal.

Jane

no, Jane. The plants are indoors about 1-1.5 feet from a south windowsill being supplemented with an 85 watt compact fluorescent that is on 16 hours per day. How does the plants location determine whether or not the honeydew is ok? thanks

If they are outdoors, the honeydew will attract alot of pests which are generally not around indoors

ahh. That makes sense, I hadn't thought about that.

I don't disagree with people who say honeydew means the plant is happy. But you should be aware that sometimes the sticky stuff is there because it has been exuded by pests, particularly aphids and scale. This is especially true *indoors*.

Scale are very difficult to see against certain colors, and in certain places (eg on the stems of oncids or encyclias that have regular little bumps-- some of those "bumps" can turn out to be scale)

They also hide very well under leaves and inside the sarong on pbs.

So I would caution that any sticky place on an orchid merits a second look. Pick the plant up and look it over very carefully in good light. *Then* if you don't see a problem, rejoice in your plant's happy dew.

Even on sticky buds, it's worth a look. I have found scale on buds and flowers.

If you don't deal with scale when it's one or two, you'll soon have thousands.

Some orchids make tons of dew. My little granddaughter loves to wipe it on her fingers and lick it. Tastes delicious! (I don't use any toxic chemicals.)
Outdoors, the ants love it, and so far, they haven't created a problem... I probably just jinxed myself.

Jane

I tasted it too :)

The droplets you see on the plant are techically nectar, produced by extrafloral nectaries. Why has the plant evolved nectaries in these places? They are generally on the soft growing parts that are most likely to be chewed by herbivorous insects. If you watch, the sugar attracts ants and wasps which tend to attack other insects. Many many plants bribe ants into protecting them.

Aphids and scale spray honeydew so you get a sticky film on leaves below them

Some wasps actually appear to get drunk on the nectar. Hard to keep them away. I've had spiders build webs on the plants and catch lots of insects (ants included) which were trying to get to the sweet treat.

Jane