Vanda culture.

My Ascocenda has been in s/h for about 8 months , it,s grown new leaves/roots but no sign of a spike.Light levels are above 3000fc so light isn,t an issue.
I have unpotted it to see how it,s taking to s/h & basically it isn,t.The new roots don,t go far into the media.
So i,m going to change the culture.
It is in a small plastic basket so i can hang the plant but what do you use in the basket(if anything).I,m looking for the easiest(least time consuming way).
Dunking the plant everyday isn,t on because of the amount of time it takes & i have to get up fairly early for work.
I was thinking of a sphag ball(loosly packed) & some fine fishing line to bind it to the basket.
Thoughts/ideas appreciated.

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Who the smeg is Dwayne Dibbley ?

Uncasteeb,
I have asco's and vandas in spag. moss...in hanging slat baskets. I am LAZY..hubby too(he takes care of these !)
They are doing great...one in spike now ! They get watered when the moss is dry... Large baskets usually go a week ..smaller 4 days... we had to do this as we travel and you can't ask anyone to come and dunk your orchids daily ! Hubby does spritz the roots clinging to the basket.
The moss is not packed tightly ,but there is a generous amount around the roots ,and we try and keep the roots confined inside the baskets..no dangling room here..although I love to see hanging roots of large vandas.
Try it ,I think you will be amazed at how they respond !

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< Gilda >
"Master of the Moth"

Hi , Ascocendas do not like to have thier roots disturbed , what I do is leave it in the little mesh basket and set the whole thing in a slat basket then throw in some large bark . They like to drink , good humidity and warm . I spray mine down 2 times once till the roots are green then back over them a 2nd time . Loose Spag. might work mixed in with some bark to hold moisture . The only reason I use the slat baskets is the plastic ones are uh errrr .... ugly lol Gin

Hi Unca,

I have the same watering problem with my vandaceous orchids. I found out that wire mesh and sphag works well, and the vandas seem to love it. The one in the pic is a smaller version, or rather shorter and its also new, just a couple of weeks old ( I mean the wire mesh/basket/tube, whatever).

I hope you find something useful from the pics.

Attached Images

  

blooming right now,
the only one i have is ascda. queen florist.
It's in a small plastic basket (3x3") which has been placed in
a 6x6" slatted basket.
Due to 35-40% winter humidity,
I had problems with the hanging roots drying out and shriveling up,
even though i spritzed those roots green every day.
So, after giving the roots a good soak, i gently coiled them up into
the slat basket which I lined with sphag.
I still see some root loss, but also see new purple tips starting to branch out.
Even with the sphag, I do have to spritz every day,
as only a few roots are in contact with the sphag
(and they are starting to turn darker tan -probably goners. ).
even though you are moving out of it, I am seriously considering
moving into s/h (maybe hydroton cut with a little charcoal?)
for the same early morning time restictions
(and it drips on my nice green velvet chair).
I'm hoping that it was the heavy feeding which brought it to bloom,
and not the daily watering.

All the vandas here are tethered in wood slat baskets with their roots allowed to hang freely. The only medium I use in the baskets are big chunks of lava rock to hold the stem of the plant in place, but that's usually important only in repotting. The lava rock provides some moisture retention. Vandas really like to get drenched quite a bit and then dry off--I'm not sure how appropriate S/H culture would be for them, given that S/H tends to provide a constant source of moisture without respecting the wet / dry cycles vandas really need to do their best.

Like Gin said, they need quite a bit of warmth and humidity, and they're heavy feeders during their growing seasons. I also spray the roots of the plants down once until the older ones turn green, then go over them a second time about ten minutes later. The first drenching "opens the pores" in the velamen, the second one waters the plant. In high summer, I'll water them like this twice a day.

If you don't have the high humidity vandas crave, sphag *loosely hung* around the roots as Gilda, Tanya, and Ennui suggested will help make up for the dryness somewhat; just be sure it's not so tightly packed that the roots don't get a chance to dry off within at most a few days.

The hanging basket / roots exposed / frequent watering and high light / humidity really makes them grow their best; I think you'll notice a quick change for the better once you get them out of S/H.....

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Louis J. Aszod

I killed my first Asc. Princess Mikasa "blue" in s/h. I wouldn't recommend it.

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I like my men the same way I like my coffee, strong, dark and rich...

OK guys took all the info onboard(thanks) & now i,ve put the Asco in a 7" basket.Large charcoal @ the bottom & some sphag on the top but not covering the top side of the roots.
Sound OK ?
It,ll get dunked a couple of times a week & spritzed twice daily if i have time.

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Who the smeg is Dwayne Dibbley ?