Vanda growth stalled

[Mike H]

I received a Vanda (actually tag says Rynchostylis gigantea 'red' )for Christmas from a friend and it has not grown any roots. The two roots on it are solid and slightly wrinkled. They do turn green when soaked which I do daily and they get plenty of light and humidity (in a greenhouse)
Will soaking them in rooting hormone do any good?

[Dorsetman]

They grow very slowly compared to the true Vandas ( meaning the big flowered hybrids made from V.coerulea and/or sanderiana,and IMHO you simply have to be patient.
I have never yet ( in almost 60 years of growing orchids) found any way of encouraging faster root growth, other than finding the right compost, replacing it at the right time, and getting the watering right - in other words getting culture generally right.
Oh how I would love to find something that works !.
Conventional rooting compounds, as I would use when taking cuttings in my garden , just seem to start off problems of some kind. Maybe because of the difference between epiphytic plants and true garden terrestrials.
But if you can prove me wrong - hey, I'll nominate you for a medal .

[Arne]

Rhynchostylis is definitely slow growing and there is nothing you can do about it except letting it settle. I bought my Rhynchostylis gigantea as a very small plant and I couldn't see any real growth during the first year. If it had continued like that I think I would have tossed it. It took until the second year when I could see roots attaching to its wooden basket and it was as if that was necessary before the youngest leaf could develop further. The first flower stem came four years later but it was worth the wait. It still grows ridiculously slowly but I have accepted it now. I have also noticed that any visible growth only takes place during the warmest months of the year.

[Mike H]

I thank you both for the response, I knew the plant was not dead but all my other orchids are growing roots and vegetation so i was a bit concerned.
Will continue to be patient with this guy (or gal).

[Azizan]

Agreed with all. You can actually differentiate between Vanda and Rhynchostylis gigantea based on the leaves (unless it is a seedling). The root texture of Rhynchostylis gigantea is not as smooth as any other Vanda either. I also read somewhere that Rhynchostylis gigantea doesn't like the roots to be disturbed. Anything that has gigantea in its name are super slow grower.

[raybark]

Will continue to be patient with this guy (or gal).

It's both!

Adding a tablespoon per gallon of KelpMax to your feeding/watering regimen once a month will go a long way. Not only is it a great root growth stimulant, but it supplies proteins, amino acids, vitamins and other plant growth regulators that the plant would get from indigenous microorganisms in the wild.

[Dorsetman]

And f course it should be remembered that a R.gigantea may be quite adult nd mature and flower regularly with only say 3 pairs of leaves, whereas a big vanda which is mature would have at least a dozen pairs. So the R grows at say 25% the rate of the Vanda, to reach the same point - if you just count leaves? But both may flower at the sme age.
I did once have a community pot of gigantea, White variety which personally is my favourite, and flowered a couple in the 4th or 5th year.

[daenna]

I heard that they love to be mounted especially if the place has good humidity.

[raybark]

I heard that they love to be mounted especially if the place has good humidity.

One might argue that most orchids love to be mounted - that is how they grow in nature, after all - but you must have the proper cultural conditions and ability/inclination to water them appropriately for that to be successful.